Try It Again (Part 5)
Here's Part 5...sorry it took so long. I had it written for a while, but there it sat. I don't know why. I didn't like it, but then I reread it after a month and I did like it. So here it is, LOL. Thanks much for the feedback on the first parts, previous chapters can be found at my journal. :)
During the first two days of Ryan’s week-long Cohenabilitation, as Seth had started calling it, Ryan was barely allowed out of bed. Sandy and Kirsten decided that the more rest Ryan could get the better, and while he grumbled about it he realized that it really was for the best. He didn’t truly mind laying low. Besides, the poolhouse bed was freaking fantastic. He felt spoiled by the comfortable mattress and the regular, balanced meals. He was well aware that the next time he was recovering in Chino it would be that much more difficult, with this cushy memory to spoil him. The pain pills helped, too. His mom’s medicine cabinet rarely held more than Pepto and aspirin. Seth was only allowed one hour-long visit per day, which was also somewhat of a relief. Ryan liked Seth - a lot - but he was constantly in overdrive and Ryan wasn’t used to so much talking.
Ryan had lots of time to think. He had a list of things to accomplish over the next several days and he reviewed the list in his mind often. His initial impulse was to write it down, but he didn’t want anyone else knowing about it and he was no good at hiding anything. So far he had:
· Begin to repay debt of gratitude to Seth
· Begin to repay debt of gratitude to Sandy
· Stay out of Kirsten’s way
· Don’t put the Cohens out any more than I already have
· Keep quiet, especially about all things Chino
· Memorize as much as I can about the house, the town, the Cohens
Come day three Ryan was feeling much better, much more awake and alert. He could tell that he was well on his way to being back to good. Sandy could tell the same when he came in with Ryan’s breakfast tray. Black coffee, French toast, eggs, bacon. He totally had to start working out or he’d come back to Chino twenty pounds heavier and with no muscle tone. That’s all he needed.
“You’re looking wide awake this morning,” Sandy said cheerfully. He sat down next to Ryan’s bed with his own mug of coffee. “Feeling well?”
“Yes, thanks,” Ryan said, taking an eager swallow. Hot and strong, just the right mix. “But I think I’ll go crazy if I have to stay in bed another day.”
“You can try regular activities today, as long as you promise not to overdo it.”
“Sure,” Ryan nodded, thinking that he could get started on organizing the garage as soon as Sandy left for work. He hadn’t forgotten that condition of his Cohenabilitation.
“Kirsten is working from home today and she is going to watch you like a hawk,” Sandy continued, “And if you’re not taking it easy you’ll be back to bed.”
“I understand,” Ryan took a bite of eggs, knowing that he was expected to clear his plate whether he was hungry or not. He did happen to be quite hungry, which was a welcome change from the nausea. “I’ll stay out of her way.” A curious look passed over Sandy’s face but he didn’t press.
“Do you want me to pick anything up for you today? Magazines, a movie?”
“No, thank you,” Ryan said. This marked the third time in as many days that they’d had this exchange. Ryan was sticking to the list, and the list said not to put them out.
Sandy was extremely relieved to finally see friendly brightness in Ryan’s eyes. He knew the kid was in a tough spot but he’d been so withdrawn since Sandy picked him up in Chino; nearly silent and avoiding eye contact with everyone but Seth. While Sandy knew that this was normal behavior given the situation he couldn’t help but worry. He wanted Kirsten to see in Ryan what he’d seen. But, until now, the Ryan he’d known two weeks ago was gone.
Sandy felt a renewed hope as he now watched Ryan eat his breakfast. Sitting up straight, breathing without strain. Bruises fading. A little more confidence behind clearly intelligent eyes. These were good things.
“I warned Seth to give you some space today,” Sandy said. “I still want you to take it easy.”
“Okay,” Ryan nodded, accepting Sandy’s instructions patiently.
“And Kirsten wants you to choose lunch. So tell her what you’re hungry for and she’ll either have Rosa prepare it or order in.”
“Really,” Ryan shook his head, “Whatever you guys usually do is fine.”
“We usually take turns, and today is your turn,” Sandy said, standing up. Ryan hadn’t claimed a preference about anything yet as far as Sandy could tell. Everything was always fine. Sandy wanted to bring Ryan out of his shell a little if he could.
