Rye seemed to spot Phil then, and the boy waved to Rye, nearly bouncing up and down in his chair now. Rye laughed quietly and waved back to Phil, then looked up at Jake and nodded.
“Good, good,” Jake said. Hesitantly, he added, “I know sometimes it can be hard going to new places?”
Rye simply noddedagain.
Jake motioned ahead of them and let Rye lead the way to the back of the restaurant. By the time they reached Krista and Phil’s table, Phil had jumped up to greet them. He launched himself into Jake’s arms first.
“I’m so glad you came, Uncle Jake! And Rye! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re here!” Phil turned to Rye and paused, his eyebrows raised and an eager look on his face. And Rye smiled and nodded, opening up his arms to invite Phil in for a hug. With a huge grin, Phil stepped up and wrapped his arms low around Rye’s waist. “Isn’t Reno so cool?” Phil asked as he let Rye go a moment later. He took Rye’s hand and tugged gently, leading Rye over to the chair next to where he’d been sitting at their small, squarish table. Rye followed, and so did Jake as Phil kept talking. “We got here this morning, and the whole team—well, I mean, everyone who qualified and who’s already here—we all went to this really neat automobile museum and then to lunch together, and...”
Phil continued, explaining the entire day to Rye in great detail, as he and Rye took their seats around the table. Jake finally locked eyes with his sister, who was looking just as amused as ever, an all-too-knowing grin on her face. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and instead, he just smiled back and shook his head slightly.
“Hi, sis.”
Krista stood and immediately pulled him in for a hug, and when she pressed her face up against his chest, he heard her whisper, “I’m so happy to see you, little brother.” She didn’t say anything more then, although there was plenty Jake could hear in her tone and see in her eyes when she pulled back and smirked at him.
“Don’t even go there tonight, Kris,” he grumbled under his breath, and she laughed and winked at him.
“My lips are sealed,” she said quietly. They both sat, and Phil immediately brought Jake into the conversation.
“Right, Uncle Jake? Grandpa used to have an old car, like from the 1960s? But it was stolen?”
Jake laughed at the random topic but nodded. “Yep, a 1963 Chevy Impala. He loved that car.”
“Ah, right, that’s what it was!” Phil said excitedly. “So, Rye, they had one of thoseatthe car museum! Most of the cars were way older than that, though. I can’t wait to tell Grandpa! He couldn’t be here today because he’s traveling again. He’s somewhere in Europe, I think. Right, Mom?”
Rye’s lips were pursed as though he was trying to hold back laughter, and when he glanced at Jake, his eyes were sparkling with amusement. Phil kept talking, and Rye kept listening, answering only with a nod or a shake of his head, which Phil took in stride and didn’t seem at all bothered by.
Their server, Max, a kind-looking older gentleman with graying hair and a short beard, came by to get their drink orders, and Phil finally stopped talking and looked at his mom expectantly, lifting his eyebrows and grinning. But Krista laughed and shook her head.
“Nope, uh-uh. After the meet tomorrow, you get all the ice cream shakes and Sprite you want. Tonight, stick to water or iced tea, please, or you’ll never fall asleep.”
Phil groaned dramatically, but then sighed, straightened up, and clearly and respectfully asked the server for water with lemon. Krista ordered coffee, and Jake ordered an Arnold Palmer. The server then turned to Rye, who was staring at the menu on the table in front of him, holding himself very, very still.
“And you, sir?” the server asked.
Jake saw Rye flinch, and when he glanced up at Jake, his eyes were pleading for help. Jake smiled gently and gave Rye an encouraging nod. “You wanna show me what you want?”
Rye nodded once, pushed his menu closer to Jake, and pointed at one of the items in the beverages section.
Jake grinned. “Good choice.” He looked up at the server. “He’d like the mango smoothie, please.”
The server scribbled something down on his notepad and gave Jake a nod, then told the group he’d be back shortly with their drinks.
And the easy chatter—Phil’seasy chatter—returned, this time to the topic of the most recent Percy Jackson book he’d finished reading. Rye seemed to be listening, but Jake could see that Rye’s tension hadn’t really faded. When the server returned and gave each of them their drinks, then went around the table to take their food orders, Rye got even smaller, shrinking down into his seat the moment the server asked him what he wanted.
This time, Jake reached over, slowly and gently, and set his hand on Rye’s upper back, rubbing softly. Rye closed his eyes and seemed to exhale long and deep.
“Did you pick—”
“Oh, oh, can I help you order this time, Rye?” Phil cut in eagerly. “Just show me what you want, okay, and then I’ll tell Max for you!”
Rye’s lips turned upward in a small, amused smile. Then he blinked his eyes open, lifted his chin, and nodded at Phil before pushing his menu across the table.
The rest of the exchange made Jake smile with appreciation for his nephew’s kindness and compassion. Phil shifted his seat closer, his expression turning serious, and when Rye pointed at one of the menu items toward the top of the second column, Phil leaned in, reading the menu, and nodded.
“Okay, yeah.” Phil looked up at the server and said, very deliberately, “He’ll have the California chicken sandwich, please. And thank you.” The young boy then sat up taller, obviously quite proud of himself, and Rye’s smile looked even more amused.
Krista had watched the exchange without saying anything, just like Jake had, but after the server left, she chuckled and reached over to ruffle Phil’s hair. “Sorry about Phil, Rye,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s always eager to help.”
