Page 30 of Hoax and Kisses
Following Daphne’s repeated requests, Ms.Claris grants me permission to walk my sister to the door of her classroom.
When we get there, she turns to me. “I’ll see you later.”
I open my arms and give her a quick, tight hug. “Have an awesome day.”
She strides in, finds the desk labeled with her name, and settles in with ease. Patiently waiting for the other children to take their seats, she studies the space, admiring the walls lined with art projects. At the sight of a drawing of daffodils, her face brightens, and she turns to me, as if to make sure I didn’t miss her significant discovery.
I nod in recognition, but her attention is quickly snagged by a girl with red hair who approaches her desk. After exchanging names and sharing what they’re passionate about, Daph grabs her flower book from her backpack. The other girl’s eyes sparkle as she pulls her chair closer.
My nose stings. Before I get choked up, I turn and stride for the front doors.
“Mr. Becker!” Ms. Claris jogs to me with a paper in her hand. “I forgot to give you this.”
I take it, my gaze immediately catching on the number in bold at the bottom. Twenty-fivethousanddollars.
“This is Daphne’s tuition bill for the year. It was due before school started, but if you need some time, we can grant you an extension till the end of the year.”
End of the year.
As in three months.
“Th-thanks.” Gut twisting, I fold the paper and stuff it into my back pocket. “I’ll make sure it’s paid by then.”
Though I have no idea how I’ll get all that money in three months.
And the noose tightens a little more.
By the time I’m back in Pine Falls, it’s almost nine.
I need to get the morning routine down faster. Even if it’s bringing her to school thirty minutes early, it would make a huge difference.
I can’t afford to start work so late, not with the number of arrangements waiting for me every day. But today was bound to be an ordeal. And I promised I’d drop her off and pick her up all week. But next week, we’ll have no choice but to utilize the school bus. Otherwise, I’ll drown. Thank fuck James has opened the store for me since my parents left town and Daph has been with me. He’s been a lifesaver.
“Hey, man,” I say when I step inside.
James is sitting on the stool behind the counter, his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose as he frowns at his computer.
“Hey,” he mumbles distantly.
I stroll over and clap his back, narrowing my eyes to the screen when I catch a glimpse of an Excel sheet. It’s all gibberish to me. “Accounting stuff?”
“Yeah, an issue with a client’s tax return.”
With a hum, I step away and check the list of orders for today. Thirty-seven, and they all need to be done by three p.m. so I can pick Daphne up and make it back to the town hall meeting in time.
I roll my sleeves. It’s gonna be a fucking day.
“Thanks for today, man. I don’t know how I would have done it without you.”
James glances up for a quick second before returning his focus to the computer. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. It’s a nice place to work, really. With the flowers and the natural light.”
“You can stay as long as you want,” I offer.
“Thanks,” he mumbles, leaning in, brows creased.
I’ve never understood what James finds so fascinating about doing people’s taxes or spending all day swimming in math problems. But I won’t complain, since he does a fantastic job keeping the books for Daphne’s Wildflowers.
“Anybody stopped in before I got here?”
