Chapter 4

Leo found that his mother was different now.

She had been plain, like a glass of warm water, without any particular quality to it, and now she was sparkling water, still herself, but there was something alive in her.

For one thing, Claire had started wearing heels.

She used to wear flats everywhere, moving through rooms the way a cat does, soundlessly. Now the sharp clack of heels announced her from the other end of the hallway. Leo loved that sound. It reminded him of someone keeping a beat.

For another thing, she started wearing lipstick.

Her lips used to…