On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

about an hour?"
    "I'll meet you at Mom's. I have to run a couple of errands first. Thanks, Em."
    "For what?"
    "For saying yes," Nicole said. "I know I haven't been a very good sister lately."
    "Don't be crazy. You've had your hands full. I totally get that. I'm thrilled you're actually going to take some time for yourself."
    "Is Aiden going to be at the fundraiser tonight?"
    "I don't know."
    "I hope he goes. He needs to find a way to make peace with what happened."
    Emma smiled to herself as she set down her phone. Aiden and Nicole were a lot alike. Neither one of them could accept the unacceptable with resignation. They fought until they couldn't fight anymore.

    * * *

    Aiden had just turned down Nicole's street, when he saw her car going in the other direction. Maybe that was a good thing. He wanted to talk to Ryan alone.
    Ryan greeted him with a tired smile. Tall and lean with light brown hair and dark brown eyes, Ryan wore navy blue slacks and a white button down shirt, part of his pilot's uniform. Ryan had been flying since he was fourteen years old. It was his greatest passion – after Nicole.
    "Can't say I expected to find you on my porch," Ryan said. "I heard the family had search parties out for you."
    He gave him a dry smile. "I'm sure they did."
    "Come on in. If you're looking for Nicole, she just left."
    "That's fine. I want to talk to you."
    As Aiden entered the house, he saw Brandon playing with Legos on the floor of the living room. "Hey, Brandon," he said loudly. The kid didn't even turn his head.
    "Don't waste your breath," Ryan said. "Brandon wouldn’t acknowledge you if you were standing on your head in a clown's costume. Believe me, I've tried. Do you want something to drink?"
    "Sure."
    Aiden followed Ryan into the kitchen taking a seat at the counter while Ryan opened the refrigerator door. "Vegetable juice, orange juice, milk, water."
    "I'll take some orange juice," he said.
    "Coming up." As Ryan poured the juice, he said, "So what did you want to talk about?"
    "Just wanted to check in and see how things are going."
    "Not well." Ryan set the juice in front of Aiden. "But Nicole will give you a different spin."
    "How so?"
    "She'll tell you that Brandon is improving, that she can see a light in his eyes, that he's coming out of his dark world."
    "And you don't believe that's true?"
    "I haven't seen it. I think she just wants it so bad to be true, that she's starting to believe her own spin."
    "Positive thinking can be good," he said.
    "But not delusional thinking. At some point, she may have to face reality. Brandon may never get better. We may never get our son back." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe he'd just said the words out loud. Then he let out a long sigh. "It sucks."
    "Yeah, it does," he agreed, taking a sip of his juice. "But you and Nicole will get through it. You're both strong, and you love each other."
    Ryan's gaze shifted slightly. "I'm not sure Nicole even knows I exist anymore, except when it comes time to pay for more therapy. That's where I seem to be the most valuable."
    "That's not true."
    "Hey, you haven't been around. So don't tell me what's true."
    Aiden could see that Ryan was getting wound up. "Take it easy. I'm not judging you. I'm just worried. Is there anything I can do to help?"
    "Short of finding us a miracle cure, I can't think of anything," Ryan said tersely.
    "Maybe you'll still get that miracle," he said, wishing Ryan had more of Nicole's positive attitude. Then again, maybe Ryan was being more realistic and Nicole was just unwilling to accept the truth.
    "I hope so. I should get back to Brandon, not that he'll care, but I told Nicole I'd try to engage him in activity."
    "Where was Nicole headed?" Aiden asked.
    "She said she was going out with Emma, which shocked the hell out of me. She has really isolated herself from anyone who isn't connected to Brandon's treatment program. I'm glad she's going to step into the outside world for a few hours. Maybe it will give her some perspective." Ryan replied, as they headed to the living room.
    "You should take a break together. What about a long weekend away? I'm sure Lynda would babysit."
    "She's offered, but Brandon does best with Nicole. He doesn't interact with her, either, but she's still some sort of a safety net for him." Ryan paused as they entered the living room. Brandon was engrossed in his building blocks. "He likes to match stuff up," Ryan said. "When he finds a pair of the same shape and color,