Part Two

She Said

“Wasn’t my mother there?” Trixie asked, after Liv had made her call.

“What? Oh, she was busy and got Dan to answer. I could’ve talked to her, but it just seemed easier to leave a message with him.”

Trixie nodded and let the matter go. They chatted about inconsequential things for a time, then as they neared Sleepyside, Trixie began pointing out landmarks and places which held good memories. Liv had plenty of questions, which made the time go quickly.

“What’s wrong?” Trixie asked, as they turned into Glen Road.

Liv, who had fallen silent, shrugged. “It’s suddenly occurred to me that I’m spending a week with your family, none of whom I’ve actually met.”

“Including Dan, who you’ve been flirting outrageously with for the last year,” Trixie added, grinning. “Are you nervous?”

“I didn’t think Dan was part of your family,” Liv demurred, avoiding the question.

“Near enough.” Trixie turned into the driveway and slowed to a crawl. “All of the Bob-Whites are family, whether they’re really related or not.”

“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working.”

Trixie smiled and pulled up. Changing the topic, she urged, “Come on. Let’s go and see who’s here.”

Liv trailed behind her to the kitchen door, which Trixie threw open, yelling, “Hello? Anyone home?”

Rapid footsteps were audible as someone hurried through the house. An attractive blonde women who looked like an older version of Trixie appeared.

“Trixie! You’re home!” Helen Belden folded her daughter into a hug. “And you must be Liv. It’s lovely to finally meet you. Make yourself right at home. Are you hungry? Thirsty? I’ll fix you a snack right away and then show you to your room.”

“Please, don’t go to any trouble for me,” Liv answered, faintly. “I’m fine, really.”

Trixie, by this time had already seated herself at the kitchen table and was selecting a cookie from the plate her mother had just placed on the table.

“Mmm… my favourite,” she moaned around a mouthful of chocolate chip and pecan. “I missed these. Have one, Liv. Or one of those; they’re good, too. And we’ll both have coffee, thanks, Moms. Liv takes hers black with one.”

“No, I’m fine, really. Or maybe just a drink of water,” Liv protested. “I don’t need anything.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “A drink of water? With cookies? Have the coffee. It’ll make you feel better.”

“It’s no trouble.” Helen put a coffee cup in front of each of them. “But you can have a drink of water as well, if you’d like.”

“Anyone home?” a male voice called from the back door.

“Dan!” Helen greeted the newest arrival. “Come right in. They’ve just arrived.”

Trixie jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”

“Likewise,” he answered, pulling away. “I see you’ve loosened the chains a fraction to allow my lost love to travel with you.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you, she’s the one who keeps me hard at work?”

“I don’t believe her,” Dan whispered to Liv. “Not for a minute.”

“Coffee, Dan?” Helen offered. “And help yourself to cookies.”

He took a seat beside Liv and picked two, then paused to decide which to eat first.

“Good trip?” he asked, taking a bite of the cinnamon and caramel.

“Pretty good. We only got lost four times.” Liv grinned. “All of them were while Trixie was navigating.”

“That’s not true!” Trixie swatted at Liv. “It was twice, and one for each of us.”

“You believe me, don’t you Dan?” Liv batted her eyelashes at him.

He took a bite of the other cookie. “Of course, my darling. You’d never bend the truth.”

Trixie pretended to retch, only to be chastened by her mother.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Trixie asked, trying to divert attention away from her short-comings.

Helen joined them at the table with her own cup of coffee. “I got through a lot more today and yesterday than I thought I would, so I’m hoping to only spend a few hours in the morning. You and Liv could find something fun to do in the afternoon, then.”

Trixie glanced across at Liv, only to find that she was having a whispered conversation with Dan. Both of them were grinning.

“Ahem!” They ignored her.

“And then,” her mother continued, regardless of the interruption, “we’ll need about six hours on Friday to do the cakes. If we start early enough, you can have that evening free, too. I thought, one night, you might invite all of your friends over.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Trixie answered. “I tried to find a time with everyone before I left, but we never really settled on one.”

“On the day, I don’t think there’s anything you need to do. So, once the cakes are finished, you’re free to do what you want.” Helen glanced at the other two. “If Liv is busy, you might go and see Honey. I think she’d like that.”

