Page 19 of Find Me Again

"Oh really? I'm not sure if I'd call a retelling of the entire Marinetta family drama a way to entertain me."

"Liar, you were into it. And I have way more gossip at my disposal, so you better prepare yourself for the weeks ahead. I'm simply doling the stories out."

"How nice of you."

"I know, right?" She rested her chin on her hand, herelbow leaning on the back of the couch. "Since you're stingy with the gossip yourself, tell me about your day after you left this morning."

"That's even less interesting." Ryan shrugged. "I drove… around, took in some sights. Then I went back to George's, read a book, went for a run, went back, showered, and here I am."

Clearly, he should've prepared better. He wouldn't have stumbled if he had done so, especially since it was an obvious question his parents would ask.

"'Some sights' as in that hill up north?" she asked, trying to sound innocent but missing the mark completely.

Which meant she probably knew the answer already.

Still, he wasn't going to make it easy for her. There was still a chance that she didn't know about Neil, at least. Not a big one, but still. A chance.

"Yes. You're all missing out on that place. The valley forest looks…" He shook his head. "It's the most beautiful view around here."

"I know," she said. When he raised his eyebrows, she chuckled. "Believe it or not, I listen to you every once in a while. Your dad and I have made a trip a few times, and it truly is beautiful. We just don't need to see it so often."

"I don't need to, either. Once every few years isn't often."

"You're right, it's not. And even if you went there every other day, that's your right."

He nodded, wanting to change the topic, but if he would do it too quickly, she'd probably get suspicious.

Unless she did know, and then Ryan was screwed either way.

"The only reason I'm asking, actually," she continued, "is that I thought I saw Neil Hopkins driving up there when I went out to drop some paperwork at school."

He was totally screwed.

"Mmhmm," was the only thing he gave her, but she pushed further, undeterred.

"Did you run into him up there?"

"Yes."

She frowned, as if she'd been expecting this answer but didn't quite know what to do with it now.

Welcome to the club, Mom.

"Did you talk?"

Ryan shrugged. "For a bit, yeah. But I'd been there for a while before he got there and the wind was getting colder, so I left him to it pretty quickly."

"Are you okay?"

Her question was soft, not interrogatory at all, which threw him off.

"I'm fine."

And it was true. He wasn't great, since he was a bit out of sorts, but he was fine.

She nodded slowly. "You know, I never asked—"

His snort cut her off, because,seriously. She'd asked plenty, back in the day.

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