Lina waited until she was getting into bed to call Phil. “I’ve never seen him so down. I don’t know what to say to him.”

“I’m taking them out to dinner tomorrow night. I’ll try to get him to talk then.”

“Don’t make him feel bad about not making the team. He’s upset enough.”

“Do you really think you need to tell me that? Are you redefining me completely? Am I an insensitive father now too?”

“I didn’t say that, but you’ve always been too hard on him about lacrosse.”

“I push him to meet his potential—that’s what I’m supposed to do. It’s what my father did to me, and that’s what he’ll do to his son one day.”

“He feels like you’re disappointed in him.”

“That’s not true. He’s feeling sorry for himself. You baby him too much.”

“I’m his mother. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“Have you ever heard the expression ‘mama’s boy’? Is that what you want him to be?”

“No, but I don’t want him to be sad.”

“He’s had a tough couple of weeks,” Nick said when Lina took advantage of the fact that Logan and Katie were dining with Phil and joined him for dinner in Baltimore. “I didn’t realize he didn’t make the team. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Brian made it?”

“Yes.”

“Well, at least one of them is happy. It’s hard seeing him so down. I rarely see his smile anymore.”

“I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but continue to encourage him to talk about his feelings. Katie too. That’s critical right now.”

“You’re going to have to let me pay for dinner. You seem to have to be in psychiatrist mode all the time with me lately.”

“Not true. I’m myself with you.” He leaned back in his chair as a waiter delivered their drinks. “So, this Knight of yours seems to be working out.”

Lina smiled. “He’s a Godsend. Last night I didn’t wake up once. I had a dream-free night without medication for the first time since Phil left.”

“These dreams—they’re flashbacks to whatever happened to you at sixteen, aren’t they?”

“Yes, or variations of it anyway.” She reached for her water glass. “And no, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You’re going to eventually trust me enough to tell me what happened to you, aren’t you?”

“It’s not a matter of trust. I trust you. I just don’t see the point in talking about it. It was twenty-some years ago. Why rehash it?”

“It’s still affecting your sleep.”