For much of Friday, Ellis tried to finish his newest painting, but his heart wasn’t in it. The disappointment which had resulted from Martin’s cancelling their dinner plans seemed to be influencing what he was doing until, in disgust, he gathered his brushes, cleaned them, and headed outside into the late afternoon sunlight. He checked, for at least the tenth time that day, to make certain he hadn’t missed Martin’s call to update him on how Todd was doing. By now, he’d given up hearing. Despite his discussion with Janice that morning, he was certain Martin was using the fact Todd was sick as a way to blow him off.
Jive came bounding over to join him, looking up hopefully.
“Tired of exploring the yard?” Ellis asked. “Okay, let’s do something about it.” Going back into the house, he got Ji