“I’m going to try to do that sometime.” Trixie glared at Liv and Dan, who appeared to be in a world of their own. “Have either of you heard anything that’s been said in the last ten minutes?”

Liv jolted. “Oh! I’m sorry, Mrs. Belden. I wasn’t listening.”

Helen gave her daughter an exasperated look. “There’s nothing to apologise for. I was telling Trixie what I needed her for.”

“I’ll help too, of course,” Liv added. “If you want me, that is.”

Helen smiled. “You’re most welcome to help, if you want to, but I don’t expect you to work.”

Dan drained his cup at that moment and stood up. “Thanks for the coffee and cookies, Mrs. B. I’ve got to get going.” He turned to the two younger women. “You’ll let me know when we can all get together?”

“We sure will,” Trixie answered. “I just need to check with Honey again, because she wasn’t sure.”

“Why don’t you go and get settled into the guest room, Liv?” Helen suggested as Dan left. “Trixie will show you where everything is.”

Trixie grabbed Liv’s bag and guided her friend through the house.

“And?” Trixie prompted, as soon as they were alone.

Liv looked around, as if for inspiration. “And nothing.”

Trixie stared at her. “But–”

“I like him – but only as a friend. There’s no chemistry between us.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “All those months of flirting and all that whispering and giggling you just did, and – nothing?”

Liv nodded. “I don’t know what I expected, but… well, I still like him as a friend. And I fully expect that we’re still going to joke about lost loves and slave drivers, whenever I talk to him on the phone, but… well, that’s it. And, actually, that’s all I really expected. What’s wrong? You look disappointed.”

She shrugged. “I kind of hoped – you know, the way the two of you got along so well – that maybe you and Dan might have gotten together.”

“Am I the one who needs your pity, or is it Dan?” The words held no obvious hurt or outrage, but there was a hard edge beneath them.

“Neither!” Trixie flushed and hurried to explain. “I don’t pity either of you, but I kind of thought that, considering some of his history, and because he’s been alone for a while now, it might be nice if Dan hooked up with someone like you – you know, someone fun and normal and well-balanced, with a family that doesn’t smother people, because he wouldn’t like that. At least, I think he’s been alone; maybe he hasn’t been and hasn’t told me, because that would be just like him, now that I come to think of it.”

Liv tried to keep a straight face through the recital, but broke into giggles as Trixie got more incoherent.

“And I’m not saying that you need a man to be complete, or anything stupid like that,” Trixie continued, despite her friend’s giggles. “I just thought you two liked each other and you’d be good together and forgive me for wanting you to be happy!”

The giggles subsided. “I am happy. You don’t get that from someone else; it comes from inside you.”

“Unhappiness, on the other hand, can definitely be shared,” Trixie muttered, suddenly downcast.

Liv nodded. “Yeah, it can. If you want to talk about it… or talk about something else… .”

“Let’s talk about something else.” She pushed away the negative thoughts. “Like, what are you going to do while I’m helping my mother, now that my plan for you and Dan to be fascinated by each other isn’t coming off?”

Liv laughed. “I’m sure I’ll find something.”

He Said

Brian tapped at the back door of his childhood home, before opening it and stepping inside. He nearly collided with someone who must have been approaching from the opposite side.

“Oh!” She took a step back. “I’m Liv. You must be Brian, right?”

He smiled. “Nice to meet you, at long last.”

“You, too.” She gestured behind her. “Everyone’s in the living room.”

As he followed her through the house, Brian admired the line of her neck beneath the close-cropped dark hair, the strong shoulders and athletic figure. Her voice was familiar from numerous phone calls and he had seen several photos of her, but she seemed different in person. He determined to observe her and find out why that was.

With a measure of distraction, he greeted his parents and kissed his sister’s cheek.

“You’re looking well,” he told her. “And it’s good to see you.”

She cast him a searching look. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”

“What?” He shook his head. “No. I’m doing just fine. There’s nothing to worry about here.”

Trixie laughed. “You’re just as secretive as ever.”

A surge of annoyance ran through him, but he pushed it down. To be fair, there was some truth in the accusation, however light-hearted.

“Come and sit by me,” Liv invited him. “I want to hear all about when Trixie was younger and I know that older brothers always have good dirt on their sisters. Tell all!”

Trixie groaned. “That’s just what I need.”

