"Do you have your things?" he asked.
Amaya pulled back. "Just a second." She ran back inside the house.
Aelin felt like she'd just stumbled into a chapel in street clothes. She sniffed. "Good day at work?"
"Decent."
With every one-word answer, the screw labelled "Dusty Rose" twisted tighter. "Ryan, did I?—?"
Amaya burst back out onto the porch with her overnight bag and pillow.
Ryan's eyes flicked from Amaya to Aelin. "Thank you again."
She nodded, placing her hands on her hips, still propping the screen door open with her shoulder. "No problem."
"See you tomorrow!" Amaya called, and the two of them walked to the car.
The next two days were much the same. Ryan barely said two words to her when he dropped Amaya off in the morning, and Aelin's worry about the weekend took a U-turn as she drove the girls to the pool. They were grown-ass adults, and he couldn't even have a conversation with her about what she'd done to make him so uncomfortable?
The only thing she could think of was that she'd alluded to being attracted to him. That wasn't a secret nearly deep and dark enough to elicit the silent treatment, especially not for someone like Ryan. He had to have women noticing him constantly, with or without his wedding ring.
Aelin hadn't flirted with him. She'd spent the whole night with Megan and her friends. She'd danced with other people, she'd barely seen Ryan besides saying hi at the beginning of the night and then talking to him thatone time.
His behaviour was juvenile.
Aelin imagined all the ways she could tell him so as they went down the water slides and played keep away in the pool. Eventually, the anger burned down to a low simmer, replaced only with the anxiety of her double date that night with Megan, her husband Tag, and their friend Colin.
They were meeting at a restaurant twelve minutes from her house, and Amy, their fourteen-year-old neighbour, was going tohang out and play games with Bailey until she got home. Two hours. That's all she was committing to, though Amy had given her permission to stay out longer and pay her more money.
The girls showered when they got home from the pool, then settled down to keep working on their movie. Aelin put the towels and swimsuits in the wash, then retreated to her room to start getting ready. She took her shower, curled her hair, and put on light makeup, then tried on three different outfits, finally deciding on a black tank top, wide-leg khakis, and hoop earrings. Simple. Comfortable. It was the best she could do at the moment.
She changed her bed sheets and switched the laundry, then paid a few bills and called to reschedule Bailey's well-child visit since she'd booked it six months prior and it now landed on the week they were going to be at Flathead with her family. At four o'clock, she made the girls spaghetti and meatballs. She sat with them and listened to them relay themost hilarious thing that happenedwhile they were filming a scene involving a cardboard piece of pizza and a Barbie toilet.
At five thirty, the dishes were done, the floor was swept, and there was a stack of board games at the kitchen table for Amy and Bailey to play together. Aelin stood at the kitchen island, tapping her nails on the granite. She should've saved a chore or two. Amy was getting there in ten minutes, and all she had to do was wait for Ryan to get there.
She picked up her phone and started scrolling. During the middle of a stand-up comedy clip, a text from Megan came through.
Leaving now! Colin's meeting us there
She tapped out a quick response.
Just waiting on the babysitter. See you soon
It was nearly five forty, and Ryan wasn’t there yet. Aelin walked to the front door and peered out the windows. Nothing. He’d never been late before, but this was the first week. It wasn’t like she had a long history to draw from.
Inconsiderate.The coals that had been smouldering all day flared to life with new fuel. Was this how the whole summer was going to be? No communication, even when it was something she needed to know for her job?
Amy walked up the sidewalk, and Aelin opened the front door. She was about to open the screen when another text message popped up on her phone.
Ryan:
Emergency. I’m going to be late
Chapter
Twelve
Ryan pulledup to Aelin's house just as the clock in his dashboard clicked to seven. He sat there for a moment, his hands glued to the steering wheel. He couldn't get the image of Kara writhing on the floor out of his head. He'd been exiting the elevator to the main floor of the building when the call had come through. Kara's caregivers had already tried Laura, but it was Thursday night. She was with Russ at a charity event in Canmore, so they'd called him next.
