Page 107 of Delayed Penalty

Dad takes Flora’s hand—which she’s surprisingly okay with—and leads her into the family room, which I have no doubt my nieces and nephews are having the time of their lives tearing up.

“Mom, do you need any help?” I ask her. She’s already back at the stove, stirring this and mixing that.

“You’reoffering to help? Considering I’d like to eat sometime today, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,Quinny.”

I groan inwardly as Matthew walks into the kitchen, a beer in his hand. I have no problem with Hayes calling meQuinny—in fact I love it—but when one of my siblings does it? I loathe it. It’s always so…condescending.

“Matthew. Hi.”

“Hey, little sis. Want to introduce me to your friend?”

I feel Hayes step up behind me, his warmth spreading over me. He extends his hand over my shoulder, brushing up against me in a way that appears innocent yet is anything but.

“Hayes.”

I see Hayes’s forearm muscles tense with how hard he shakes Mathew’s hand, and I can’t help but smile when my brother winces a little.

“Seattle Serpents, right? Heard you’re kicking ass this year. You’re what? Second overall?”

“I have no clue. I don’t pay any attention.”

Matthew laughs heartily. “Right, right. Sure you don’t.” He winks like it’s some big joke, but I know otherwise. Hayes really doesn’t pay attention to the standings like that, especially this early in the season. “Say, you ever need someone to come keep my sister and your niece company at the games, I’m always available.”

Wow. That was fast.

Hayes gives him a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

He won’t.

“Hayes, dear, would you like something to drink?”

“I can grab him something, Mom.” He gives Hayes the same slimy grin I bet he gives all his clients who pay him way too much money. “Guess Quinny left all her manners at the door.” He rolls his eyes as he turns to the fridge. “What’s your poison?”

“I’d like to poison him,” Hayes murmurs into my ear.

I stifle a laugh—barely.

“Water is fine, thank you.”

Matthew grabs two from the fridge—one flavored and one not—and hands them over to us before leading us into the dining room where the rest of my siblings are gathered. On the way, Hayes takes the plain water from my hand, trading it out for the flavored one my brother handed him. I smile up at him, making a mental note to kiss him extra long later for the gesture.

Hayes meets the rest of my family, all of them somehow managing to sneak in a way to ask for free stuff within the first sentences spoken to him. All the while, Hayes sits by my side, his knee pressed tightly against mine under the table. Tension rolls off him in waves, and I know him well enough to know there are so many things he wants to say to each of them, but he’s biting his tongue.

When my mother announces that dinner is ready, I offer to grab Flora and get her washed up. Truthfully, I just need a break. If I have to hear one more time about how perfect Liza’s, Ruthie’s, Daniel’s, or Matthew’s lives are, I might scream.

“Are you having fun?” I ask Flora as I stand in the hallway while she’s rubbing soap all over her hands. “Is everyone being nice?”

“Yes. The one with glasses let me take his turn on the Nintendo. He’s nice.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

As much as their parents drive me insane, my nieces and nephews are all actually good kids. I guess those nice genes skipped a generation.

Flora rinses the soap off her hands, then dries them, and we reluctantly make our way back to the dining room. I take my place next to Hayes, who eyes me carefully. I send him a smile that saysI’m okay, but he looks like he doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame him. If I thought sitting through introductions was hard, small talk during dinneralwaysturns into chaos, and I have no doubt this will be the same.

My dad carves the turkey with little fanfare, and we all pass the dishes around. Hayes even skips me when it comes to the Brussels sprouts, and I decide he’s gettingtwoextra-long kisses now.

“So, Hayes, how are things? I don’t see you at the bakery much anymore.”

---