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“What do you think, Izzy?” Annie said into the thick silence “Should we let your dad help?”
Izzy picked up her spoon, holding it in two tiny fingers—the only ones his baby thought she had left—and shook it so hard it cracked on the table
Annie gazed at hihter would love to garden with you, Nick Delacroix Can she count on you?”
Nick wanted to pretend it was that easy, a few spoken words at a breakfast table and everything could betime since he’d been that naive Even as he nodded, he knew that it could end up being a lie Another promise made by a man who’d kept too few
Chapter 12
Nick sat in his squad car on the edge of don Mystic Beyond the six short blocks, Mount Oly out of a fairy tale, its snow-capped peak brushed up against the swollen gray underbelly of the sky Leaves scudded across the rough concrete sidewalk, pushed along by a chilly breeze As always, the town looked beaten and forlorn, tired around the edges A steady strearay white s behind the acrid, pulpy scent of wood
He used to love walking these streets He’d known everything about the people he orn to protect: when their daughters were gettingfor barhomes and when their kids started day care He’d always taken pride in hoell he did his job; he knew that by checking up on these people every day, he contributed to their sense of well-being
He knew he’d been letting everything that mattered slip away froain What if he failed Izzy once irl, and Nick had an ugly habit of failing those he loved Even when he tried his best It was his fault Izzy was disappearing, his fault she didn’t feel safe or loved; he knew that If he’d been a stronger rief, but he hadn’t been able to do a da Hell, he couldn’t even help himself, and he sure as hell hadn’t helped Kathy
It would be difficult, finding his way back, but Annie was right It was ti of hope
He eased out of the car and took a first cautious step into his old life He ed quietly into the crowd of late-afternoon shoppers All around hi back out with paper bags and parcels He noticed the sounds of everyday life Car doors sla meters
Every person he saaved at hi, he felt hi back to life It was almost like the old days, before Kathy’s death Back when his uniform had always been clean and starched, and his hands had never trembled
He walked past the stores, waving at shopkeepers At the kids’ clothing store, he saw a beautiful little pink dress in theIt was exactly what Izzy needed As he opened the door, a bell tinkled overhead
Susan Fraister and ca in the air “Good Lord, I can’t believe it’s you ”
He grinned “Hi, Susan Long time no see ”
She swatted hi “You haven’t been in here in ages ”