“You don’t need to worry, Trixie,” he assured her, putting on a serious face. “Your secrets are safe with me. Except the one about the unicycling poacher, of course, and a few other selected incidents.”

Trixie buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry I came, now. Maybe I should just leave.”

“If you like,” Liv answered, with a cheeky smile. “And when he’s left, you can spill Brian’s secrets.”

For a moment, Brian felt like he was going to choke, but the sensation passed. “In that case, I might restrict myself to more flattering tales, such as her yen for Ben.”

To his relief, his sister smiled.

She Said

Honey backed slowly out of her son’s room, eased the door shut and leaned against the door frame for a moment, listening.

“He asleep?” Mart whispered.

She shook her head. “I think he might drop off if we leave him.”

The telephone began to ring and Mart darted off to answer it before their little boy was disturbed. A moment later, he returned, saying, “It’s for you.”

Honey walked into the living room to take the call there, sinking into the corner of the sofa before lifting it to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Guess what!” Di’s voice demanded.

Honey racked her brains for potential exciting news. “Uh… you’re getting married?”

“What? No! Definitely not.”

“Is it something you bought? A car? A dress? Some earrings? I saw some the other day that I thought you’d love – amethyst and diamond.”

“No, nothing like that. Do you give up?”

Honey laughed. “Since you seem to really want to tell me, yeah, sure.”

“I’ve got a new job! And it’s less than half an hour from Sleepyside!”

“Oh, Di, that’s fantastic!” Honey gushed. “I can’t wait until you’re back here and I can see you any time I want. Oh, but what about Eric? Is he coming too?”

“Well, actually, we broke up.”

Honey was about to break into a stream of sympathy, but then the tone of her friend’s voice registered with her.

“Are you okay with that? When did it happen?”

Di made an indefinite noise. “The night before last. I wasn’t keeping it a secret from you, I promise, only it just didn’t seem all that important, because, really, things hardly changed – except that I started looking for a job and when I got it, I just had to call you right away and tell you the exciting news.”

Honey’s jaw dropped as she listened. There were so many things she wanted to talk about, she didn’t know where to start.

“Wait! You mean, you broke up with your boyfriend of – what? two-and-a-half years?”

“Three,” Di corrected.

“Three years! And that wasn’t important enough to tell me, but then you started looking for a job and found one in how long?”

“Hmm… just over twenty-four hours.” Di giggled. “Things are moving kind of fast, I know, but when we decided to call it quits, I just knew that I couldn’t stay here any longer than I had to.”

A long silence ensued, while Honey tried to absorb all she had just heard. Di broke into it in a small voice, asking, “Are you okay, Honey? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Eric earlier. I just wanted to tell you, not text you or something, and this has been the first chance I got.”

“I’m fine,” Honey assured her, the warmth in her voice making the words ring true. “I just… well, I can’t believe so much has happened to you in such a short time, and I can’t wait until you’re here, and I can’t even begin to imagine how you could find another job in just one day. Even if you called your father, or my father, it would probably take a little longer than that. There’s nothing suspicious about it, is there?”

Di laughed. “No. It’s an internal transfer within my company. I interviewed for a position a few weeks ago – a position here in Montreal that I was interested in, plus they were doing interviews for a couple of others in other places, too – but didn’t get any of the jobs. When I called HR first thing yesterday morning when I got to work, they told me that another one had come up, which was the one I’ve been offered. They could use the interview I’d already done as the first interview, because I actually met the New York recruiter because she was on the panel, and I did a second interview over the phone last night – which was why I couldn’t call you then; it took more than two hours! – and they offered me the job this morning. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“I’m so glad that you’re coming back, but I’m sorry about Eric, and if there’s anything you need that I can help you with, you know how to find me.”

“Thanks. The only thing I need right now is for someone to be happy for me and you’re doing that already.”

“Well, that’s easy. So, when do you start the new job?”

“In a week! I have to tidy everything up in my old job, hand everything over to other people, get my place packed – though, knowing my mother, she’ll send me some help when she knows – and find a new place and get moved in. Actually, I’ll probably stay with my parents for a few weeks while I’m doing that. I don’t want to live just anywhere.”

“No, I guess not. It might be fun, looking for just the right place.” Honey sighed. “I’m not going to be very much help at all! You don’t want Joshie helping you unpack, I can tell you that much.”

