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The judge adjourned the court, leaving Yuki to wonder about the open switch of this neitness What the hell was Connor Grant pulling now?

CHAPTER 41

JULIE AND I were sitting together on a lounge chair beside the indoor pool at Pacific Rehab Center, where Joe had been living since his release from the hospital

The pool rooe aqua-blue pool with ropes separating the lanes, and a lifeguard perched in a tall chair rouped around small tables, and a half dozen swih the speakers

Julie-Pie earing a candy-striped tutu of a bathing suit, her dark hair in two little pigtails above her ears I wore jeans and a white cotton blouse over my two-piece, not sure if I would swim or watch Julie and her daddy from the sidelines

Julie shrieked

I looked up and saw Joe rolling toward us in his chair, the scars showing vividly on his scalp and ar boot I had been afraid of Julie’s reaction to seeing Joe this way, but I’d worried for nothing

She screaain, this time, “It’s Daddy,” and she ran across the tiles in her bare feet and into his open ared her to him and rolled over to my chaise

I got up and gave Joe a gentle hug

“So glad to seewith eo Let’s go in”

Joe said, “Next time, sweetheart”

“Noooooo”

I watched and listened as Joe explained to our two-yearold that he still needed help getting in and out of the pool, but that he was getting better really fast

He asked ht a suit?”

“I did”