Scene: Megan's work area. Barry enters.

Megan: "Hi, Barry. I was wondering if I could ask a favor."

(she is acting nice, and progressively more flirty.)

Barry: "Uh-oh. Your cousin from Transylvania is in town and needs a warm-blooded escort?"

Megan: "No. Lacey has been having a little difficulty with her logic assignments in math class and she never wants to let me help her. I thought perhaps I could talk you into providing a little assistance. She is much more willing to solicit your advice than mine."

Barry: "Smart kid. When would you like me to come over?"

Megan: "She and I are going shopping Saturday morning, but maybe later that afternoon?"

Barry: "Fine by me."

Megan: "Unless you have plans for Saturday evening? I wouldn't want to disrupt anything."

Barry: "No plans."

Megan: "You're sure it's OK? No angry woman is going to call asking why you stood her up?"

Barry: "Pretty sure that won't happen. Why are you so concerned about a non-existent date?"

Megan: "No reason. Just making sure you're available if things take longer than expected. Lacey tends to procrastinate on her homework."

Barry: "Ah. See you Saturday, then."

He turns and starts to make his way out of the room.

Megan: "Looking forward to it."

(mutters under her breath): "Moron."

Barry stops short.

Barry: "Am I missing something?"

Megan: "Not at all. Lacey will be happy to see you."

He considers matters for a moment, then...

Barry: "Megan, would you be interested in going out for dinner afterward?"

Megan: "Why, Barry, I wasn't expecting this..."

Barry: "I'm sorry. If the notice is too short, we could postpone until a later time..."

Megan: "No, I'd love to have dinner with you. Even if you are kind of slow to catch on."

Barry: "I beg your pardon?"

Megan: "When you kiss a woman, you're supposed to follow up on it. And notice when she sets you up to ask her out, you big oaf."

Barry: "I noticed."

Megan: "Then why didn't you say anything?"

Barry: "You're more a take charge type. Getting flirty doesn't come naturally to you. It was cute."

Megan (flustered): "I can be feminine, buster."

Barry: "Absolutely. Admit it, though, you'd have been much more comfortable just telling me when to show up and where to take you than going through all this."

Megan (chagrined): "It is a lot more straightforward..."

Barry: "Just try to keep in mind that I have a few good ideas of my own. Where would you like to go? Steakhouse? Seafood? I have a hunch you might be ready for a change of pace from Lacey's vegan diabetes-friendly diet."

Megan (defensively): "I support Lacey in that. It is a difficult choice, and I respect her desire to define her ethical boundaries."

Barry: "We could do pasta if you'd rather..."

Megan: "I've been dying for a steak, chicken, anything. We've been eating a smart, healthy diet, but once in a while I could go for some food that tastes good and is bad for me."

Barry: "It's a date, then."

Kate enters.

Kate: "What's a date?"

Megan: "Barry and I have a dinner date Saturday evening."

Kate: "I thought you were supposed to be my boyfriend. Two-timing the boss? Not smart."

Barry: "Um..."

Megan: "You're one to talk. You couldn't keep your hands off my ex, you slut. Well, if you can steal Todd, I can steal Barry."

Barry: "There really isn't much stealing going on here..."

Megan and Kate, together: "Who asked you?"

Kate: "You were such a shrew Todd couldn't stand to live in the same house. I'm just surprised you found someone who would take you to dinner. Most men would be too nauseated by your presence to eat!"

Megan: "As opposed to you, who would probably never make it to the restaurant at all. How deep a neckline do you wear on a first date, anyway? It probably plunges all the way down to your Prada shoes!"

Barry: "I think I'll go see if Curtis needs any help..."

Megan: "That's it, run, you coward!"

Kate: "Fast and far. Because a man who drops me without even the simple courtesy of telling me is in for a world of hurt."

He flees the scene. Once he is out of earshot, the women look to make sure he is gone.

Kate: "I thought 'slut' was a little over the top."

Megan: "Sorry. I think he bought it, though."

Kate: "He did. He's putty in our hands. He never batted an eye in the face of gunfire, but he looked positively stricken just now."

Megan: "He did. It was so cute."

Kate: "Don't get too caught up in torturing him. Sooner or later I will have to let Barry off the hook."

Megan: "But this is so much fun!"

(end scene)

Scene: Megan's apartment, Saturday. Barry stand outside her door with flowers. She answers the door.

Megan: "Hi, Barry. Come in."

Barry: "Hello, Megan, Lacey. These are for you."

He hands her the flowers. She accepts them, inhaling the fragrance.

Megan: "Lacey, get a vase for these, would you?"

Lacey: "Sure, Mom."

Megan: "These are gorgeous. I've never seen anything like this before. Where did you get them?"

Barry: "I have no idea."

Megan: "How can you have no idea where you got them? Are you having black-outs?"

Barry: "Well, remember my college roommate, Bob?"

Lacey (returns with vase): "I liked him!"

Megan: "He was tolerable for his expertise. Barely. Not an uncommon quality in your circle of friends."

