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"I can’t," he said "I have football"

"You don’t tell me what you can’t do I tell you!"

Caronna take football froht this upon yourself"

Carmine narrowed his eyes as his fatherthe life you gavethe top dresser drawer Carroaned as he pulled out his set of keys "Your brother turned out fine"

"My brother didn’t go through what I went through! But you knohat? I don’t care Go ahead and take football Youelse because of you!"

There was ain the air between them, that it seemed like tiuilty when he saw the hurt in his father’s eyes "You’ll always blaht I will," Carmine said "Give me my keys back"

"No"

Every ounce of sensibility Carmine had slipped ahen his father turned his back to hiive me my keys, I’ll call the police"

Vincent turned back around so fast the movement startled Car over a car?"

"Yes," he said "You would, too, if it was all you had left"

That flicker of hurt returned but faded as fast as before Vincent threw the keys at Caro play your precious football, but the credit card’s mine"

"I don’t care I don’t need your hed dryly "We’ll see about that"

A dozen overflowing shopping bags littered the bedrooainst the dreary carpet Dr DeMarco had brought theone her whole life without so much stuff "All of this is for me?"

"Yes" Dr DeMarco stood in the doorway behind her, rocking on his heels He was irate, though she wasn’t sure why "If you find there’s so, lether alone with her new belongings She unpacked carefully, hanging the clothes in the closet and putting the bathroo a bar of white soap, she had no idea what things like bath salts and puh, and ran it through her hair, cringing as she snagged on theoff what belonged to Car hadn’t been her main job in Blackburn, as her mama usually worked in the kitchen, but Haven had helped her whenever she got the chance

Cooking, according to her mama, was an art Recipes and instructions were unnecessary, because the best meals were made with intuition and heart Her mama always put her all into her food, even if she hadn’t been allowed to taste it It was a trait Haven had picked up, one that was co in handy as she stood in the DeMarco’s kitchen

Dr DeMarco walked in as she finished a pot of spaghetti, and she stood back, nervously awaiting his reaction He scanned thewith us?"

Instinctively, she shook her head

"You don’t have to, but I do insist you eat so every day I won’t allow you to starve underfood sounded like an order co in Blackburn hadn’t been easy for Haven, with an overabundance of work and a lack of food, but she always found a way to get by It was a dismal life, but it had been hers, and it was the only one she’d ever known

Durante, on the other hand, with its slow pace and down time, intimidated her

By the third day, she fell into a routine She cleaned during the day and cooked at night before hiding away until everyone went to bed She’d slip downstairs then and eat so to the bedroo after She wasn’t sure where it came from but the sound of it would ease her to sleep, and she’d stay there until everyone left the house for the day

While easier, little things knocked her off-kilter The strongwith silverere small amenities, but each s everyone else took for granted Even wearing shoes made her feet hurt She didn’t like them a bit

It was a few minutes past three on her third day when Haven encountered Doain He came into the house and dropped a backpack on the floor before taking a seat in the fa upstairs, but that ly kind to her

She stepped into the faernails "Can I do so for you?"

Dominic shook his head "I’ I can do"

"UhI could always eat souess"

She smiled "Eat what?"

"Surprise me"

Haven headed for the kitchen anda paper towel She walked back into the family room, and Dominic took it "You seriously didn’t have to do this"

She averted her gaze "But you made me one"

She went to the kitchen before he could respond and wiped down the counters A little while later, as she defrosted chicken for dinner, she spotted Do his hamper downstairs She stepped into the foyer, directly in his path "Can I get that for you?"