"But you're always ready to go," Evan pointed out, not to be deterred. "And besides, Vi was threatening you with bodily harm if you didn't get a move on it. That doesn't count."

A slow smile spread across his face, just a little bit devious. "The point is that you were talking to somebody new. You were holding up a proper conversation with an interested party, and it was going well. No one tried to shoot you!" Evan said, proving that he was, indeed, a master of apparent optimism in the most dismal of inappropriate situations. He slapped a hand on the counter and leaned forward, eyes wide, and stressed, "It lasted more than thirty seconds."