“Probably not. Oh, Honey, it’s so exciting to think that I’m finally coming home! I can’t wait to see everyone again.”

“I can’t wait to see you, either. Are you going to be here before Trixie leaves, do you think?”

Diana sighed. “I hope so, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’ve got so much to do before I leave. Why couldn’t she have made her trip just a few days later?”

“Maybe we’ll have to try to convince her to come back, too. It can be our project once you get here.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Once more, she sighed. “Look, I’d better go now. I need to call my parents. Whatever you do, don’t tell my mother that I told you all this before I told her.”

“I won’t,” Honey promised, and they said their goodbyes.

She went to the kitchen to find Mart.

“Something up?” he asked.

Honey shrugged. “She’s moving home in a week. And it’s all over with Eric.”

“Good,” he answered. “It’s about time. On both counts.”

He Said

The following evening, on their way to Crabapple Farm for a gathering, Mart and Honey dropped in on Jim for a quick chat and to pick up some items that Joshie had hidden under Uncle Jim’s sofa. At the risk of losing more of their belongings, they released the little boy from his car seat and let him run up and ring the doorbell.

By the time his parents had joined him, the door had opened and Joshie had run inside.

“Nice to see you, too, Joshie.” Jim smiled at the child’s retreating back. “Mart, Honey.”

“Sorry about that,” Honey answered. “He seems to go everywhere at full speed.”

With a gesture, Jim invited them inside. He picked up a plastic bag from a side table. “Yours, I think?”

Honey poked through the contents. “Blue toy car. The key to the clubhouse – Dan will be glad that’s turned up. Lip gloss. Oh! So that’s where the lid to my water bottle went. And that phone number I wrote down and couldn’t find anywhere. Thank you, Jim.”

He shook his head. “I’m only sorry it took me so long to figure out what he was doing.”

“Were there many other things there?” she asked.

“A fair few.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I wonder, though, if he has another stash somewhere. I’m missing some teaspoons.”

Determination came into Honey’s eyes. “You two stay here. I’ll see if I can catch him out.”

She crept away.

“I’m worried about her,” Mart admitted in a low voice, once she was out of earshot. “But I wonder if I’m overreacting. What do you think?”

Jim considered for a moment. “She looks thinner than usual. Paler, too.”

“I’m hoping that now Di’s coming home she might be a little less lonely.” He sighed. “I don’t know what else I can do to help her. She isn’t happy.”

Something altered in Jim’s expression. “You two… you’re not having trouble, are you?”

Once more, Mart sighed. “Not in the way you mean. But I can’t give her what she wants most and she doesn’t want anyone to know about the problem. I don’t want to go against her wishes, but I don’t want her suffering, either. I just don’t know what to do.”

At that moment, a shriek rang out through the house, followed closely by Honey’s cry of triumph.

“Anything you need me to do,” Jim offered, “just ask. And I’ll try to keep a closer eye on her.”

“Thanks,” Mart answered, just as his wife arrived, their son struggling in her arms.

“Your spoons, Jim,” she announced, handing them over. “He’s been hiding them behind the books on the bottom shelf of the big bookcase.”

“And, on that note, I think I’ll take my recalcitrant child away,” Mart added. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Thanks for finding these, Honey.” Jim kissed her cheek. “Bye, Joshie. See you later, Mart.”

She Said

Only a few minutes later, Honey pulled open the back car door and undid Joshie’s harness once more. He let out a whoop as he scrambled out of the car and scooted across the yard to the kitchen door of Crabapple Farm. This was one of his most favourite places in the world.

His parents followed at a more sedate pace.

“We’re going to have to check everywhere he often goes,” Honey noted. “Here. Manor House. Home. If he had two stashes in Jim’s house, think how many he might have altogether.”

Her husband groaned. “And just think of all the places we’ll have to check. Everywhere we take him, he runs off the instant we arrive.” He sighed. “I’ll go and break the news to Moms. She’s probably got a hundred places he could hide things.”

He strode into the house, leaving Honey to follow along behind. She went back and collected a few forgotten items from the car, then went inside. From the sound of things, everyone was in the living room, so she headed in that direction.

“Honey!” A blonde whirlwind nearly knocked her off her feet, then pulled her into a tight hug. “Finally!”

“I know,” Honey answered, her voice muffled against her friend’s neck. “I thought I’d never get here.”

