Chapter 16

Michelle was in the kitchen, reading a book while a pot of soup simmered on the stove. Oliver wouldn’t cook if there was a woman in the house to do it. He knew Dominique knew how to make sandwiches and spaghetti, but that was about it. And if meals were left to him, nobody would ever eat. He wasn’t hungry. He didn’t think about other people’s hunger.

“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Michelle said, without looking up. For a moment, Jesse wanted to pretend they were in her store, and everything was normal. Or what passed for normal in his life.

“Why not?”

“I thought you wouldn’t venture out of your room.”

Jesse pulled a chair away from the table and sat down, stretching his legs in front of him. He didn’t need to worry about Michelle noticing the fresh bites on his neck—the marks weren’t completely gone, but they looked old.

“Hiding in my room isn’t exactly helpful.”

“So you’re looking for help?”

“I want to know what I can do. I want to know what you expect me to do.”