Chad Breyer took Mary Ellen Delaney out to the movies. Afterward, they went to Luke's Bar.

"My dad's in the same business as you are," he said, conversationally, when he brought their drinks back to the table.

"Really, I didn't know that!"

"He works for a paper in Buffalo," Chad said. "Keeps him from home a lot."

"Did that contribute to your parents getting a divorce?"

"Not really. It was mostly when Mom became born again and couldn't convince Dad to do it, too."

"She left him?"

"No, he left her. Said he couldn't stand it any more."

"She bugged him to convert?"

"That, and she puts everything in those terms. You know how people get when they find religion like that? Everything shows the Lord's hand."

"Yeah, I've run into it when I was in college. My family is Catholic and nobody has been born again. What religion is your family?"

"We were ordinary Methodists," Chad said. "Now Mom goes to the Church of the Open Bible."

"Oh, it's not part of a major denomination?"

"No, something about the council of Churches of Christ, I think. I'm not sure when it comes to that. I would call them fundamentalists, though. It sure gets a hold of a person. Almost like heroin. And Dad, well, being a reporter, he is a cynical type. Agnostic. It just wouldn't be natural to him. Then of course, he'd say things to her like how they just want your money."

"And that upset her."

"I wouldn't say upset her, exactly. She doesn't get upset about things. Part of the Christian thing. The fundamentalist Christian thing, that is. You don't get mad. You just keep witnessing about the glory of God's work in your life."

Mary Ellen smiled, since he was. "So what about you, and your brother and sister? Surely she wants you to come to Jesus, too?"

"Oh, yeah, but we're grown up, and there's only so much she can say. She doesn't have enough time to drive us all crazy. Living with her, as Dad was, that was different. She tried to fix my sister up with a minister."

"I can imagine," Mary Ellen said. "What did she think of Taryn dating Toby?"

"We avoid telling her about who we're dating," Chad said. "I don't think she ever heard of Taryn. Dad and Laraine and I were worried about Taryn being underage. Then she finally turns 18, and I saw her kissing Clay, and you know where it went from there!"

"She broke up with Clay. She wants Toby back, from what I understand."

"Are you going to help me protect my brother from that menace?" Chad's eyes twinkled.

"Of course," Mary Ellen said. "I have a heart, you know. And experience exposing that menace to society known as Taryn Polk."

They grinned at each other.

"And you know what?" Mary Ellen said. "More about our nemesis surfaces. My youngest sister's boyfriend used to go out with her!"

"The baseball player at the game we went to? Amazing. Taryn gets around. Guess who is now a waitress at the LU?

"We have to go over and patrol!" Mary Ellen laughed. "What are we doing here at Luke's?"

"Even the Taryn Polk Exposure Society needs a break every once in a while."

They laughed again.

"She's everywhere," Mary Ellen said.

"Hopefully not at the Nurse's Ball," Chad said. "Hey, you want to go to that with me?"

Mary Ellen looked at him. She was pleased. "I would like that," she said.

"OK, it's a date."