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"No" I lean on the counter, watching her with rin on my face "How did I not know that?"

"You think you know everything about me, Jace Crawford, but you don’t I still have sole one of the to whip up breakfast," she says "O spinach in yours," she warnsto like you, you make me eat spinach?"

"You like me," she says, her back to me as she looks for her o

I’ just follows Dad all over the place," Noel says on Sunday afternoon We’re at Dad’s,on the yard "You should give her to hi potatoes to turn and stare at my sister "Uh, hello? She’s mine"

"Okay, maybe you could share custody Dad’s been lonely, and Nancy clearly likes hi, who is currently sunbathing in the grass while Dad mows the lawn around her

"Okay, that’s pretty cute," I concede "Maybe Dad would like to have Nancy around "

Our father isn’t retired, but he worksNancy here to keep hi to think about," Noel agrees, reaching for the hand- up a batch of cornbread

"Re at the chip in the plastic of the mixer "You were so mad, and you threw this on the floor"

"Yeah, I was ain and ruined my favorite jeans"

"Mom didn’t even bat an eye," she murmurs softly "She just told us to clean up ouryou new jeans"

"Which you never did" I turn to her "Maybe you should go to that anniversary sale andto dry et new ones?"

"You knohy," Noel says softly "Because they were Mo in the house is exactly the way it was the day Morocery store and alk back through the door at any minute

"I understood it for the first year," I coh "I mean, we all miss her But it’s been two years now, and he hasn’tfor him," she says

"It’s not healthy," I reply and walk to theto look out at Dad and Nancy, then frown at the third figure squatting in the garden "Is that Jace out there?"

Noel joinsof Dr Handsome, you need to spill it"

"Spill what?"

Noel cocks a brow "You’re a shoutside as Jace stands and pushes the wheelbarrow full of weeds to the alley to toss the debris onto the co his ht "Not in a bad way"

"I noticed you’ve been spending ether," Noel says

"We have, and honestly, it’s been a lot of fun I don’t think I realized over the past few years that I missed him"

"Well, you’ve both been busy," she offers and pours her batter into a pan, then slips it into the oven "But I feel like I need to point out that you never looked at hie sundae, and you want to lap up every drop"

I bust up laughing but don’t deny it

Because holy shit can the ht have ruined , both h the back door