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Ryan glanced at his watch Zoe had called hiive the Sam could come later On the phone, Zoe had been cool and distant, soh he had no idea whether she'd be in touch with him after she delivered the blow to her parents, his stomach rolled in anticipation

"Sa no pleasure in his oords

After Sa to convince her of his sincerity Trying to get her to appreciate his position as family not enemy

"Do you need me? I can come down, you know" Uncle Russ had always been there to offer his support

The gesture brought a luht not have much of an immediate family to speak of, but he'd always had Uncle Russ He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear a friendly, fa to his uncle now helped hirounded and celanced up at the setting sun and closed his eyes, grateful for what he did have and deters

"Ryan, are you there?"

"I'm here No need to visit just yet Maybe when the initial shock blows over We'll see"

"Well, I've got to run My dinner date is here," his uncle said

Ryan grinned The consummate bachelor, Uncle Russ never had the same dinner date more than a few ti

"Have a good tis after a lifeti up— "

"Yes?"

"Thanks for being there"

Silence followed for a moment before Uncle Russ spoke "You're the son I never had, Ryan Always remember that"

His uncle's declaration elcome at a ti up and settled into the sand to watch the last of the sun set on the horizon

He needed tioodbye to Zoe, the woman he felt certain he was about to lose

Chapter Seven

WITH ALL THE FAMILY CHANGES on the horizon, Zoe was lured to the wall of photographs going up the stairs in her parents' hoh unorthodox, her own childhood had been a happy one, as docu her Part of the reason she'd neverof warht she could find anywhere else

Since her old job had kept her on the road so a place of her own until recently And, she ader kept tabs on her, and that she liked their unstructured life