He wanted to go over to Ivy House on the spot and tell Angie so, but she wouldn’t thank him for that; not tonight, not ever. The things they had to work out between them were tough enough without bringing Caroline into the picture, and his position would be far stronger if he waited until he could tell her with complete certainty that the wedding was off. Which he couldn’t do until he heard from Caroline.

Rob and Kai went right back to packing, but he went straight to bed and had the best night’s sleep he could remember in weeks. He woke up thinking about work, and eager to get to it. At the English department he could barricade himself in his office, where things were neat and organized and problems were easily mastered. Rob would keep the Rose girls and Patty-Cake at bay. It was a workable plan, except, as it turned out, he was wrong to assume Caroline would be quick to get in touch.

By midmorning it was clear that she was the only person in the world who wasn’t eager to talk to him. The phone in Rob’s office rang and rang and rang, vague and far away and as hard to ignore as a buzzing mosquito. The only phone call Rob was supposed to put through was the one from Caroline, or Angie. John’s phone sat squat and silent and mocking.

At three Rob came in to stretch out on the couch and recap the highlights, which were as bad as John had feared.

“Blood in the water, scandal in the air, it’s all the same to the good folks of Ogilvie,” Rob finished.

“What a mess,” John said. “Christ, I wish she’d call, but I can’t blame her for making me sweat.”

Rob had no solutions to offer, but he did the next best thing: he took John home with him and they sat in a mess of moving boxes to eat carryout barbeque and drink beer until the sun went down.

Kai said, “You need a distraction. I suggest poker.”

John snorted a laugh. “I’ll just hand you my wallet, why don’t I. Get it over with.”

“We could call Angie and Rivera and Tony to come join us,” Kai went on blithely.

“Fresh meat,” said Rob. “My wife, the hunter.”

“It would be a way for you to see Angie,” Kai said to John. “It’s what you need, to see Angie.”

John stood up and stretched. He had a very slight beer buzz, just enough to make him relax to the point where he could see the truth of things.

“You’re right,” he said. “I do need to see Angie. I’m going to walk over there.”