Chapter 7: Till Friday

I did not go home.

I told Ward to turn the car toward Eastport, three streets from his mother's house, and he did it without asking why.

Hattie's row house has a green door and a dog who answers it.

The dog was a large, patchy mutt with one ear that stood up and one that didn't, and he put his front paws on my hip and was removed by my sister.

"Off. Lexi-Lexi has stitches." Hattie looked past me at Ward getting out of the car. "Oh, he's brave. He came in."

"Hat," I said. "Can Stella and I stay a few days?"

"You can stay until the house falls down."

I carried my daughter up the porch steps and sat on the top one, because I could not stand any longer.

Ward came up the walk with his hands out in front of him.

"Lexi. Come on. Let's go home and talk about this like adults."

"I'd like to talk about it here."

"In front of your sister?"

"In front of the dog," I said. "He's more honest than you are."

Hattie snorted behind me.

I took out my phone.

I had saved the 3:12 clip on the home screen, where I could press it with my thumb.

"I want you to listen to something," I said. "Please don't talk until it's over."

I held the phone toward him and pressed play.

"I love you," said Ward's voice out of the speaker, low and slow.