Seth peeked through a window in the poolhouse and saw his dad standing up, waving a hand in the air as he said something. Looked safe enough to enter.
“Hello!” Seth said loudly, pushing through the door. He held his hand up, fingers splayed, in an eager wave. “So, how are we feeling today, Ryan?”
“Oh, are you a doctor now?” his dad asked with a smile.
“Maybe. Why, do you need one?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a pain in the neck. Started about twenty seconds ago.”
“Oh, funny!” Seth opened his mouth wide and slapped his knee, miming hysterical laughter. He pointed at his dad, looking at Ryan. “He’s saying I’m--”
“Yeah, I get it,” Ryan was trying to keep a straight face, failing.
“Take two aspirin,” Seth clapped his hand on his dad’s shoulder. “And don’t have sex. Ever. It’s creepy for me to think about. Okay, see you, Dad! Have a good day at work. Bye!” He steered him toward the door.
“I’m going to call and check in,” Sandy said over his shoulder. Ryan nodded his goodbye.
“Whew!” Seth raised his eyebrows at Ryan and collapsed across the foot of his bed. Ryan cringed at the bounce but he expected it to hurt worse than it did. “Does that guy hang around too long or what?” He smiled when he heard Ryan’s soft answering laugh. “So really,” Seth twisted his neck around to look into Ryan’s face. “Are you feeling okay?”
“A lot better,” Ryan nodded. He drained the last of his coffee. “Sandy said I don’t have to stay in bed today, so….”
“Awesome,” Seth said, sitting up. “We should play some X-Box, and then later we can go to the pier. Or something.”
“Definitely X-Box, but I don’t know if I’m up to the pier yet.”
“Okay,” Seth nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll make it before the week is up.”
“Sure,” Ryan agreed. He was saving the afternoon to work in the garage. He didn’t figure he’d have time to do both. “All right. I’m gonna get a shower and I’ll meet you inside.”
Four hours later Ryan looked around the garage and nodded his head slowly. He could definitely do this. He’d convinced Seth to take his skateboard to the comic book store, saying that he needed to rest. He’d mentioned a nap to Kirsten as well but she was on and off the phone with business contacts and just waved her hand in acknowledgment, whispering that he should let her know if he needed anything. He’d managed to choose lunch - spaghetti with red sauce - and easily convinced them that it was one of his favorites, not just the cheapest and easiest thing he could think of.
And now he was figuring out how to clean up and organize the tools, boxes of clothes, old toys and broken appliances that made up the bulk of the mess. The tools were easy - most of them looked like they’d never been used. Many were still in their original packaging. Ryan arranged them around a pristine work bench. The boxes of clothes were simple enough to neaten - many were scrawled ‘Donate’ in thick black marker. Ryan sealed them with packing tape and loaded those into the Rover. After two hours he’d made some pretty good progress.
There was one more thing Ryan wanted to do before calling it quits for the day. There was an old threadbare couch - not at all the Cohens’ style - jacked awkwardly in one corner. Ryan wanted to push it a couple of feet back, where it would be out of the way. He made one half-hearted attempt and his rib protested with sharp pain. Ryan groaned and decided to take a break. Maybe he’d have to ask for Seth’s help with this one. The couch was kind of heavy; on second thought maybe Kirsten would be more suited for the job than her son. Ryan laughed to himself and sat down to catch his breath. He closed his eyes. He just needed a minute.
“What the Hell are you doing--” Sandy’s voice woke Ryan instantly, sending him into a near-panic.
“Sandy! Jesus,” Ryan sat up too quickly and his hand went to his chest, his rib protesting the quick movement. He realized in a fraction of a second that he’d fallen asleep in the garage and a significant amount of time had passed - the sky was dark behind Sandy, who stood in the doorway.
“We’ve been worried sick about you, kid,” Sandy continued. His eyes darted around the garage, puzzled. He turned around and shouted behind himself, “He’s in here!” Sandy moved out of the way so Kirsten and Seth could come in.
“Holy clean garage,” Seth muttered.
“Ryan!” Kirsten looked angry. Ryan folded into himself a little. His face felt so hot. He knew he was in trouble, he just didn’t know how much. “I have been looking for you.”
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately.
“What are you doing?”
“I--”
“He cleaned the garage,” Sandy said, his voice strangely hollow.
“Why?” Kirsten’s voice was shrill.
“I think we had a misunderstanding,” Sandy answered. Ryan stayed quiet.
