Chapter 16Ryan returned to the house just before dinner, hot and dirty. He passed Paige without speaking to her and went directly upstairs to shower. By the time he emerged from his room, he felt better physically, but the shower didn’t help alleviate the strain in his chest, or the weight on his shoulders.
From the stairs, he heard the door open, and then Teo call for Tony. He held himself back from running down to greet him. If they were going to talk, it wouldn’t be in front of the children. Even so, a spark of hope ignited. Maybe Teo was ready to discuss what had happened? Maybe he had cooled down, like Clay had suggested?
But that spark died when he heard Tony ask, “Is Ryan coming for dinner tonight?” and Teo’s response. A simple, flat no.
Ryan stayed on the stairs until Teo left w
