Page 108 of Delayed Penalty

“Good, Bess. Been trying to feed this kid less sugar.”

He ruffles Flora’s hair, but she doesn’t care. She’s busy stuffing her face with my mother’s famous mashed potatoes that are perfectly buttered and seasoned.

“You’ve been staying away too, Quinn.”

Because I’ve been spending all my free time with Hayes.

I shrug. “Sorry. Boss’s orders.”

My mother huffs like she’s offended, but I knowshe’s not. I just hope she doesn’t suspect the real reason I haven’t been around much lately.

“I take it you’re enjoying nannying, then?” she asks.

I nod around a forkful of turkey, chew, and swallow. “Very much so. Flora’s the best.”

“I love Just Quinn,” the kid says, and I swear my heart stops.

It’s the first time she’s said that to me, and it makes my eyes burn and my chest feel like it weighs a hundred pounds.She loves me?

“I love you too, little flower.”

She nods, never once taking her attention off her mashed potatoes. I look over at Hayes, and he’s staring down at her too, his eyes wide with surprise. I can’t help but wonder how he feels hearing her say that.

Is he upset? Does he care that she’s said it to me but not him? Is he worried we’re getting too close? If he is, he doesn’t say anything, he just takes a bite of his roll and continues with his meal like nothing happened.

Huh.

“Well, I bet you’re glad I had the idea now, aren’t you?” My mom reaches over and squeezes my hand, then winks at me, knowing what a big moment that just was.

“I am. So much so that I’ve, uh, been thinking about maybe going back to school.”

It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. Ever since Auden mentioned it at the family skate, I’ve been mulling it over, even going so far as to fill out half an application for classes before chickening out and shutting down my laptop entirely.

Matthew’s fork clatters to his plate as he sits back and takes a swig of his beer. “Can’t wait to hear what this is for now. Let me guess—clown school? Isn’t that the only thing you haven’t tried yet?”

I want to flip him off so badly, but it’s a holiday, and I know my mother would kill me.

Instead, I settle for a glower. “Early childhood development, actually.”

“You’re kidding. You, a teacher?” This from Liza. She looks at her husband. “Can you believe that?”

He shakes his head.

“You’ve had one babysitting job and now you think you can be a teacher?” Matthew scoffs. “That’s not how it works, Quinny. Teaching is a lot harder than that.”

“I know that,Matty. I’m very aware it’s different. It’s just… Well, I’ve had so much fun with Flora and seeing her learn new things, so I thought, why not?”

“Why not fly to the moon? Why not go live on Mars? Why not eat ice cream for dinner every night?” Matthew rolls his eyes. “Give me a break. Right, Daniel?”

He shrugs. “I mean, it’s kind of your thing, Quinn. You find something you like, then make it your whole personality. Like those stupid earrings of yours.”

I clutch the turkey-shaped earring hanging from my right ear. It’s not stupid. It’s festive. I look at Hayes, but he’s still staring down at his plate, and I don’t know what hurts more—the fact that he’s allowing them to pile on me or that he’s staying silent, clearly agreeing with them.

“That’s a big decision,” Ruthie says. “You need to be really sure before you dive into that.”

“I know that. I?—”

“Not to mention how much that’s going to cost. Surely you can’t afford to go back to schoolagain. You’re still paying on your loans from before, aren’t you?”

---