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Authors: Kate Sherwood
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about that. Just give us a chance.” Jeff takes Dan’s silence as acquiescence. “It’s your town—do you have a recommendation for where to eat?”
“Not really. You guys have probably eaten more restaurant lunches since you got to town than I have in the last five years. I’m usually at the barn.”
“Well, we’re at the Brown Hotel, right downtown. They’ve got a lunch restaurant called J. Grahams. Could you meet us there, maybe one o’clock?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
There’s a pause, and then Jeff’s voice comes out a bit tentatively. “Look, Dan. I can’t even pretend to understand how torn up you must be right now, and I know that it’s not really any of my business. And, like I said, this whole deal has gotten way more jumbled up than it had to be, and Evan… Evan was an idiot for coming to see you in the bar the other night. The boy’s got no sense at all. But he’s got a good heart, and he can control himself if he has to.” Jeff sighs. “I guess I’m just saying that I hope you can come into the meeting with an open mind. There’s no pressure, no expectations, we’re just putting an idea out there.”
“No pressure?” Dan says. “If I don’t sign on to be Evan’s barn-boy, you don’t buy the horses and Karl and Molly have to scramble around and try to find buyers in a totally messed up economy while they should be mourning their son? Is that what you mean by ‘no pressure’?”
Jeff sighs again. “I wish Chris hadn’t mentioned that to you. He’s just trying to look out for everybody, I guess, but… it’s really not that simple. We’re not trying to be high handed about this, and we’re totally open to negotiation. And the barn-boy thing… interesting imagery, by the way… Evan and I have talked about that pretty intensely, and… he’s not going to make things uncomfortable for you. I promise.” As far as Dan can tell from a cell phone conversation, Jeff is totally sincere. He pauses, and then goes on in a slightly less impassioned manner. “We’re interested in hiring you because of your skills and your attitude—we were both really impressed with your honesty about Monty. The other part is totally separate, and if you don’t bring it up, it is totally dead.”
Dan doesn’t really know what to say to that, but he can’t really refuse to even hear their plan. “Yeah, fine, I’ll… I’ll try to have an open mind.”
Jeff’s smile transmits through the phone. “That’s great, Dan. So we’ll see you at one.”
“Sure thing. Bye.” Dan hangs up the phone with the beginnings of an idea in his head. He now wishes he wasn’t hung over, because he’s not sure it’s a good idea, and a clear mind would really be helpful. Ordinarily he could call Chris, but that doesn’t seem like a good option today. He thinks for a second and then pulls out his cell and dials it. He only hopes Robyn will be able to pick up.
A COUPLE hours later, he leaves the copy center and heads off to the restaurant, a thick manila envelope in his hand. He’s not sure if he really needs the props, but getting them put together helped fill the time and calm his nerves.
When he gets to the restaurant Jeff and Evan are already there. They both stand and shake his hand when he walks to the table, and then they sit down and make small talk. Dan inquires about Tatiana, who has apparently gotten bored with all the business and flown home on her own. Evan raves about their housekeeper for a while, about how great it is to have someone in the house that he can trust with anything. Dan’s not sure if it’s meant to be a pointed comment. If it is, he’s not sure what the point is meant to be. Possibly Evan is just rambling. The rest of the mealtime conversation is similarly benign, although Dan finds himself getting increasingly restless as time passes.
None of them order dessert, so once their plates are cleared and coffee is brought, Evan finally gets down to business. “So, Dan, I
“Not really. You guys have probably eaten more restaurant lunches since you got to town than I have in the last five years. I’m usually at the barn.”
“Well, we’re at the Brown Hotel, right downtown. They’ve got a lunch restaurant called J. Grahams. Could you meet us there, maybe one o’clock?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
There’s a pause, and then Jeff’s voice comes out a bit tentatively. “Look, Dan. I can’t even pretend to understand how torn up you must be right now, and I know that it’s not really any of my business. And, like I said, this whole deal has gotten way more jumbled up than it had to be, and Evan… Evan was an idiot for coming to see you in the bar the other night. The boy’s got no sense at all. But he’s got a good heart, and he can control himself if he has to.” Jeff sighs. “I guess I’m just saying that I hope you can come into the meeting with an open mind. There’s no pressure, no expectations, we’re just putting an idea out there.”
“No pressure?” Dan says. “If I don’t sign on to be Evan’s barn-boy, you don’t buy the horses and Karl and Molly have to scramble around and try to find buyers in a totally messed up economy while they should be mourning their son? Is that what you mean by ‘no pressure’?”
Jeff sighs again. “I wish Chris hadn’t mentioned that to you. He’s just trying to look out for everybody, I guess, but… it’s really not that simple. We’re not trying to be high handed about this, and we’re totally open to negotiation. And the barn-boy thing… interesting imagery, by the way… Evan and I have talked about that pretty intensely, and… he’s not going to make things uncomfortable for you. I promise.” As far as Dan can tell from a cell phone conversation, Jeff is totally sincere. He pauses, and then goes on in a slightly less impassioned manner. “We’re interested in hiring you because of your skills and your attitude—we were both really impressed with your honesty about Monty. The other part is totally separate, and if you don’t bring it up, it is totally dead.”
Dan doesn’t really know what to say to that, but he can’t really refuse to even hear their plan. “Yeah, fine, I’ll… I’ll try to have an open mind.”
Jeff’s smile transmits through the phone. “That’s great, Dan. So we’ll see you at one.”
“Sure thing. Bye.” Dan hangs up the phone with the beginnings of an idea in his head. He now wishes he wasn’t hung over, because he’s not sure it’s a good idea, and a clear mind would really be helpful. Ordinarily he could call Chris, but that doesn’t seem like a good option today. He thinks for a second and then pulls out his cell and dials it. He only hopes Robyn will be able to pick up.
A COUPLE hours later, he leaves the copy center and heads off to the restaurant, a thick manila envelope in his hand. He’s not sure if he really needs the props, but getting them put together helped fill the time and calm his nerves.
When he gets to the restaurant Jeff and Evan are already there. They both stand and shake his hand when he walks to the table, and then they sit down and make small talk. Dan inquires about Tatiana, who has apparently gotten bored with all the business and flown home on her own. Evan raves about their housekeeper for a while, about how great it is to have someone in the house that he can trust with anything. Dan’s not sure if it’s meant to be a pointed comment. If it is, he’s not sure what the point is meant to be. Possibly Evan is just rambling. The rest of the mealtime conversation is similarly benign, although Dan finds himself getting increasingly restless as time passes.
None of them order dessert, so once their plates are cleared and coffee is brought, Evan finally gets down to business. “So, Dan, I
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