Barry: "Well, a few years ago, he asked me for a favor. I used some of the fancy tools at work and recovered the data for the Boston Orchid Society when their hard drive crashed."

Megan: "So?"

Barry: "I was soliciting advice on ways to impress my date this evening, and today a courier showed up at my door with a bouquet of rare orchids and a spray of jasmine. Not the regular florist delivery service, a private courier."

Lacey: "Wow, Mom."

Megan: "I might be a little impressed."

Barry: "The card read 'Regards to Dr. Hot Chick from her admirers. Don't blow it.'"

Megan: "I guess we don't have much doubt on the sender of the flowers."

Barry: "It is but a feeble attempt to match one exotic beauty with another."

Megan: "Such talk! Where does that come from?"

Barry: "That was on the other side of the card. Someone seems to think I need a ghost-writer."

Megan: "Not without reason. It's a nice gesture nonetheless. Thank you."

Barry: "My pleasure, even if not my credit card. Lacey, shall we take a look at your issues with logic tables?"

Lacey: "It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

Barry: "A lot of people become confused because of ambiguities in English which sucker you into the wrong idea in logic. Many people use 'and' when they mean 'added to' or a logical 'or'. Think about it like ordering pizza."

Lacey: "Ordering pizza?"

Barry: "If I order a pizza with ham and pineapple, and it only comes with ham, they didn't bring what I ordered, did they? The 'and' condition was not fulfilled."

Lacey: "OK."

Barry: "If the deluxe has a choice of pepperoni or sausage, and I say I don't care, I don't really get to complain as long as it has one or the other or both, right?"

Lacey: "Yeah."

Barry: "But if I ask you to order us one with tomatoes or mushrooms, but not both, because my coupon is only good for one topping..."

Lacey: "That's an exclusive or?"

Barry: "Bingo. Let's go over some of your homework."

(later, after Lacey is done)

Lacey: "Thanks, Barry. I think I have it straight now."

Megan appears.

Megan: "All done with the homework, honey?"

Lacey: "Yeah, Mom. Barry knows how to give me examples that help me make sense of things. I wish he was my teacher."

Barry: "If there are other kids having trouble, I could do a group tutoring session."

Lacey: "Could we, Mom?"

Megan: "I suppose. If your friends need some help, and Barry is willing, we could arrange something."

Lacey: "Great. Now go have fun on your date."

Megan: "I left you some lasagna in the refrigerator."

Lacey leaves.

Megan: "Thanks for helping Lacey. When I explain things, she just gets defensive."

Barry: "She's plenty smart, she just needs the material presented in a more approachable way."

Megan: "It was nice of you to help out. Ready for our date?"

Barry: "Yeah. Are you willing to be seen in my car?"

Megan: "Not at any reputable restaurant. Why don't you just drive my car?"

Barry: "OK. Wouldn't want to ruin the first date with a hot chick."

Megan: "Well, don't get your hopes up. I'm an old-fashioned girl, and I have to be a role model for my teen-age daughter."

Barry: "You're a big disappointment. Considering that one date you set me up with slept with me on a first date."

Megan: "And never went out with you again. Not a bright spot on the resumé, Barry."

Barry: "Ouch."

Her cell phone goes off.

Megan: "Uh-oh. I think I need to take this. It's Kate."

Barry: "I wasn't expecting the bail-out call for another hour."

Megan: "Shush."

(into phone)

"Kate. What's going on?"

(switching video)

Kate: "Sorry to interrupt your week-end. We've gotten slammed, and I need you to report for duty."

Megan: "There's nobody else available?"

Kate: "Sorry. This is the third call in the last two hours. I'm out of people."

Megan looks at Barry.

Barry: "I understand. Go ahead."

Megan: "All right, I can take this one. But we're missing out on dinner. Barry will think you're doing this on purpose out of jealousy."

Kate: "Pick up sandwiches on your way in and I'll reimburse. Tell Barry I'll take him to dinner some time to make up for it."

Megan: "OK. See you."

She hangs up the call, they start toward the door.

Megan: "She says she'll buy me dinner to make up for the ruined date. As for you, she likes it when you think she's jealous. Keeps you in line."

Barry: "The pre-date was going so well, too. I had some hopes that the actual date was not going to be a total disaster."

Megan: "Sorry. You know what work can be like."

Barry: "Go. Too bad, though. It would have been a wonderful first date."

Megan: "Pretty cocky. How can you be so sure..."

He once again surprises her with a kiss.

Barry: "Because it would have ended with a kiss like that. Good night."

He leaves.

Megan, softly, watching him leave: "I guess it would have had some good points."

(loudly)

"Lace, the date is canceled, I have to go in to work. I'll see you later."

(end scene)

#note: Season 3 is set to debut. From the sounds of things, the folks in charge of the show have finally learned some lessons. The right amount of danger keeps up the interest a show like this. Respect the characters and make their interactions interesting and believable. A love interest with the right amount of bumps in the road for the relationship keeps people tuned in. And if you are going to have a queen bee like Megan, having somebody who can stand up to her, drive her nuts, and get away with it will help a lot. We'll see how it all works out.