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“Yep” The man didn’t miss a beat as he took the cloth, the plate, and moved back to the sink, which was on the boy’s side of the table

Lacey had to give hi her sit alone at the table with the boy, as though giving his consent to his son to be friendly with her and letting Levi know that she was friend, not threat

But he’d been crying Violently enough to leave stains down his face Mara, who’d known hi for him all day most days ever since, said there’d been a drastic behavioral change in him

An alare

“How’d you break your arht it up, so it h

The boy looked down “I fell” The words were barely discernible in the mumble that came out

She leaned forward, wishing she could take that little body into her arms, lay his head on her shoulder and proain

It was a reaction she hadn’t had since her first years on the job At least not often It wasn’t that she didn’t care about each and every child who crossed her path She did Enough to keep the distance mandatory for her to do her job and make the hard decisions that would keep them safe

“Fell how?” she asked when Levi’s chin finally lifted off from his chest

“Did the hospital call you?” Jere his hands on a dish towel, came toward the table

With a glance at the boy, back at hinored the question

“How did you fall, Levi?”

“I dunno I just fell,” Levi said, then looked to his dad “Can I go play now?”

With a glance in Lacey’s direction, Jeremiah left the decision up to her She nodded

The boy ell kept—was obviously used to washing up after ht And every day, as well, judging by the lean strength in his four-year-old body as Jeremiah turned the chair and assisted as Levi hopped down from his booster seat