I didn’t want to become the dinner table gossip, so I tugged on Zachary’s sleeve and said, “Forget it. If a dog bites you, you don’t bite back.”

Zachary glanced around at the crowd eagerly waiting to see a joke unfold, then took a deep breath and regained his composure. Sipping his arm around my waist, he said, “You're right. . I shouldn’t stoop to a dog’s level.”

Even humiliated like this, Tyler didn’t utter a single word.

As ...