Free Together With You by Victoria Bylin

child learns.”
    Absolution. Ryan craved it.
    Denise leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. “I appreciate your perspective, Carly. Working in a toy store, you must see children and parents every day.”
    â€œI do.”
    â€œThat’s nice,” Denise said, maybe meaning it. “How old are you, dear? Twenty-two, maybe twenty-three?”
    â€œI’m twenty-eight.”
    Like Denise, Ryan had assumed Carly was younger. He viewed her age as an advantage, plus he knew she was in grad school, another plus no matter what she was studying. With that kick to his foot, she’d told him she was on his side. But what she brought to the table remained to be revealed. She could still torpedo him by accident.
    Denise tapped a crimson fingernail on the arm of the metal chair. “So you’re twenty-eight and you manage a toy store. That sounds like fun.”
    â€œOh, it is.”
    â€œYes, but let’s be realistic. Managing a toy store hardly qualifies you to judge the situation with Penny. You might not be aware of it, but she has special needs.”
    â€œI’m aware.” Carly turned her attention to Ryan, giving him both authority over Denise and a look at the intense gleam in her pretty eyes. “My CV is on the kitchen table. I can get it if you’d like.”
    The fact she said CV, short for curriculum vitae, instead of resume, told Ryan she had more clout than he knew. “Why don’t you summarize for us, starting with your education.”
    â€œI’d be glad to.” Her eyes twinkled at him, then she turned back to Denise. “I have a BA in biology and a masters’ in social work, both from the University of Kentucky. A year ago I won the Emma Hanson Scholarship from the UCLA School of Social Welfare and am working on my doctorate.”
    â€œWhat’s your focus?” Ryan asked.
    â€œMy dissertation is on fetal alcohol prevention.” She looked straight at Denise. “FASD is the one birth defect that can be prevented one hundred percent of the time. Education is vital, and that’s my long-term goal—to make sure women understand the consequence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.”
    So the toy-store manager was an expert on FASD. Ryan rubbed his jaw to hide a smirk, then pitched her another question. “The scholarship’s impressive. Any other honors?”
    â€œPhi Beta Kappa and Alpha Delta Mu. That’s a national honor society for social workers. My master’s thesis was on FASD. It won a prize and was published last year.”
    With the smirk under control, he risked a look at Denise. “Any questions for Carly?”
    â€œYes, several.” Her lips pulled into a frown, but she erased it with a careless shrug. “You surprised me, Carly. And I admit it—I’m impressed.”
    â€œThank you.”
    â€œLet’s move on a bit.” Denise recrossed her legs. “What hands-on experience do you have with FASD?”
    Sitting tall, she emanated confidence, but her eyes lost their sparkle. “Back in Lexington I counseled teenage girls at a group home called Sparrow House. Two had full-blown FAS, but I suspect others were affected by fetal alcohol as well.” Her gaze shifted from Denise to Ryan. “I know firsthand how difficult it is to cope witha disability that’s unseen and misunderstood. It’s hard on the kids and the caregivers alike.”
    She understands. She knows the fight. Which meant she knew him in a way few people did. If they’d been alone, he’d have told her how much her understanding meant, but Denise’s gaze stayed hard on his face until she shifted her attention back to Carly.
    â€œI have another question,” she said. “How did you become interested in this particular field?”
    â€œA boy back home had FASD. When his parents adopted him, they had no idea what they were getting into. This boy struggled in school