Buoyed by the conversation with Auntie Erin, Alan decided to stop by the Corner Hitch on his way home. Before opening the door to the bar, he checked his pocket for his cell phone and made sure that he left his wallet in the car. He carried only essential identification and enough cash for two drinks. There was no sense in creating trouble by bringing his entire life with him into the bar.

Jake leaned across the bar and stopped Alan as he stepped inside. “Good to see you! Can I offer a cold, foamy beer?”

Alan wrinkled his brow. Jake’s greeting was a bit too friendly and forced. He knew that something must be up as he nodded yes to the beer. He laid cash on the counter and asked, “What’s going on?” when the icy mug slid across the bar.

Jake pointed toward a table near the rear. The crowd was light enough that it was easy to see who Jake singled out. Jake whispered, “He’s been here for almost two hours already, and I’ve rarely seen a guy so down. You made friends with Ross, didn’t you?”

Alan sighed. He was friendly to Ross, but he worked to keep a comfortable distance when Ross began to flirt. A thought occurred to Alan, and he grinned when he said, “I’ll make you a deal.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll work to cheer Ross up, and you’ll give us the next round on the house.”

Jake sighed. “You drive a hard bargain my man, but yeah, I’ll do it. I like happy customers. Cheerful customers are repeat customers. Go do your best.”

Alan carried the glass of beer in his right hand and walked up behind Ross. He didn’t want to startle the man, so he cleared his throat as he drew near.

Ross turned his head. He failed to smile and merely said, “Oh, hi Alan.”

Alan looked back at Ross. “Should I leave and come back in again? I think I’d get a more cheerful greeting from a man on death row.”

“Ah, man, I’m sorry.” Ross pointed at the chair on the opposite side of the table. “Have a seat. I guess I’m a little down. The mood was blue, and now it’s faded to grey. I hope you have an upbeat story to share.”

Alan pulled the chair out, turned it around, and seated himself facing the back. “Did something in particular happen? You sound like the paperboy after someone stole his bicycle.”

“I guess Coldbrook Bend is feeling really tiny is all. Zephyr isn’t much bigger. How do you meet guys around here?”

Alan leaned across the table. “Well, you and I met here.”

Ross shook his head. Alan felt pangs of sadness in his gut. Ross was handsome. He was blonde, blue-eyed and Scandinavian. Alan hated to see a nice guy so down. “That doesn’t count, does it? I didn’t have a chance with you. By the way, I heard about you and Diego. Congratulations. It sounds like he’s a great catch.”

Alan wrinkled his brow and felt a cold sensation on the nape of his neck. “You heard about Diego? Where?”

“Out at Home Pro. Brody knows you. He’s my boss. Didn’t I mention that when we met?”

Alan relaxed and leaned back in his chair. He was relieved to hear the information came from Brody, but he still wondered about the context. “You did mention Home Pro before, but how did my romantic life come up in a conversation?”

Ross looked up, and even in the dim light of the bar, Alan could see Ross’ pale complexion blush red. “I guess I asked about you.”

Alan set the half-full glass of beer on the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “And what did Brody say? Does he approve?”

“Oh, yeah,” offered Ross. “He said Diego is a great guy, and the two of you are made for each other.”

Chuckling softly, Alan thought about the fact that Brody had never met Diego. He only had Alan’s word to trust. At least his friend was successfully warding off any other potential suitors. Alan confirmed the opinion and said, “Yes, he is.”

“Can I ask how you met?”

Alan didn’t want to bring up the conflict of interest, but he didn’t want to sound evasive either. He wanted to steer clear of the history at the border entirely. “We met in a business context. I guess we both got lucky.”

“He works at Tar-Mor?”

Ross was borderline nosy. Alan tried to make his voice sound stern while still friendly. He hoped that the tone indicated that Ross wasn’t invited to push any further. “No, he doesn’t.”

Ross blinked three times and said, “Oh, okay.”

A thought occurred to Alan. “Has Brody told you anything about the parade at the festival in June?” He still didn’t know whether Ross grew up in the Coldbrook Bend area or if he somehow found his way to the small river town to take a seasonal job.

“I know about the festival, but they have a parade, too?”

Alan nodded. “Brody roped me into judging floats. It’s a big deal for Coldbrook Bend. Maybe you should ask him about it. Try and find out who’s building the floats. I’m sure they would be interested in volunteer help. That might be a good way to meet new people.”

“That’s an interesting idea. I was an art major in college. I guess that’s how I ended up here. It’s hard to find a job with a studio degree in painting. I thought maybe I could work on some canvases here while I manage the garden department at Home Pro. So far I’ve been too lazy to make much progress.”

Ross gave out a lot of information in a few short statements. He was a nice guy, and he apparently had artistic talent, too. Alan thought about his office at Tar-Mor and asked, “Have you ever considered interior design?”

Ross’ face brightened. “I love that. Have you heard about a job?”

Alan shook his head. “I don’t know about a specific job, but I could use some help down at Tar-Mor, and I’d be willing to pay you for your time.”

“Pay me for what?”

“To spiff up my office.”

Ross grinned. “That sounds like it could be fun. Yeah, I’m interested. Can I come down there sometime and look at it?”

“Definitely.” Alan was ready to add another sentence when the door to the bar slammed. He looked up just in time to see Lewis enter with two men at his side. He recognized one of them from the grocery store encounter. The scowl marred an otherwise handsome face.

Ross’ eyes opened wider. “Is something wrong? Did I say something I shouldn’t have.”

Alan sized up Ross’ general height and weight and slowly began pulling his cell phone from his pocket. “Stay right here, Ross. You didn’t do anything wrong at all, and you might have an opportunity to do something very right.”