Detective V. Ardanowski went to court to testify on a case. She took advantage of that location to stop by the offices of Jax Corporation afterward.

No, she had no appointment, she told Rick Friel's secretary, but it shouldn't take long. It was about Amy, she added, hoping that would incline Rick to talk to her.

She was shown into his office. Rick looked mystified, but extended his hand to her.

"Sit down, Detective," he said.

"You can call me V. if you want."

He smiled. "So long as I don't use the actual name."

"Yep," she smiled. "I don't know what my parents were thinking – you know all those jokes about the goddess of love and all."

"Yeah, and all that."

"Amy's a much nicer name. Latin for 'love' right? And speaking of Amy-"

"Did she say something to somebody she shouldn't have?"

"No, no, well, yes, in a way. She invited me in and was showing me your garden and – well, you know. Your weeds."

"Weeds."

"Yeah, weed."

"Oh, weed."

By this time, she was laughing.

"Am I in trouble? You here to arrest me?"

"No, of course not. Amy told me who it was for."

He was silent for a minute. "But the law is the law," he said.

"Just do some weeding, OK, and I really don't have to do anything about going against you."

"Why was Amy showing you the garden?"

"She was talking about how – her mom – always kept it up, and was interested in getting it going again, and I told her I knew something about it – my mother and I always had a garden – and I was going to help and we went over and looked and then – I saw it. She seemed surprised. Like she had forgotten about it and forgot to put that together with me being a detective."

"I'm not so sure," he said.

"She misses her mother. What was her name?"

"Joyce. She does, but she also has other plans going on, too, I think. I'm getting an idea here. But thank you for telling me, V., and not arresting me."

"How is your daughter Amanda?" V. asked.

"Joyce's birthday was last week and that throws Amanda into a funk for about a month. Every year."

"Oh, I know. I'm always sad on my Dad's birthday."

"Amanda did not cry," Rick said. "When Joyce died, not for nearly a year after, on Joyce's birthday. Amy and I get sad on the birthday too, of course, but it's somehow a bigger problem for Amanda."

"She still seeing the guy she went to Jax and Oksana's wedding with?"

"I'm not sure. Probably not. These things never last with Amanda."

"She might need to see a counselor," V. said. "That doesn't sound good at all."

"I never even thought of that," Rick said. "Yet it is such a good idea."

"Maybe mention it to her."

"If you would, I would consider it a great – favor," he said. "Coming from outside her family I think would be more convincing to her."

"Of course," V. said, affected. "I had some counseling myself, and I lost a parent too. Yeah, it will be coming from someone who knows what it's like." She got up. "I won't take up any more of your time. Just do your weeding and we're OK."

"All right," he said, relaxing. "V. – if you see Amy again, tell her to just invite you over for dinner."

"OK," V. said, not sure what was going on. But going to their house for dinner sounded nice. And Amy was the lady of the house now. So maybe that was why she had to do the inviting.

"Amy, your matchmaking needs work," Zander was telling Amy in the kitchen at his mother's house. "You don't want to get your Dad arrested over it." Amy was there to do homework with Amanda and Zander – she had been hanging out with Amanda more, lately – and told Zander about how she got V. Ardanowski to go see her father.

"How could it hurt?" Amy said. "He'll get a slap on the wrist for that. True it would be on his record, but he wouldn't lose his job over it. Jax is too cool to fire someone for that, and V. could convince him not to if he wasn't."

"OK," Zander said. "I can go along with that. Still seems a little risky. She's making friends with you. Nothing more natural than for you to ask her to come over and there you have it."

"You are always so reasonable, Zander," said Amy.

"You ought to be a politician," he answered. "So you've picked out a girl for your Dad."

"Not really. I'm helping along where I think he picked her."

"Why doesn't he ask her out himself?"

"I think he's shy. Has these ideas he hasn't dated in so long, he doesn't know how. And probably thinks he couldn't get her – you know, she is awfully pretty."

"So you are being a big help."

"I am. Now, I will ask her over for dinner one night. To thank her for taking me to work. She showed me all around, like take a daughter to work day. You know about that? We lost our mom, Amanda and I, and V. really understands, because she lost her Dad."

"You think your dad is ready for a girlfriend?"

"Yes, but he doesn't realize it."

Zander laughed. "You are a matchmaker. I think I'll offer you a job in our business. Quinn and I are starting a dating service someday. It's kind of a joke. But I think we could do it. We're really good."

"I only work for the best," Amy said. "When you need me, I'm here. I have my sister to work on, too. She frustrates me. A guy likes her and it always seems to fall off, because she just goes sort of – she just goes sort of blank. Gets down in the dumps and doesn't return calls or gives the guy the impression she is not interested."

"What gets her depressed?"

"Thinking about Mom, especially Mom's birthday. Or my parents' anniversary. Or her birthday, or mine, or Dad's. Christmas."

"I understand."

"You know, Zander, she can't not live her life over it. But sometimes I think that is what she does. Think, like, it could happen to me so why bother? She doesn't want her kids to get left without a mother. We get tested because our mother died of breast cancer, but not everybody whose mother dies of it gets it."

"Sounds like depression, that maybe she needs some real treatment."

"Yes."

"You know, you're the youngest one in this family, but seem to be the most together."

"I am resilient," Amy declared.

Zander smiled at her. She'd obviously heard that before. "Well, you are good to your loved ones who aren't as resilient," he said.