“Did you take anything?” Kirsten asked.
“Mom!” Seth was shocked.
Ryan ducked his head, shaking it a little. She really hated him.
“What? It’s a valid question--”
“Enough,” Sandy said. “Kirsten, Seth, please give us a few minutes.” They walked back to the house and Ryan could hear Seth giving his mom a hard time. At least someone trusted him.
“I’m sorry--” Ryan began again.
“Ryan,” Sandy took a step toward him. Ryan stood hastily and kept his gaze busy. He looked for an electrical outlet, needing the trance that tracing it with his eyes it would provide, but he couldn’t find one. He needed an electrical outlet. It was the only way he’d be able to get through the next several minutes without fighting back. He walked a bit away from Sandy, toward the workbench, and was relieved to finally spot one.
Sandy was thoroughly confused about Ryan’s behavior. What was he looking at? He was a bundle of nerves in a boy-shaped package.
“Ryan,” Sandy said, “Sit down with me for a minute. I want to talk to you.”
“Do I have to?” Ryan whispered. His eyes went up-around-down-around over and over again.
“I’m going to sit,” Sandy said. He wanted to be less physically imposing. “It’s up to you if you want to or not.” He got comfortable on the couch. “This was in our first place, in Berkeley.” Sandy smiled as he rubbed the worn cushions with his fingertips. “That was a long time ago.”
“Sandy,” Ryan’s voice was a little choked. “I’m sorry I messed up.”
“How’d you mess up?”
“I didn’t tell Kirsten where I was going. I wanted to surprise you by getting a lot of this done, and I knew you wouldn’t want me to start today. But you’ve been so nice to me and--”
“When I said I wanted you to stay with us I meant it. No strings,” Sandy leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I only said that about the garage to help convince you. I was only kidding. I can see now that it was the wrong thing to do. I didn’t know you’d take me seriously. Chores that I truly want Seth to do…I have to ask him a dozen times. I didn’t think you really intended on helping in here, let alone do it yourself.”
“I didn’t do a good job.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re not happy.”
“I’m just surprised, Ryan,” Sandy wasn’t sure how to deal with this. Ryan seemed so delicate right now. “Sit down,” Sandy said again.
“I’d rather not,” Ryan almost whispered. Sandy watched him closely and saw that he was rocking a tiny bit on his feet, back and forth. Rhythmically. His eyes trained on something. The tool bench? The wall?
“All right. I’m gonna let you get back to sleep. In the poolhouse this time, not the garage. I’m sorry that I misled you. I appreciate that you wanted to help out and you did a good job in here. Okay, kid?”
Ryan twisted his head to look sharply at Sandy. Was this a trick? Why didn’t Sandy just do it already? He’d asked Seth and Kirsten to leave. Surely something was coming. Something he didn’t want them to see. Ryan knew how indebted he was to the Cohens, and the last thing he wanted to do was screw up. But he had anyway. As always.
“Can you just get it over with?” Ryan hissed.
“Get…what? No, Ryan, there’s nothing else. What are you worried about?”
“I know you’re mad,” Ryan said after a hesitation. Don’t mention AJ. Don’t mention AJ.
“You’re not going to be punished. Is that what you’re getting at? You didn’t do anything wrong. We were just worried. Next time let somebody know where you’re gonna be. And don’t think that you have work to do around here. That’s not why we invited you to stay. You don’t have to earn your keep here. All right?”
“Uh-huh,” Ryan agreed, although he didn’t fully believe Sandy. He knew better than to let his guard down.
“Go lay down for a while. I’ll come get you for dinner.” Sandy motioned toward the door. Ryan shot one more sideways glance at Sandy and nodded his head, obediently going to the poolhouse. Thankfully the small kitchen was stocked; Ryan was thirsty and downed a bottle of water in one long drink. He took his shirt off slowly, still conscious of his aches, and tried to get comfortable in bed.
But he couldn’t sleep. There was far too much running through his mind for sleep to take over. Sandy had been clear enough about the garage two days ago. How could Ryan have misread him? If AJ had had to repeat an order there’d be Hell to pay. He couldn’t imagine Seth making his dad ask a dozen times. Of course, if that were true then Sandy probably didn’t get too angry with Seth. Right?
