This was the most joyous dinner ever since I moved here. My parents hadn’t laughed so heartily in a long time.

My dad even drank a can of beer. I was worried, but he insisted it was okay.

After dinner, Ryan stayed with us for quite a while before he got up to bid farewell. I offered to give him a ride home, as the apartment unit he rented wasn’t too far from my place.

As we walked to my car, Ryan asked, “Would you like to take a walk? I’m too full, and you can tell me what Josh did.”

I said yes, and we walked out of Amethyst Apartments. I brought him up to speed. Since I brought Ryan into the company, I considered him my partner, so I didn’t want to hide things from him.

My phone started ringing in my pocket, and I took it out to see who the caller was. It was Atlas.

I rejected the call, continued our walk, and talked about the company. That was what we had in common.

The phone rang again and Ryan looked at me. “Why don’t you answer it?”

I smiled and did so. Atlas’s voice ra