of drinks. I lingered near the entrance for a moment, still holding my coat and phone after a long client call that had run over.
Evan did not see me at first. That small bit of timing, that twelve-minute delay, ended up giving me a clarity I would not have found any other way.
He was leaning back in his chair with the kind of relaxed confidence he always carried in public. A glass of whiskey rested in his hand, and his voice carried easily across the table.
“Honestly,” he
