Her phone had been disconnected.

Danny had called and gotten the message “This user is temporarily unavailable.” He knew that was the standard discreet way of saying Evie hadn’t paid her cell phone bill. Now it was stuck in Danny’s head, what Charlie had said about how Bill Wetzel was in financial trouble. Evie’s dad’s restaurant was her only source of income, and she was the only daughter still living at home. Paige, the oldest, was married down in Oklahoma, and Sky, the middle one, worked for the county and lived over in Arlington.

Danny thought about driving to her house and was about to when he spotted her truck parked downtown not far from the Tasty Pig. He found a spot and pulled in, having to walk past the chain restaurant to get there. It seemed to have a steady flow of people.

He saw Evie through the front glass window, noting the new hours written with a Sharpie over the existing sign. They were now serving lunch only and were closing at four, and it was ten minutes to. He pulled the door open and stepped inside, taking in the long counter and one patron, an older balding guy, eating a plate of ribs at one of the six high round tables.

Evie had her dark hair tied back in a high ponytail and glanced up to him. She was in a plain T-shirt, white with black lettering, and an off-white apron tied around her waist. “Hey there, Danny. Stopping by for some barbecue? Dad’s brisket is the special today. Lots left, too,” she said.

He could see tiny lines dotting the sides of her eyes. Evie wasn’t one to let anything get to her, but today it seemed she wasn’t hiding it as well, or maybe he noticed because he knew more than he should about what was going on in her life. He wondered how she’d react if she had any idea.

“Sounds great,” he said. “How about the brisket to go for four?”

He’d drop it off for his mom and dad. Hopefully they didn’t have dinner started already, but they likely did. There it was, Evie’s lovely smile as she called out the order through the window to her dad, whom he knew was in back.

“So the other reason I stopped by is I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner tonight.” He took in surprise or something in her face, then hesitation. “With me and Charlie,” he clarified. “We’re going out and thought of you joining us.” He tapped his fingers on the counter and thought he saw disappointment.

“Oh,” she said, and it wasn’t lost on Danny how her expression changed. “You know what? The third wheel thing doesn’t work for me, so you kids have fun.” She actually winked, and he sensed distance. “So why are you ordering brisket if you’re going out for dinner?”

“No, for my mom and dad. With my mom now working more, it’s the least I can do, and they love your dad’s barbecue.”

Evie took a cloth and wiped the counter. “Your mom’s a good woman. Say hi to your parents for me.”

“You know you can come by any time. Mom loves it when you do—but seriously, dinner tonight wouldn’t be just the three of us.”

Evie leaned on the counter. “Oh?” She propped her elbows there and rested her chin in her hands. The spark wasn’t quite there in her brown eyes.

“Rand Shepperd is joining us. It was Charlie’s idea for the four of us to go out, and it’s on me,” he added, knowing that if her cell phone was disconnected, she wouldn’t have the spare cash for a night out.

“Rand, seriously? Since when are you friends?”

He raised a brow and shrugged. “We’re not, and you know that, but I think Charlie’s right: It’s about the four of us going out to have some good eats, have some fun,” he added.

Evie was staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. “So this thing with you and Charlie, is it serious?”

It was like being in the hot seat. He didn’t know how to answer, and he could see how she wasn’t smiling but seemed to be trying to figure out what he was thinking. “I don’t know. Never expected her to be more than just a pretty face.”

“Wow, never expected that from you,” Evie said.

Her dad called out from the back, and cartons appeared in the window. Evie bagged up the brisket, which he could smell from there. His mouth was watering. He pulled his wallet from his pocket as she rang it up and was about to use his debit card when he saw the cash only sign, so he pulled out his last fifty dollars. He wondered whether he should mention something about the problem with cash only. Maybe now wasn’t the time.

“Thank you,” he said. “So what do you say? Should I pick you up at six?”

She was so tiny, and he could see her hesitation. She wasn’t the same easy person as Charlie. There was so much to Evie, sensitive, kind, a friend who’d always been in his corner. He could see the minute she was about to say no, and he could see what Charlie had seen: She needed this.

“Not taking no for an answer,” he said, “just in case you’re trying to figure out a way to say that.” He stood up, taking the bag and waving away the change as she went through the dismal cash box, clutching at the six dollars plus tip he’d left for her. He’d have given more if he thought she’d take it, but he knew she had a lot of pride and didn’t take handouts from anyone.

She shrugged. “Okay, maybe an evening out would be nice,” she said, and he reached over and slapped her shoulder.

“I owe you,” he said.

She was right behind him as he walked to the door, and when he turned, he took in something in her expression he hadn’t seen before. Whatever it was, it seemed different from the way she’d always looked at him. She forced a smile to her face and, holding the door, changed the open sign to closed.

---

He could smell something cooking as soon as he walked in the front door of his parents’ rancher. The TV was on, and he could hear Mark talking with a friend. They were playing video games, he thought. The noise was coming from the family room at the back of the house, and his dad poked his head out from the kitchen. His hair was a mess, his shirt was untucked from his faded blue jeans, and he was barefoot.