Trixie let go abruptly, then gestured over her shoulder. “This is Liv. Liv, this is Honey.”

Honey smiled. “And finally, we meet, too. I feel like I know you already, but I’m so glad you’re here, so I can actually know you, and not just think I know you.”

Before Liv could answer, Dan entered the room and dropped into the conversation.

“I’ll distract Trixie and you two can get away,” he whispered. “Oh, look, Trix: isn’t that mysterious?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. It’s forever since I had any time with Honey and I’m not letting go of her now.”

“I’m just going to take a walk,” Liv told them. “I’ll see you all a bit later.”

“Oh, no. Stay, please,” Honey urged. “I’m sure we all agree.”

She turned around to appeal to her friends and was surprised to find Brian right behind her. Until then, she had not noticed him in the room.

“Of course, you should stay,” he agreed. “Come and take a seat.”

Honey’s eyes met Dan’s and an understanding passed between them. She saw the quiet amusement in his eyes as Liv sat down next to Brian and began a conversation with him and Mart.

“What are you two laughing about?” Trixie demanded, with a touch of impatience.

Honey shook her head. “It doesn’t matter in the slightest. I’m just so glad that we could have this get-together, and that your parents don’t mind looking after Joshie and keeping him out of our way and I haven’t even seen them since I got here.”

Trixie waved the matter away. “They adore having him. You should have five or six more, so that it takes the pressure off the rest of us to supply more grandchildren – I’m not going to be having kids in the foreseeable future.”

Honey’s smile faltered for a moment, before she got control of herself again. “I don’t think I’ll go that far. You and Brian and Bobby might have to make a contribution at some point.”

“I think I’ll leave it to the boys. But they’d better start trying to find girlfriends. They might find it difficult, otherwise.”

“Probably,” Honey answered, with a laugh.

He Said

The next morning, before the day had a chance to heat up, Jim decided to take a walk. He had made improvements around several areas of the property and wanted to keep an eye on how things were developing. He strolled along the boundary with Crabapple Farm, looking over the various plantings he had made and checking their progress.

As he neared the three-way boundary with his father’s land, he heard footsteps approaching. For a moment, he wondered who was coming to visit. To his surprise, a woman he did not recognise emerged from the path to Manor House, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Jim cleared his throat.

“Oh!” She stared for a moment. “I’m sorry. Am I trespassing?”

“Are you staying at the Beldens’?” he asked, evading the question.

The woman nodded. “I’m Liv.”

“Jim Frayne,” he answered. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise.” She took a few steps closer. “So, it’s your place I can see up here? It’s lovely.”

Jim shrugged. “I’m happy with how it’s coming along. It’s a big improvement on the way it’s been for years, anyway.”

Liv nodded. “Mrs. Belden told me the old house burned down.”

He glanced back at the house, remembering that night and its aftermath. “It nearly had me in it.”

She gasped. “I’m sorry!”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

She took a small step backwards and he found himself regretting that she seemed about to leave.

“You couldn’t, by any chance, direct me back to Crabapple Farm, could you? I seem to have lost my way.”

“You’ve just come a little too far,” he answered. “Go back the way you came and take the first turning that goes down the hill. It’s straightforward from there.”

“Thanks. And sorry again for disturbing you.”

“You didn’t disturb me at all,” he answered.

Liv turned with a half-wave and disappeared down the path.

“You’re too lonely, if that’s the highlight of your morning,” he told himself, sternly. “You need to get a life, Frayne.”

With an inward sigh, he returned to his survey of his land.

She Said

That evening, after a long day of baking, Trixie drove over to Honey’s place for an hour or two together. Mart had taken Joshie out for a drive, delivering some of the supplies for the benefit to be held the next day.

“I’m so glad we got to spend some time together, alone,” Trixie cried, slumping onto the sofa. “I’ve missed you so much! And it’s not the same with my brother hanging around, making remarks.”

“That’s my husband you’re talking about,” Honey objected, smiling. She changed the subject. “I thought you might bring Liv with you.”

“What? No. Did you want me to?”

Honey shrugged. “I thought your parents would be busy tonight with preparations for tomorrow. I wouldn’t want Liv left alone in a strange place, with nothing to do.”

“I left her with Dan. I’m pretty sure we can trust him to keep her entertained, even if it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be anything between them.”

Honey gave her a look. “Have you been playing matchmaker?”

