Page 114 of Delayed Penalty

Bess smiles. “That little girl is the best.”

“She is,” I agree. “So, how are you, Bess?”

“I’m…well, not so great.”

I frown. “Is everything okay? Chuck okay?”

She waves her hand. “Oh, yeah. We’re fine. It’s just… Well, I noticed you haven’t been to the bakery in a while, so I figured I’d stop by. Make sure everything is okay.”

We both know she’s not here asking after Flora and me. She’s asking ifwe’reokay after what happened at her house last week when I nearly decked her son over her daughter. Her daughter who makes me smile. Whomakes me laugh. Who makes me feel like I’ve never fucking felt before.

“We’re good, Bess. But what happened last week was out of line.”

She sighs. “I know. Matthew is…” She rolls her eyes. “Well, he’s a little much sometimes.”

“I don’t mean just with him.”

Her brows shoot up. “Oh?”

I lean back against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest, not caring if I wrinkle my dress shirt. “I mean with you and Chuck just letting your other kids dump on Quinn like that. It was wrong. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Well, I know that. Chuck and I love Quinn. We love all our kids. We?—”

“You let her down is what you did. You should have stopped them. You should have stepped in and shut it down and told them they were wrong for talking to her the way they did.”

“They’ve always been like that, ribbing each other and whatnot. They’re siblings. That’s how it goes.”

“Did you know Quinn believes them?”

She rears her head back like I’ve just slapped her. “What?”

“Quinn believes them,” I repeat. “She thinks she’s not good enough because they say she isn’t. She thinks she’s irresponsible because they say she is. Shethinks she can’t be a teacher because they say she can’t.”

“That’s… That’s ridiculous. She’s completely capable. Chuck and I talk all the time about how much we love her sense of adventure and how she’s not afraid to try new things or go after what she wants. We envy her for that.”

“Have you told her that lately? Has Chuck?”

“Well, of course we have. We’ve…”

But she doesn’t finish her sentence, and I have a feeling she’s realizing right now that while yes, she loves her daughter, she hasn’t quite supported her in all the ways she should.

“I guess it has been a while since I’ve talked with her about it, you know? Made myself clear. I love Quinn and I think she’d make an amazing teacher. Sure, she’s needed more time than my other kids to figure out what she wants to do, but I’ve never doubted for a second that she would. We’ve always believed in her. We always will.”

“Do you mean that?”

I spin around to find Quinn standing at the edge of the living room.

“What are you…”

“I forgot my phone.” She shrugs, then looks at her mother. “Do you mean that?”

“Yes, dear,” Bess says, rushing over to her. Shetakes her hands. “Yes, of course I mean it. You are capable of so many great things, Quinn Penelope, and I want you to know that even if you change your mind about becoming a teacher or if it takes you another ten years to find what you want to do, your father and I will still be here to support you. Every dang step of the way.”

Even from here, I can see Quinn’s bottom lip quiver. She wraps her mother in a hug, squeezing her eyes shut tight, but I see it anyway, the lone tear that streaks down her face, the weight she’s been carrying around being lifted from her shoulders.

I see it.

I see her.

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