the pain was n't quite as bad as when he 'd lunged for the rifle , but it still was n't a picnic . it was ridiculous to pretend otherwise . once i was finished , i got dressed and went back to the bathroom to brush my teeth . it was on days like this that he wanted , no , needed , to talk to phoebe . celeste picked up her sandals and wiped off as much sand as she could before slipping them on . 