the stairs, he’s smart enough to know that he isn’t the perfect candidate to come and talk to you. So, here I am.”
“Don’t be so proud of yourself. I’m sure you got assigned the task due to the lack of other available candidates.”
Ryan gave him a mock punch, picked up the remote, and proceeded to change the channel. He sighed as he lazed against the couch. Lifting one of his legs onto the coffee table, he asked, “Beer?”
“You treat every one of our house as your own, don’t you?”
Ryan gave him a quick brow raise and went back to scanning the channels.
Dan went into the kitchen and came back with two beers in his hands, handing one to Ryan.
They sat and watched the television quietly until Ryan said, “So what happened with Evelyn?”
“It’s over.”
“When did it start?” Ryan asked with a smirk.
Dan made a sound between a grunt and a laugh.
“Look, I never understood what’s with you and Evelyn. Why are you playing this merry-go-round with her?”
Dan sighed and took a mouthful of beer. Ryan was the last person he wanted to discuss the topic of love with. Relationship wise, Ryan was a complete opposite of him.
“I know she’s hot and all.”
Dan rolled his eyes and continued before he had to punch Ryan. “She’s different from everyone I know.”
“If you’re talking about Joanne and your parents, then yeah, of course she’s different.”
“It isn’t just that. I just want her to get over whatever happened in the past, I want to make things better for her. She’s more than the person she lets the world see.”
“So, it’s a damsel in distress situation?”
“No. She doesn’t need me to take care of her, but I want to. I don’t know, we’re…we’re good together. When she lets her guard down, we have so much fun,” Dan said, thinking back on the times they’d spent together.
He remembered the silly jokes they made, how she’d laugh over everything he talked about; a genuine laughter, unlike the polite smile she always had on her face. Sometimes when they were together, he’d look into her eyes, and he could see beyond the dark brown eyes and feel the pain she had buried within.
Though he didn’t know the details of what happened in her past, all he could think about was to protect her and tell her that he would never leave her alone to deal with anything.
“If it helps, I think she feels the same. Her eyes always light up when she’s talking to you. With Kate, she seems comfortable. With you, she seems happy.”
“So it’s not just me who thinks that.”
“What is she afraid of?”
“The damn secret that Evelyn refuses to tell. The same damn secret that Kate is guarding for her.”
“Hmmm, maybe I can help you charm it out of Kate.”
Dan had to laugh. “I’m pretty sure that unless Evelyn allows it, Kate is going to carry the secret to her grave.”
“But she loves me.”
Dan continued laughing, and after struggling for a while, he finally managed to reply. “Someday, Ty will kill you over this Kate-loves-me thing.”
“So, it’s really over now?” Ryan asked.
“Yes.” The same determination he had felt when walking out of Evelyn’s house rose again. “Yes,” Dan repeated, though this time, even as the word left his lips, he wondered how Evelyn was doing. “Kate is over at Evelyn’s?”
“Tell you what,” Ryan said with a pat on Dan’s back. “As your friend, I’m going to pretend that you never asked that question. It’s my way of helping you get over her.”
Ryan was right. Kate would be with her anyway. It was high time he stopped worrying about her. She was the one who wanted nothing to do with him.
Chapter Six
The next morning, the atmosphere at breakfast was awkward. Besides Marianne, all the ladies were missing that morning.
Dan could feel Marianne’s gaze flickering onto him every couple of minutes, seemingly waiting for him to say something.
It wasn’t possible to keep anything a secret
“Don’t be so proud of yourself. I’m sure you got assigned the task due to the lack of other available candidates.”
Ryan gave him a mock punch, picked up the remote, and proceeded to change the channel. He sighed as he lazed against the couch. Lifting one of his legs onto the coffee table, he asked, “Beer?”
“You treat every one of our house as your own, don’t you?”
Ryan gave him a quick brow raise and went back to scanning the channels.
Dan went into the kitchen and came back with two beers in his hands, handing one to Ryan.
They sat and watched the television quietly until Ryan said, “So what happened with Evelyn?”
“It’s over.”
“When did it start?” Ryan asked with a smirk.
Dan made a sound between a grunt and a laugh.
“Look, I never understood what’s with you and Evelyn. Why are you playing this merry-go-round with her?”
Dan sighed and took a mouthful of beer. Ryan was the last person he wanted to discuss the topic of love with. Relationship wise, Ryan was a complete opposite of him.
“I know she’s hot and all.”
Dan rolled his eyes and continued before he had to punch Ryan. “She’s different from everyone I know.”
“If you’re talking about Joanne and your parents, then yeah, of course she’s different.”
“It isn’t just that. I just want her to get over whatever happened in the past, I want to make things better for her. She’s more than the person she lets the world see.”
“So, it’s a damsel in distress situation?”
“No. She doesn’t need me to take care of her, but I want to. I don’t know, we’re…we’re good together. When she lets her guard down, we have so much fun,” Dan said, thinking back on the times they’d spent together.
He remembered the silly jokes they made, how she’d laugh over everything he talked about; a genuine laughter, unlike the polite smile she always had on her face. Sometimes when they were together, he’d look into her eyes, and he could see beyond the dark brown eyes and feel the pain she had buried within.
Though he didn’t know the details of what happened in her past, all he could think about was to protect her and tell her that he would never leave her alone to deal with anything.
“If it helps, I think she feels the same. Her eyes always light up when she’s talking to you. With Kate, she seems comfortable. With you, she seems happy.”
“So it’s not just me who thinks that.”
“What is she afraid of?”
“The damn secret that Evelyn refuses to tell. The same damn secret that Kate is guarding for her.”
“Hmmm, maybe I can help you charm it out of Kate.”
Dan had to laugh. “I’m pretty sure that unless Evelyn allows it, Kate is going to carry the secret to her grave.”
“But she loves me.”
Dan continued laughing, and after struggling for a while, he finally managed to reply. “Someday, Ty will kill you over this Kate-loves-me thing.”
“So, it’s really over now?” Ryan asked.
“Yes.” The same determination he had felt when walking out of Evelyn’s house rose again. “Yes,” Dan repeated, though this time, even as the word left his lips, he wondered how Evelyn was doing. “Kate is over at Evelyn’s?”
“Tell you what,” Ryan said with a pat on Dan’s back. “As your friend, I’m going to pretend that you never asked that question. It’s my way of helping you get over her.”
Ryan was right. Kate would be with her anyway. It was high time he stopped worrying about her. She was the one who wanted nothing to do with him.
Chapter Six
The next morning, the atmosphere at breakfast was awkward. Besides Marianne, all the ladies were missing that morning.
Dan could feel Marianne’s gaze flickering onto him every couple of minutes, seemingly waiting for him to say something.
It wasn’t possible to keep anything a secret
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