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His eight settled, solid and co, across Jesse’s bare skin

“Just don’t fart,” he told the old dog

Jesse realized that as happening to hiht noas normal Real life Nieces and family dinners and stolen kisses with beautiful blondes in kitchens These things happened every day to humans around the world

And it felt so good

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SHE’D MADE A MISTAKE That nes and Ron had put Julia smack-dab in the et out She had nowhere to go No car No money A job that started in a few days

“So,” Ron said, as he cut his pot roast into srandfatherly eyes not nearly as kind and welcorats are in order La is a wonderful coe”

I’m an adult, she told herself Time to act like one

“I a like a rebellious teenager She looked up fro around her plate and set down her fork “I’ve gotten a job and I’ to make some money so Ben and I can move out”

The words fell like bones pressed her napkin to lips and o to the kitchen

“Is this your gratitude?” Ron asked

“I aine what your hospitality has meant to us—”

“Well, this is a terrible way to show it”

Julia suddenly saw Mitch’s childhood played out in front of her His parents had created a liar—a man who constantly took the path of least resistance to avoid this burden of guilt, this responsibility of pleasing two people with a narrow rigid view of the world And Agnes and Ron had no idea They were blind to what they’d done to Mitch, what they’d made of him

She thought of Ben, sleeping upstairs, and promised never to force her expectations upon him Mitch’s son would have no idea what it was like to be Mitch

“Ron, rooer”

What she really wanted to say was “I can’t live with your wife’s insanity any longer,” but that hardly would have served her purpose