Chapter 39

• I leave my shoes on the mat inside the door and follow her into the kitchen, waiting until there’s enough space before I skirt around her and pull out a chair. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I can have a look at those hands.”
• “I’m fine. It’s just a few scratches,” she says, but she sinks into the chair. She’s wearing a pale green bathrobe. The bottom is dirty now, because the ground was damp, likely from the rain we got this afternoon, and there are dark reddish-brown spots on the lapels, where she was holding it together.
• “I still wouldn’t mind taking a look, if that’s okay with you.” I crouch in front of her.