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“We didn’t know, Matt. We thought he was fine.”

What was he supposed to say? It was too late now for anything he said to have any meaning, or do any good. “How’s Hannah?” he asked instead.

“She’s good.” He could hear the relief in his mother’s voice that he’d changed the subject.

“Give her and Dad my love. I’ll talk to you soon.”

He ended the call and closed the file in front of him. He should phone Darcy. It looked like he owed her an apology, but he couldn’t face her right now. He needed some time to think things through, get his head straight. Instead he got out the card with her number, punched it in to his phone, and sent her a text.

We need to talk. Same time and place tomorrow.

In the meantime, he’d work himself up to that apology.

He had a flashback to watching her fight last night, all hard-assed attitude, the tattoos and the nose stud. She was hardly what he’d want as a role model for Lulu. But he no longer felt he had the right to deny her access to her niece.

Christ, what a mess.

And he hated messes. He needed to find a way to get some order into the situation. Bring everything back on track.