The orange glow of the sunset had waned to a listless grey when Arnold unlocked the front door and assisted his son into the foyer.
“I got it, Dad.”
“Yeah, Mr Layne. We can take it from here,” Dobbs said with a maniacal grin.
Arnold nodded and continued to the kitchen as Fletcher navigated his way to his bedroom. He was hoping his father would give him one last statement of fatherly banter, but Arnold disappeared around the corner without another word—same old, same old.
“He’ll never change,” Fletcher mumbled to the vacant sitting room.
“It’s pretty sad that you tried to hold onto that sliver of compassion he showed you just now,” Dobbs said, shuffling behind Fletcher to the bedroom. “You must be so empty inside if just that nugget he gave you tonight was enough for you to think it wa
