As Beth made the offer, Colin's eyes were on Ardy. This was not going well. Colin wasn't sure exactly what response Beth had counted on, but he was fairly sure it wasn't fear. At least that's what he saw in Ardy's carefully frozen expression. He tried to turn the situation in his head, to put himself into her position. It was obvious from the moment that she'd arrived that she wasn't really comfortable here, and now this must seem like... an ambush? Beth must see it too, he thought. She had invested so much in this plan, and he knew how badly she wanted to be a friend to Ardy. A rejection now might take a long time to get over. Which meant more damage control. Colin looked over at Beth trying to tell if she saw just how much of a disaster this was turning into, and what she might want to do about it.<br/><br/>Then the timer went off, and Beth was gone. A burnt pie might not have been quite the end of the world here, he thought. Colin sat alone with Ardy, watching her push food around on her plate.<br/><br/>Enough. It wasn't that this was 'the man's job'. It's that it was someone's job, and nobody else was doing it. He didn't have a relationship with Ardy to ruin.<br/><br/>"Listen," he said. "Beth means well. You know that. She wouldn't have made this such an event if she'd known you'd be so uncomfortable. She's just imagining what she'd want if she were in your shoes and trying to do that. In case you hadn't picked up on it, she's not really... good with people, but she has a good heart."<br/><br/>He stood up, crumpling his cloth napkin into a ball on the table. "So this doesn't have to be a big deal. I'm sure you've crashed on friends' couches before; it's not like we're planning to adopt you. Stay, don't stay, eat, don't eat... whatever makes you happy. Sleep on the couch if you want. And if it's me you're worried about -- well, I kind of have my hands full already." Colin strode off into the kitchen, worried that either a burnt pie or another rejection might be just the straw to break the Self-Confidence Camel's back.<br/><br/>