He’d hoped to be able to cross ‘Begin to repay debt of gratitude to Sandy’ off his mental list today but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. Ryan sighed and closed his eyes, knowing by the insistent drumming of his heart that rest would be a long time coming.
During the first two days of Ryan’s week-long Cohenabilitation, as Seth had started calling it, Ryan was barely allowed out of bed. Sandy and Kirsten decided that the more rest Ryan could get the better, and while he grumbled about it he realized that it really was for the best. He didn’t truly mind laying low. Besides, the poolhouse bed was freaking fantastic. He felt spoiled by the comfortable mattress and the regular, balanced meals. He was well aware that the next time he was recovering in Chino it would be that much more difficult, with this cushy memory to spoil him. The pain pills helped, too. His mom’s medicine cabinet rarely held more than Pepto and aspirin. Seth was only allowed one hour-long visit per day, which was also somewhat of a relief. Ryan liked Seth - a lot - but he was constantly in overdrive and Ryan wasn’t used to so much talking.
Ryan had lots of time to think. He had a list of things to accomplish over the next several days and he reviewed the list in his mind often. His initial impulse was to write it down, but he didn’t want anyone else knowing about it and he was no good at hiding anything. So far he had:
· Begin to repay debt of gratitude to Seth
· Begin to repay debt of gratitude to Sandy
· Stay out of Kirsten’s way
· Don’t put the Cohens out any more than I already have
· Keep quiet, especially about all things Chino
· Memorize as much as I can about the house, the town, the Cohens
Come day three Ryan was feeling much better, much more awake and alert. He could tell that he was well on his way to being back to good. Sandy could tell the same when he came in with Ryan’s breakfast tray. Black coffee, French toast, eggs, bacon. He totally had to start working out or he’d come back to Chino twenty pounds heavier and with no muscle tone. That’s all he needed.
“You’re looking wide awake this morning,” Sandy said cheerfully. He sat down next to Ryan’s bed with his own mug of coffee. “Feeling well?”
“Yes, thanks,” Ryan said, taking an eager swallow. Hot and strong, just the right mix. “But I think I’ll go crazy if I have to stay in bed another day.”
“You can try regular activities today, as long as you promise not to overdo it.”
“Sure,” Ryan nodded, thinking that he could get started on organizing the garage as soon as Sandy left for work. He hadn’t forgotten that condition of his Cohenabilitation.
“Kirsten is working from home today and she is going to watch you like a hawk,” Sandy continued, “And if you’re not taking it easy you’ll be back to bed.”
“I understand,” Ryan took a bite of eggs, knowing that he was expected to clear his plate whether he was hungry or not. He did happen to be quite hungry, which was a welcome change from the nausea. “I’ll stay out of her way.” A curious look passed over Sandy’s face but he didn’t press.
“Do you want me to pick anything up for you today? Magazines, a movie?”
“No, thank you,” Ryan said. This marked the third time in as many days that they’d had this exchange. Ryan was sticking to the list, and the list said not to put them out.
Sandy was extremely relieved to finally see friendly brightness in Ryan’s eyes. He knew the kid was in a tough spot but he’d been so withdrawn since Sandy picked him up in Chino; nearly silent and avoiding eye contact with everyone but Seth. While Sandy knew that this was normal behavior given the situation he couldn’t help but worry. He wanted Kirsten to see in Ryan what he’d seen. But, until now, the Ryan he’d known two weeks ago was gone.
Sandy felt a renewed hope as he now watched Ryan eat his breakfast. Sitting up straight, breathing without strain. Bruises fading. A little more confidence behind clearly intelligent eyes. These were good things.
“I warned Seth to give you some space today,” Sandy said. “I still want you to take it easy.”
“Okay,” Ryan nodded, accepting Sandy’s instructions patiently.
“And Kirsten wants you to choose lunch. So tell her what you’re hungry for and she’ll either have Rosa prepare it or order in.”
“Really,” Ryan shook his head, “Whatever you guys usually do is fine.”
“We usually take turns, and today is your turn,” Sandy said, standing up. Ryan hadn’t claimed a preference about anything yet as far as Sandy could tell. Everything was always fine. Sandy wanted to bring Ryan out of his shell a little if he could.
Seth peeked through a window in the poolhouse and saw his dad standing up, waving a hand in the air as he said something. Looked safe enough to enter.
“Hello!” Seth said loudly, pushing through the door. He held his hand up, fingers splayed, in an eager wave. “So, how are we feeling today, Ryan?”
