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“I don’t knohat I a,” he whispered to her “I don’t kno to do this”

“It’s breakfast, Jesse,” she whispered back “And it’s easy”

“Nothing is different I have to leave”

“Not right now,” she said She kissed his nose and moved away She slid cut-up pancakes in front of Ben and a cup of coffee with plenty of sugar in front of him

Jesse sat and leaned back in his chair in an imitation of relaxation But he wasn’t fooled This wasn’t easy Relaxing in his kitchen with this wo he’d ever done

Yet at some point between his fifth pancake and second cup of coffee, it happened Slowly, moment byIt was so nor—which he didn’t

After breakfast Ben asked Jesse to read him a story and he found himself with a lapful of toddler who smelled sweet and warm

“He’s friendly,” Julia said with a proud smile

“I noticed,” Jesse mumbled He’d never done this, had never read a story about talking bears to a kid But soon he was settled into the recliner with the solid weight of Ben’s head against his shoulder, over his heart

He could feel Julia watching, tears no doubt in her eyes and a foolish hope about substitute father figures in her heart It was so he shouldn’t foster He should lift Ben off his lap and head out to the garage, out to safety

“Hey” Ben patted his cheek, an unsubtle reminder that Jesse had a job to do “Story time”

“Right” Jesse sed and opened the book Ben handed him “Story time”

THAT AFTERNOON, Jesse’s cell phone rang and Julia picked it up fro

“Is Jesse Filht Hispanic accent asked

“Sure, I’ll go get hie where Jesse had been busy for the last few hours She kneas hiding fro fro the night She was ready to give hirips with it, but she wasn’t going to go away

She wanted Jesse And this tiht for what she wanted She could beat back his ghosts She was sure of it

“Call for you” She handed Jesse the phone and looked at what he’d been working on The cradle was partially asseasped in reverence It was so beautiful, so carefully and handsomely made