“Hmm.” She just looked interested. “How long have you felt this way?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t going to tell her that on my tenth birthday I’d woken with an aversion to physical contact. As good as she might be for Dad, what went on with me wasn’t something we discussed with anyone. “Did you have a nice visit with your family?”
“Yes, although it would have been even better if Mitchell could have joined us. My parents and sisters haven’t seen him in…” She sighed, her expression sad. “It’s been almost four years.”
“I saw him a couple of weeks ago. It’s too bad he wasn’t able to come down.”
“Yes. Unfortunately, he had work.”
But he’d told me Not Just Books was closed for Christmas. I bit my tongue. It was none of my business.
“Sit down, Ty. Barb and I were waiting for you before we ordered.
