I passed him the third plate I’d washed before having the gut to talk. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about Avery. I was looking for the best time to bring it up, and the best time never came.”

He paused briefly and continued rinsing the plate, keeping quiet, and I could imagine what was going through his head. We’d had so many times, I could have brought it up. His silence was making me even more nervous, so I blurted out. “Actually, I know I could have told you before you had ...