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Which hy, Sunday afternoon, while Je with a backhoe around the peri attention earlier in the hen he’d explained the process to her—Lacey suggested that she and Kacey build a puzzle with Levi She’d picked a couple of them up at the store on the way home, just to make certain that she didn’t walk in on the tail end of lunch She’d chosen one-hundred-piece puzzles and was fairly certain that Levi would not only take an interest in them, he’d be able to do them without help

Jem had already been back at work, and the kitchen had been cleaned up, by the tilean any change in his demeanor that would indicate whether or not he’d enjoyed lunch alone with her sister—she joined Levi and Kacey in her craft room, at the multipurpose table she’d set up Levi sat on his knees on a chair, leaning his elbows on the table—his fist, and cast, pointing straight up to the ceiling—and picked up puzzle pieces as soon as she’d dumped them

She took to her own task, as well Leading his conversation, and letting hiinative tales The puzzle was almost done and Levi was a happy, well-adjusted boy without a care in the world

If all they talked about was his life with his dad Things he liked to do And cars

“Did you notice that when you ot thin and he quit chattering?” Kacey asked softly when Levi left the rooo potty

“Of course I did,” Lacey said There was so Sweet and loving And volatile on occasion A toxic mix

Of course, Lacey was also in the process of fighting the hots for Tressa’s ex, so she’d be more apt to find fault with the other wo she was off the case

“Can we do another one?” Levi asked twenty minutes later as they took apart the car puzzle and put the pieces back into the box

“Sure!” Kacey told him Lacey went to check on the pasta casserole she’d put in the oven, and to see howto be, and then went back to join them

Levi and Kacey were talking about their trip to the beach the day before About sharks and boats and little-boy things

“Do you like to swi them at the table They already had the perimeter of the puzzle a quarter of the way done

Kacey see as much fun as Levi was She was a natural with hireat mother And

“Uh-huh” Levi had answered her question about swi

“Did your daddy teach you how?” Kacey asked “Do you have a pool in your backyard?”

Lacey could answer that one for her—they didn’t But apparently they had a goldfish pond she had yet to see