Chapter 4

I turned to Ryan. “I’m sorry to introduce you to the family like this,” I said to him. “It’s not every day that Sean’s sister falls in love.”

Ryan took a deep breath. “That’s all right,” he said with a smile. “It could have been worse. He could have been like her.”

I smiled. “But he’s not,” I noted.

“Yes, I know. It’s a real eye-opener.”

And so, Sean’s relationship with Ryan seemed solidified.

* * * *

It seemed everything was going fantastically. Marty didn’t drink as much, didn’t carouse, and seemed to be becoming a model citizen.

That was, until several weeks after that third meeting, when I finally went to her house to find her. I hadn’t heard from her in over a week, and when I called, there was never an answer. The phone rang, so Iknew she wasn’t talking on it. It wasn’t like Marty to just let it ring.

When I knocked on the door, I heard, “It’s open.” She must have seen my car drive up out front.