“Danny,” his dad said as he stepped out, holding a bag of lettuce. “What you got there?”

“Dinner for you and Mom,” Danny said as he set the bag on the table. “Stopped at Evie’s dad’s, and I wasn’t planning on buying anything, but…”

His dad lifted out the cartons, the brisket, the slaw, and the wedged potatoes. “Thoughtful of you, even though your mom started dinner this morning. She made chili, but this will be great to go with it, save me having to put a salad out.”

“What will be great?” His mom appeared around the corner from her office in back, glasses perched on top of her deep red hair, which was starting to lighten in places. She had vibrant blue eyes and a smile that warmed all their hearts.

“Danny picked up dinner for us from the Wetzels,” His dad said.

His mom smiled, lifted a potato wedge, and bit into it. “Yum, this is great. Grab some plates for all of us. I’m starved!”

“Just for you guys,” Danny said. “I’ve got a date.”

His mom and dad exchanged a look.

“With the babe in the hot car?” His dad said, and his mom elbowed him. He laughed.

“Her name’s Charlie, Dad. Evie and a guy named Rand are also coming. We’re going out for a bite to eat, to have some fun.”

His mom and dad were staring at him as if there was more, which, of course, there was.

“I didn’t know Evie and Charlie were friends,” his mom said, appearing confused.

“They’re not. It’s just…well, it was Charlie’s idea to get Evie out, her being down on her luck and all. It’s a nice gesture on her part, considering.”

“So Evie isn’t dating this guy, Rand? You’re kind of setting them up?” his mom asked.

He wasn’t sure what he was seeing in her expression—curiosity, maybe, or she wasn’t keen on the idea. He wasn’t too sure. “Evie isn’t dating anyone,” he said. “This is all Charlie. She was there with me when we spotted Evie’s truck broken down, and her dad’s restaurant isn’t doing well, either, so she thought…”

“So that’s why you bought dinner?” His dad said.

Danny shrugged. “Well, kind of. When I got there to the Tasty Pig, I had to walk past the chain next door, which is booming, but there was just one guy sitting at their place. I wanted to do something. Evie mentioned something last weekend when she came by about her dad cutting back on hours, and I didn’t think much of it, but then Charlie mentioned Bill’s business is in financial trouble. He can’t cover payroll, and the only staff are Evie and her mom.” He took in the exchange his mom had with his dad. “I totally forgot to mention that to you, by the way. Then when I called Evie today, her cell phone was disconnected, so it’s worse than I thought.”

His mom and dad appeared surprised.

“That’s not good,” His dad said, “but it’s even worse that a banker is sharing personal client information with his daughter, who in turn is sharing that same private, confidential…” He didn’t finish, just staring at Diana. “We still have our accounts at that branch, don’t we?”

His mom shrugged, and Danny could see her unease. “My business account and our joint account,” she said.

His dad was staring at Danny as if he’d done something wrong.

“Charlie knows she shouldn’t have said anything, Dad. It kind of slipped, but it’s not an excuse. She shouldn’t have shared what she did, and I told her so, but nevertheless, I’m kind of glad, because now I’m thinking Evie could use some help. Like, Mom, you could use some help around here. As an assistant, Evie would be great, or doing some stuff around the ranch.”

Diana leveled sharp blue eyes his way. “I would give Evie a job in a heartbeat if I thought she’d take it, but she’s smart, Danny. Don’t you think she’ll figure out this is some kind of handout? I know Evie well enough, and her mom, too, to know that they wouldn’t take kindly to that. Jed, did you know the Wetzels were struggling?”

His dad just ran his hand over his head. “I didn’t, but that’s not something a man shares with his neighbors, and the fact that Charlie shared banking details with you doesn’t sit right with me. That’s a private matter. Kind of has me wanting to have a word with Perry about his policies and his responsibilities with confidentiality. Then there’s our accounts. It’s no one’s business what we have.”

“Or we could just close our accounts and move to another bank,” Diana said.

Danny could see this getting heated to the point that something could backfire for the Wetzels. “Or you could forget I said anything,” he added.

His mom leveled another difficult gaze his way. “I’ve taught you better than that. Gossip and sharing personal information about anyone, especially financial information, is never okay. Maybe Charlie isn’t the girl you should be seeing,” she said, and Danny didn’t miss the way his dad turned a heavy amused gaze her way. “I mean, like, how serious is this?”

Danny just shook his head. He and Charlie were just having fun, right? “We’re dating, is all. It’s not as if I’ve asked her to marry me.”

Oh, that had his dad looking his way. “You have something to share?” His dad said, and his mom appeared speechless as if worried he was serious.

“No, Dad, nothing to share. I’m in prelaw, going to law school next year. I have plans, and they don’t include getting married any time soon,” he said, watching as a smile touched his dad’s lips and he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Well, you’d best be sure that girl you’re dating is on the same page as you,” he said.

Diana raised a brow as if she had something to add, but Danny started to back up to the front door.

“This is getting to be way too serious a conversation, so I’m going to go,” he said before he could say something else that would have his parents giving him a pile of advice he had no intention of hearing right now. Didn’t they get that this was just a few friends getting together, nothing serious?