"In that case, I hope I'm in for a treat after you get the bad news." He waggled his eyebrows. "Nothing is really going on. I've just been asked to help someone. Not just anyone. David. So you know I have to do it."
Prefacing the bad news with mention of David's name probably wasn't a good thing. He had shaped up considerably with age, this was true. But he was still most likely considered a bad influence on Evan.