“No! Of course not!” Trixie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think I needed to. They’ve been claiming undying love for each other for months, now.”

“And you thought that this might develop into a romantic relationship?” Honey’s expression was sceptical.

“I was a little disappointed,” Trixie admitted. “I kind of thought it would be nice if Liv got herself a Bob-White of her very own.”

Honey stared at her, utterly incredulous. “Where have you been the last few days, Trixie?”

Her best friend frowned. “You’ve seen her and Dan. There’s nothing between them, except jokes at my expense. Not that I grudge them that, of course; I mean, I can take it. And it is pretty funny. But they’re just not attracted to each other.”

“Not Dan.” Honey shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t notice.”

“Notice what?” Trixie clutched at her curls. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately, Honey. I don’t seem to be able to do anything right, and if my noticing skills are deteriorating, too, well, I don’t know how I could ever have thought that I could be a detective.”

“I don’t think this has anything to do with your ability as a detective,” Honey answered, in a firm voice. “I think this has to do with your unwillingness to actually look at your fellow Bob-Whites. You’ve been a lot better this last year at talking to most of us, but in person there’s still something wrong, isn’t there?”

Trixie looked away. “I don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it.”

“Well, maybe you should just face it and be done with it. Get it over with, Trixie. I want my friend back.” Honey reached over and squeezed her arm. “I’m glad that things are better, but I want more. Do you understand that, Trixie?”

She nodded. “I understand. But I don’t know that I can do it.”

“What is it that you see when you look at us?” Honey asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Trixie looked up with haunted eyes. “Something missing. And it’s my fault.”

“Something,” Honey prompted, “or someone?”

Trixie’s bitter expression showed the answer.

As she tried to sleep that night, Trixie cast her mind back over the conversation with Honey. She had been distracted by the matter of why she had not noticed something happening, to the detriment of the question of what she should have noticed. The process of deduction took only a moment; of the four male Bob-Whites, Dan was automatically eliminated, she had not seen Jim, and Mart was already married.

In the darkness, she frowned. Had there been any significant interactions between Brian and Liv? Certainly, they had sat next to each other once or twice. They had talked, but not much more than anyone else. What had Honey seen that Trixie had not?

She sat straight up in bed.

“He didn’t look at Honey the same way.”

As she said the words, she knew them to be true. For years, now, Brian had been looking at Honey with an expression of regret. At times, there had been other emotions evident: jealousy, sadness, irritation. He had become resigned to their situation long ago, but had never really moved on. Today, if she had been in the mood for noticing, she should have seen that her brother had changed.

But did that have anything to do with Liv, or did it only have to do with Brian? She determined to observe him more carefully tomorrow.

He Said

Early on Saturday morning, Mart and Dan headed into Sleepyside to help set up for the benefit. Each had individually volunteered, but once they knew that both would be there, they arranged to work together. They were given the task of carrying tables into position, ready for the stall holders to place their goods on them.

“So, what’s with you and Liv?” Mart asked, causing Dan to stare at him in astonishment.

“Nothing.”

Mart’s face showed his scepticism. “The way I heard it, she’s your long-lost love and you’re running away together.”

Dan smirked. “It’s just a joke.”

“Does she think so, too? Or is she expecting something?”

At this, Dan began to look alarmed. “I don’t think she’s expecting something. I didn’t get that from her when we’ve been together.”

“But you’ve been spending a lot of time with her, haven’t you?”

Dan began to relax. “Not as much as somebody else. I think you’re barking up the wrong tree, Mart.”

His friend’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

Dan shrugged. “I’m not keeping tabs on Liv. She can hang out with whoever she wants.”

“But to whom were you referring?” Mart persisted. “You said it like there was something that you’d noticed.”

For a long moment, Dan did not respond. “I don’t think she’ll be here long enough for it to make a difference. They’ll be gone again in a few days.”

Mart frowned. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

“It wasn’t supposed to.” He set down his end of the table. “And I don’t think you need to waste your time on speculating.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There are more important things, closer to home.”

Mart reddened. “And by that you mean?”

Dan became serious. “Just look after Honey, okay? She needs you. Liv doesn’t.”

For a long moment, Mart struggled to contain his swirling emotions. Then, he nodded.

“Good point. Now, where’s the next table going?”

Continue to part three.