Elizabeth appeared to notice Thea's increasing anxiety and offered reassurance, "Don't be concerned, Thea. I'm sure he's okay. He might be in an area with poor reception or simply got sidetracked. Try sending him a text, perhaps he'll respond to that."
Thea nodded, and wrote a message to him: 'Where are you? I'm at your place.' She waited eagerly for a response, her gaze fixed on the screen, hoping to see the three little dots indicating Ryder was composing a reply. But the screen remained unchanged.
"Let me call him. " Elizabeth dialed his number. After a few rings, the call was picked up. "Ryder...Why aren't you answering Thea's calls?" Elizabeth asked.
There was no response on the other end. "Ryder, are you there?"
"Auntie, it's Savannah. Ryder went to the counter and left his phone here."
