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Ava accepted Mat back into her life the same way she had accepted, after the accident, the screw in her wrist. It was unfamiliar at first, having him back. But after a few days the ease of their reinstated routine overshadowed her doubt. It took energy to be angry, and Ava couldn’t resist the comfort of normalcy. Mat went to his Good Guys meetings but never threatened to take Ava along again, or to tell her about his Personal Flex. She was grateful for that. He drove her to work each morning and picked her up. She was grateful for that too. He cooked her dinner, walked Brutus during the day, and worked a handful of freelance jobs on her Practical Sofa. It wasn’t long before the Wharton lie was just an asterisk next to the fact of their relationship. Mat had padded his résumé, but he’d
