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Jude opened the door “Lexi,” she said, obviously surprised

“I want to give you so for Grace ”

“She’s up in Zach’s old roo a movie ”

“Oh I didn’t think she’d be here ”

“Would you like to see her?”

Lexi knew she should say no, but how could she? She nodded Unable to dredge up words to accoesture, she turned away from Jude and went up the stairs to Zach’s old roothening breath, then she knocked on the door, heard a chirpy come in, and opened the door

“Hi, Mo here?” Grace sat up in Zach’s bed, frowning

Lexi actually stumbled She tried to cover her mistake with a smile, but realized that she’d done that badly, too

It was a lot to handle all at once—Grace’s beautiful face, her saying, mommy … and Zach’s room

Everywhere she looked, she saw rele of plastic dinosaurs, a football, a colorful collection of Disney videotapes, green-spined video ga on the dresser that killed her She went to it, picked it up, felt its slick, crinkled cover … saw her name, scrawled in a lost penmanship on the inside cover He’d kept it All these years

“You’re not co to take me away, are you?” Grace asked worriedly

Lexi put the book down and turned to face her daughter “No May I sit next to you?”

“Okay ”

Lexi climbed into the bed (Zach’s bed, but she shouldn’t think about things that didn’t matter anymore) and scooted as close to Grace as she dared “I scared you the other day ”

“Nothin’ scares er’n me ”