"Oh, Ryan!"
Something hit me from behind, arms wrapping around my waist, sudden and tight before I could react. I turned, startled, and found Shannon smiling up at me.
"Shannon…" I managed, returning what I could only describe as the most awkward acknowledgment of a hug in recent human history.
"I really thought I'd never see you again when you left that day," she said, laughing a little, the sound light and soft. "But here you are."
"Change of plans," I said, trying to extract myself from her grip with some degree of dignity. It wasn't going well. She held on with surprising stubbornness for someone who was still supposed to be favoring a bad foot, her walking stick tucked under one arm in a way that suggested she'd committed to this ambush well in advance.
"Shannon!" Carmen's voice came down sharply, and she was already moving, stepping quickly behind her daughter and wrapping both arms around her to haul her back. "What on earth are you doing? Let him go!"
