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He’d driven her from the police station to her place at the Opera House, called Frankie and asked her to corilled cheese sandwich and then waited till Frankie arrived Hadley was pale and didn’t seem to want to talk She see et back to his grandfather, and the second Frankie arrived, he got back in his truck and returned to the hospital

Since then, he’d been swamped with family responsibilities Dad was quite a softy, as everyone knew, and Jack spent as er John Hollands keeping vigil over the eldest Jack also made sure to check on the business end of Blue Heron, Honor’s domain, to make sure his sister wasn’t too swa down the fort just fine He called Faith twice a day, because she was dueit, because she’d been staying with Goggy He dropped by Pru’s house to see how Abby was; she’d never lost anyone close to her

Then he drove back to Blue Heron to filter the wine and check the sedis couldn’t wait Hea lot of sleeping, according to Frankie), then went back to the hospital, then home

Three days after the heart attack, Pops went back to the apart Creek He was now on Lipitor and Cou cheese, ice creaood," in his words He eaker, but Jere cholesterol level Jack checked in with hirandmother’s protestations, he orried about her, too Neither grandparent was young, and Pops’s scare had reminded everyone of that

And now, four days after Pops’s heart attack, Jack found hi from the hospital to E, and the lake was cobalt, a fathe owed her an apology

Being wrong wasn’t a feeling Jack was used to His sisters liked to call him the prince, the son and heir, and there was some truth to that He knew his father had wanted a son--Mo All his life, he’d tried to do the right thing He’d been an A student, an Eagle Scout, as good a brother as he couldHonor to drive, babysitting for Pru and Carl when Ned was a baby His ht he was pretty damn perfect, and Dad didn’t think it--he believed it with his whole heart

In truth, Jack could think of two tinificant mistake One, the time he’d jumped off the falls up near the ruins of the old stone barn and broken his ar Emmaline a bullyyeah, okay That was number three

"CAN I SEE you ain the doorway of Levi’s office It was nearly quitting ti the door behind her Levi had heard about the incident with Hadleyand Jack’s reaction Of course he had Carol had told hih the door, and Gerard had coossip

She opened her ht Not with the stutter With tears The stutter had slunk back to its hole, though last night, when Angela had practically goose-stepped her to O’Rourke’s, E to say "H-h-hi, Eh-Eh-Emmaline," same as they had back in the day

No one did But people knew, anyway Colleen even sent drinks on the house

"What can I do for you, Deputy?" Levi asked

"How’s Mr Holland?" she asked, even though she already knew Word was out that the old guy was back at Rushing Creek, coist who’d taken care of hi really well, actually"

"Good And Faith?"

"Very ripe" His reat dad, Levi"

"Thanks" He kept looking at her--it was a trick of his, that patient stare--and she broke

"I’ I should quit"

"Quit what?"

"This job"

More staring, then, "Unacceptable, Deputy"

She sed "I screwed up, Chief With Hadley I didn’t handle the situation well, and things just escalated I didn’t check on her" She looked at her hands Probably time to take off that old nail polish she’d put on for stupid Kevin’s wedding "Maybe I’ood cop," she said, her voice husky "She was in crisis hed and sat back in his chair "Listen," he said "You’re going to screw up from tiate a call where you know the guy is beating his wife, but you can’t convince her to leave hihborhood, and you still ainst his desk, not looking at her "You give a kid a lecture and ticket him whenever you can, and he still crashes into the lake"

Ah, yes Josh Deiner had had few brushes with the law

"This doesn’t make you a bad cop," Levi continued "Hadley was drunk, you didn’t know she’d freak out the way she did and you had police business to take care of If anyone screwed up here, it’s Everett He knows the drill He was supposed to check on her every fifteenon his phone"

"I just feel like Ioverreacted" She sed "Like ht Maybe I did what I did because she’s Jack’s ex"

"Emmaline," Levi said in that overly patient voice he used when he was irritated "Jack wasn’t right You’re not a bully You couldn’t be If anything, you were too easy on her So shut up about quitting, because if you leave me alone with Everett, I will hunt you down" He s back

"Okay Thanks, Chief"

"Good Now I have to get to the store because Faith is out of ice creaood cop Are we done here?"

She sat there anotherJustI love you, Levi"

"Get out"

"No, I’m serious I love you You’re the best boss ever"

"You’ll hate yourself in the ave her a smile "You still mad at Jack?"

She scowled "Who said I was mad at Jack?"

"You ate an entire box of donuts yesterday You’ve traded in walking for stoht Jack was-- Wait a second Am I really so pathetic that you want to talk about my personal life?"

Levi lifted an eyebrow