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expected. “So, you refuse to answer? I guess that means the game’s over.” Dan moves around the bar, this time going to check on the coffee pot. Again, Evan follows him.
    “Dan, seriously… I know this must be frustrating for you. But I was just hoping that… I don’t know. I guess I was hoping that all that could be separate.” Evan looks awkward, and Dan wonders if this is what’s beneath the careless exterior, or if it’s just another act. “I mean, you must have people coming on to you pretty much constantly, but, honestly, I’m not just—I’m not just after your looks, not looking for just—you know. I really like you, what I’ve seen so far, and I’d like the chance to get to know you better.” Evan looks like he’s surprised himself with his little speech.
    Dan just stares at him, and then says, “Okay, how about I give you an alternate question, then?” Evan nods enthusiastically and waits for Dan to speak. “Here it is, then, question two… Evan, where’s Jeff tonight?”
    Dan can’t read the expression on Evan’s face, but his voice is agitated. “No, man, you’ve got it wrong. Jeff and me, we’re not like that. I mean, we’re like that, but we’re not… I mean, believe me, Jeff has no problem with me being here tonight.” Evan catches himself. “Well, no, that’s not quite true. He didn’t think I should come, but it’s because he thought it was stupid, thought it was making things too complicated, not because he has a problem with it in theory. I mean—”
    Dan is suddenly tired, and strangely sad, and he cuts Evan off. “Evan, you should go home. There’s nothing for you here.” He fixes Evan with a level stare to show that he means it. This time when he walks away, Evan doesn’t follow.

Chapter 5
    E VAN leaves the bar shortly after Dan starts ignoring him. Dan feels mostly relieved, and tries to disregard the tiny little niggle of disappointment. Evan seems like a good enough guy, and Lord knows he’s not hard to look at. Maybe in another life, Dan would have been interested, even if the Jeff situation is still a little confusing. But in this life, he knows that the whole thing is out of the question.
    Dan helps close down the bar and then heads home to find a note pinned to his door. It’s from Molly, asking him to come by the house the next morning at nine.
    So, that’s it, then. He’ll find out what’s going on in… he checks his watch. Six hours. He’s really just fed up with the drama—he’s been more than just an employee to Karl and Molly, and he doesn’t understand what he’s done to be shut out like this, and he doesn’t really appreciate it.
    He falls asleep quickly but wakes up, as usual, when he hears Robyn arrive to feed the horses. He tries to get back to sleep, but then the sun shines in his window, and he knows it’s a lost cause.
    He showers, dresses, and tries to think of a way to kill almost two hours. He settles on going down and helping Robyn take the horses out. Even if he’s not allowed to ride, it’s still calming to be around them. He and Robyn grill each other looking for extra information, but there’s none to be had.
    Finally, he heads over to the house. He’s a little early, but he doesn’t think Karl or Molly will mind. In better times he would have expected to mooch some sort of breakfast from them, but he doubts that’s in the cards today.
    He’s only a little surprised to see Chris’s truck in the driveway again. Chris hadn’t returned Dan’s calls the day before, which is totally unlike him, so Dan knows he must be involved in whatever the Big Secret is. There’s no sign of the Kaminskis, though.
    Dan wipes his feet carefully and then rings the doorbell. Usually, he’d follow that up with an opened door and a shouted “hello,” but things just don’t feel quite that casual anymore.
    When Karl comes to answer the door, he seems reserved, almost nervous, and he doesn’t seem to want to look Dan in the eye. He