“Oh, are you a doctor now?” his dad asked with a smile.
“Maybe. Why, do you need one?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a pain in the neck. Started about twenty seconds ago.”
“Oh, funny!” Seth opened his mouth wide and slapped his knee, miming hysterical laughter. He pointed at his dad, looking at Ryan. “He’s saying I’m--”
“Yeah, I get it,” Ryan was trying to keep a straight face, failing.
“Take two aspirin,” Seth clapped his hand on his dad’s shoulder. “And don’t have sex. Ever. It’s creepy for me to think about. Okay, see you, Dad! Have a good day at work. Bye!” He steered him toward the door.
“I’m going to call and check in,” Sandy said over his shoulder. Ryan nodded his goodbye.
“Whew!” Seth raised his eyebrows at Ryan and collapsed across the foot of his bed. Ryan cringed at the bounce but he expected it to hurt worse than it did. “Does that guy hang around too long or what?” He smiled when he heard Ryan’s soft answering laugh. “So really,” Seth twisted his neck around to look into Ryan’s face. “Are you feeling okay?”
“A lot better,” Ryan nodded. He drained the last of his coffee. “Sandy said I don’t have to stay in bed today, so….”
“Awesome,” Seth said, sitting up. “We should play some X-Box, and then later we can go to the pier. Or something.”
“Definitely X-Box, but I don’t know if I’m up to the pier yet.”
“Okay,” Seth nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll make it before the week is up.”
“Sure,” Ryan agreed. He was saving the afternoon to work in the garage. He didn’t figure he’d have time to do both. “All right. I’m gonna get a shower and I’ll meet you inside.”
Four hours later Ryan looked around the garage and nodded his head slowly. He could definitely do this. He’d convinced Seth to take his skateboard to the comic book store, saying that he needed to rest. He’d mentioned a nap to Kirsten as well but she was on and off the phone with business contacts and just waved her hand in acknowledgment, whispering that he should let her know if he needed anything. He’d managed to choose lunch - spaghetti with red sauce - and easily convinced them that it was one of his favorites, not just the cheapest and easiest thing he could think of.
And now he was figuring out how to clean up and organize the tools, boxes of clothes, old toys and broken appliances that made up the bulk of the mess. The tools were easy - most of them looked like they’d never been used. Many were still in their original packaging. Ryan arranged them around a pristine work bench. The boxes of clothes were simple enough to neaten - many were scrawled ‘Donate’ in thick black marker. Ryan sealed them with packing tape and loaded those into the Rover. After two hours he’d made some pretty good progress.
There was one more thing Ryan wanted to do before calling it quits for the day. There was an old threadbare couch - not at all the Cohens’ style - jacked awkwardly in one corner. Ryan wanted to push it a couple of feet back, where it would be out of the way. He made one half-hearted attempt and his rib protested with sharp pain. Ryan groaned and decided to take a break. Maybe he’d have to ask for Seth’s help with this one. The couch was kind of heavy; on second thought maybe Kirsten would be more suited for the job than her son. Ryan laughed to himself and sat down to catch his breath. He closed his eyes. He just needed a minute.
“What the Hell are you doing--” Sandy’s voice woke Ryan instantly, sending him into a near-panic.
“Sandy! Jesus,” Ryan sat up too quickly and his hand went to his chest, his rib protesting the quick movement. He realized in a fraction of a second that he’d fallen asleep in the garage and a significant amount of time had passed - the sky was dark behind Sandy, who stood in the doorway.
“We’ve been worried sick about you, kid,” Sandy continued. His eyes darted around the garage, puzzled. He turned around and shouted behind himself, “He’s in here!” Sandy moved out of the way so Kirsten and Seth could come in.
“Holy clean garage,” Seth muttered.
“Ryan!” Kirsten looked angry. Ryan folded into himself a little. His face felt so hot. He knew he was in trouble, he just didn’t know how much. “I have been looking for you.”
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately.
“What are you doing?”
“I--”
“He cleaned the garage,” Sandy said, his voice strangely hollow.
“Why?” Kirsten’s voice was shrill.
“I think we had a misunderstanding,” Sandy answered. Ryan stayed quiet.
“Did you take anything?” Kirsten asked.
“Mom!” Seth was shocked.
