Page 120 of Delayed Penalty

What the hell am I going to do now?

CHAPTER 23

HAYES

“Flora! Dinner’s almost done!”

“Coming!”

I leave the sliding back door open, then return to my spot at the stove as I stir the mac and cheese. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s the best I’ve got, and I know Flora loves it, so that’s all that matters. I did have grander plans for tonight, but with Quinn’s headache, I’m going to have to hold off on those.

I look down the hall with a frown. Quinn’s been in her room all afternoon, and I’m starting to wonder if she’s ever going to come out. I’ve had to stop myself so many times from going in and checking on her. She seemed like she was in a lot of pain earlier, and I just want to let her rest, even if it does mean I’ll need to re-evaluate tonight. Our plan was to put up the Christmastree—with Flora’s help, of course—and I was going to ask Quinn to move in with us in an official capacity.

I don’t want Quinn to just be Flora’s nanny anymore. I want her to be mine. I want her to be ours.

I simply want her.

“Oh my gosh, I’m starving,” Flora says as she steps back inside, depositing her dirty shoes right by the door.

We’ve been working on building the swing set most of the day and have still made little progress. Mostly because we kept getting distracted doing anythingbutbuilding, like playing tag and tossing around a little felt mouse for Pickles to chase. That’s what Flora’s been out there doing for the last half hour on her own as I get dinner ready.

“Go wash your hands, then check on Quinn, will you?” I ask as I grab some bowls out of the cabinet. “See if she wants dinner or just wants to keep sleeping.”

“Aye aye!” She salutes me before racing off. I have no idea where she got that from, but it still makes me grin.

It’s still so wild to me to see the difference in her from when she first got here to now. That was my biggest sign earlier that it wasn’t going to work out with Rachel. Flora instantly retreated into her shell, only giving the womanshort and quiet answers if she even answered her at all. I stood back and watched, noticing how flustered it made the potential new nanny. Quinn never gets flustered. She just rolls with whatever mood Flora is in.

I know there’s no way I’m going to be able to find another Quinn, but I at least hope there’s someone else out there with just a fraction of her charm who Flora can connect with. We’re going to need them with Quinn going back to school. That’s why I’m doing this, why I’m searching now. I want her to be able to focus solely on her classes that start in January and leave the rest to me and the new nanny. She deserves the best shot at this, and I’m going to do everything in my power to give it to her.

“Uncle Adam!”

I drop the wooden spoon I’m using to scoop dinner into bowls, macaroni flying everywhere at Flora’s sudden outburst.

“Uncle Adam!” she screams across the house again.

I spring into action, throwing the pan onto the stove, then sprinting down the hall. She’s standing in front of Quinn’s room, her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide like she’s frozen in horror.

“What?” I ask, dropping to my knees beside her, checking her over even though I doubt anything couldhave happened to her between the bathroom and here, but what else could it be? “What’s wrong?”

She points to the bedroom, and I turn to look. It’s empty.

Why is that so scary? Why does that require a scream? Why?—

That’s when it hits me.

It’s empty.

It shouldn’t be empty. Quinn should be resting in her bed. She should be sleeping off the headache she has. She should behere, but she’s not.

Where the hell is she?

I step into her room. Her dresser drawers are half open, clothes hanging out of them like she was rifling through them and packing a bag. My eyes shoot to the closet and—yep, her bright pink bag is missing. I wouldn’t have caught it if I hadn’t spent so many nights tangled up in the sheets in here.

Quinn left.

Why did Quinn leave?

“Where’s Just Quinn?” Flora asks.

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