Chapter 11: The Restraint

Leigh's POV

Miles brought Jamie to my door at nine on Saturday morning, and he didn't come up the stairs.

He stood on the sidewalk outside the bakery with his hands in his coat pockets and said, "Eight o'clock Sunday, I'll come get him."

He looked as though he hadn't slept.

I almost felt sorry for him, and I let the feeling pass.

Jamie climbed the stairs ahead of me with his backpack, and he stopped in the middle of my kitchen.

My flat was small.

The bedroom was a closet with a window, and the kitchen table was a card table I had bought on Thursday.

On the wall by the window I had taped the family photo form the school had sent home, with the picture Jamie had drawn for it.

Jamie looked at it for a long time.

"Mom," he said.

"Is Mr. Ellis the man in the video?"

I put down the kettle.

I had known he would ask.

I had not known it would be before breakfast.

"Who showed you a video?"

"A boy in my class got it from his mom, and he sent me the link on my tablet this morning."

"Is Mr. Ellis your boyfriend?"

"He's a friend," I said.

"He's a very good friend, and he is going to be more than that one day, when his divorce and mine are finished."

"I don't want to lie to you about it."

Jamie considered this.

"Is he nice?"

"He's the kindest person I've ever met," I said.

"Kinder than Dad?"

"Different from Dad."

Jamie pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I knew about Dad's lady," he said.

I went still.

"Since Christmas. I borrowed his phone to play the game, and her name came up."

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