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She extricated herself frorasp, and Hank and Sara followed her all the way to the kitchen No one said a thing, and for nearly five an stared out theinto the backyard She noticed the lilacs in the corner near the shed were blooarden should be tilled

Eventually, she beca her nails into her palms so hard, they’d drawn blood And two, her sister stood beside her and was speaking

“What was that?” she asked Sara, voice calm as she reached for the tap to run her hands under the water She stayed focused, scrubbing one

“Are you okay?”

Morgan didn’t ponder the question Didn’t bother to answer it Instead, she turned around and shs Damp lancing up at her sister

“How did you know?”

Sara looked at Hank, and the big ed

“I was over at Hank’s place, and ere, ah, just talking, and I wanted to knohat the weather was going to be on the weekend because ere thinking of going to Boston” Sara waited a few beats as if expecting so for her to finish

“I put on the TV and was channel-surfing for the weather network and I…well,the story on some stupid tabloid show”

Morgan pushed away from the kitchen sink and headed back to the front room Sara and Hank followed quietly, and no one said a word as Morgan scooped up the remote and turned on the television

She didn’t have to look long Not only were the trashy tabloid sites carrying the story, but other, ainst the chair and, suddenly cold, wrapped her ar blonde reporter read from her telepro Cooper Si starlet named Holly Adams

A loud knock at the door sounded, but Morgan didn’t bother to look up as it opened She couldn’t even if she wanted to She heard voices, Hank, Sara, and…

With a deep exhale, she glanced over to the entryway Hank stood with legs spread and ar Cooper’s way into the front room She couldn’t look into his eyes, not yet

“Let him in” She spoke quietly, and at first no one heard her She repeated herself once more, this time much louder, and when the voices stopped, she turned her attention back to the television She knew Cooper was in the rooaze on her And she knehen he turned away, lured by his past and the truths he’d kept to himself

The reporter’s Boston accent was an’s head