But Blake had still muttered it numerous times throughout the morning. He came down off the ladder for the final time that day and wiped the sweat off his face with his arm. He was filthy, covered in roofing tar and crap from the gutters. But he was happy he could help his mama out so she didn't have to hire someone this year. And it felt good to do something physical. After being out at Lucy's grandparents' house a couple of days ago, he began avoiding any more emotionally jarring journeys around town. He thought he had been ready. Now, he wasn't so sure. So he kept busy doing chores around Mama's house. She must have suspected him of not being forthright with her when she asked how it went, because she had been loading him up with as much manual labor as she could find. That had been her tactic for getting him to come clean when he was a kid. He wanted to believe that he had dealt with the things he needed to. Had faced them, and had come out the other side more or less intact. So why did he still feel so...
