Then up again.
“Daddy said you got in trouble because of me.”
“No,” Lauren said immediately. “I got in trouble because a grown man forgot how to have a heart. That wasn’t your fault.”
Ethan made the smallest sound, halfway between surprise and agreement.
Maddie considered this with the seriousness only children and judges seem to possess.
Then she nodded.
“Okay.”
Lauren crouched to her level.
“How are you feeling?”
Maddie lifted one shoulder.
“I had toast.”
“That’s good.”
“And a bath.”
“That’s very good.”
“And Aunt Claire made me wear socks.”
Lauren widened her eyes.
“The betrayal.”
Maddie smiled.
There it was again.
That smile.
Cleaner now.
Less desperate.
A child’s face returning to itself.
Then, before Lauren could say another word, Maddie threw her arms around her neck.
Lauren nearly lost her balance but hugged her back at once.
She smelled like soap now.
