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“Once I’ve cleaned up, it’ll stay that way now that Sophie’s moved out But y’know, some of us like clutter, stuff that holds ood times”

“And bad times? Do you keep stuff that res that happen?” He picked up Stanley’s empty beer can, crushed it, and looked her hard in the eye “It’s hard enough to forget some of the shit in my life as it is Reo any further with this Even though she ached to knohat hadties, she sensed it would pull her limpse of this tortured hero’s past history It would be like following Alice down the rabbit hole and she only had ten days to find her way out

“We’re very different, you and I,” she azines, junkabout the place “Youand beautiful and…” He pulled a crochet blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders “And you’re worth sonoise “I ht I just heard you say”

“Huh?”

“A and beautiful I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me before”

“You must have only dated jerks before in that case” He squeezed her shoulders through the blanket “Are you sure you won’t let me stay and look after you? I’ll take the sofa”

She shook her head “I’ll be fine, really, and I’d prefer to be alone right now This is ht now, a place for just me and Aspen to live in Does that ht, but so this place until I’m convinced you’re safe At least until that police report is filed”

“Okay, I know there’s no point in arguing with you, and I need soht?”

“I’m exhausted, I need to try So should you” She closed her eyes as he kissed her on the cheek “I need to be alone now, Matt”

And within seconds, she actually was When she opened her eyes, Matt DeLeo had left as surprisingly as he had arrived and had taken a crushed beer can with hi,” Matt said two days later, as Piper slid into the backseat of the luxurious li outside her apart a little earlier than planned, but I need to talk to you about so to the wedding of the year in a vehicle with blacked-out s and Piper was dreading it “Is that why your driver isn’t actually driving and is propped up against wall s…”

“Did you file that police report?”

Piper sighed “Yes, boss, I filed the police report just like I said I would They’re doing what they need to do”

Matt nodded stiffly “And if they want to speak to me or Frank—”