Ryan ducked his head, shaking it a little. She really hated him.
“What? It’s a valid question--”
“Enough,” Sandy said. “Kirsten, Seth, please give us a few minutes.” They walked back to the house and Ryan could hear Seth giving his mom a hard time. At least someone trusted him.
“I’m sorry--” Ryan began again.
“Ryan,” Sandy took a step toward him. Ryan stood hastily and kept his gaze busy. He looked for an electrical outlet, needing the trance that tracing it with his eyes it would provide, but he couldn’t find one. He needed an electrical outlet. It was the only way he’d be able to get through the next several minutes without fighting back. He walked a bit away from Sandy, toward the workbench, and was relieved to finally spot one.
Sandy was thoroughly confused about Ryan’s behavior. What was he looking at? He was a bundle of nerves in a boy-shaped package.
“Ryan,” Sandy said, “Sit down with me for a minute. I want to talk to you.”
“Do I have to?” Ryan whispered. His eyes went up-around-down-around over and over again.
“I’m going to sit,” Sandy said. He wanted to be less physically imposing. “It’s up to you if you want to or not.” He got comfortable on the couch. “This was in our first place, in Berkeley.” Sandy smiled as he rubbed the worn cushions with his fingertips. “That was a long time ago.”
“Sandy,” Ryan’s voice was a little choked. “I’m sorry I messed up.”
“How’d you mess up?”
“I didn’t tell Kirsten where I was going. I wanted to surprise you by getting a lot of this done, and I knew you wouldn’t want me to start today. But you’ve been so nice to me and--”
“When I said I wanted you to stay with us I meant it. No strings,” Sandy leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “I only said that about the garage to help convince you. I was only kidding. I can see now that it was the wrong thing to do. I didn’t know you’d take me seriously. Chores that I truly want Seth to do…I have to ask him a dozen times. I didn’t think you really intended on helping in here, let alone do it yourself.”
“I didn’t do a good job.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You’re not happy.”
“I’m just surprised, Ryan,” Sandy wasn’t sure how to deal with this. Ryan seemed so delicate right now. “Sit down,” Sandy said again.
“I’d rather not,” Ryan almost whispered. Sandy watched him closely and saw that he was rocking a tiny bit on his feet, back and forth. Rhythmically. His eyes trained on something. The tool bench? The wall?
“All right. I’m gonna let you get back to sleep. In the poolhouse this time, not the garage. I’m sorry that I misled you. I appreciate that you wanted to help out and you did a good job in here. Okay, kid?”
Ryan twisted his head to look sharply at Sandy. Was this a trick? Why didn’t Sandy just do it already? He’d asked Seth and Kirsten to leave. Surely something was coming. Something he didn’t want them to see. Ryan knew how indebted he was to the Cohens, and the last thing he wanted to do was screw up. But he had anyway. As always.
“Can you just get it over with?” Ryan hissed.
“Get…what? No, Ryan, there’s nothing else. What are you worried about?”
“I know you’re mad,” Ryan said after a hesitation. Don’t mention AJ. Don’t mention AJ.
“You’re not going to be punished. Is that what you’re getting at? You didn’t do anything wrong. We were just worried. Next time let somebody know where you’re gonna be. And don’t think that you have work to do around here. That’s not why we invited you to stay. You don’t have to earn your keep here. All right?”
“Uh-huh,” Ryan agreed, although he didn’t fully believe Sandy. He knew better than to let his guard down.
“Go lay down for a while. I’ll come get you for dinner.” Sandy motioned toward the door. Ryan shot one more sideways glance at Sandy and nodded his head, obediently going to the poolhouse. Thankfully the small kitchen was stocked; Ryan was thirsty and downed a bottle of water in one long drink. He took his shirt off slowly, still conscious of his aches, and tried to get comfortable in bed.
But he couldn’t sleep. There was far too much running through his mind for sleep to take over. Sandy had been clear enough about the garage two days ago. How could Ryan have misread him? If AJ had had to repeat an order there’d be Hell to pay. He couldn’t imagine Seth making his dad ask a dozen times. Of course, if that were true then Sandy probably didn’t get too angry with Seth. Right?
He’d hoped to be able to cross ‘Begin to repay debt of gratitude to Sandy’ off his mental list today but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. Ryan sighed and closed his eyes, knowing by the insistent drumming of his heart that rest would be a long time coming.