Page 59 of Infinite as They Come
Spencer’s eyes darted between the both of us, his cheeks all red as he shot us a big grin. “I got suspended!”
“What?” snapped Sawyer. “What do you mean? Why? ‘Cause of the fight? Because you defended yourself? Why do you look so happy?”
“It’s so cool, right?” Spencer said. “I’ve never been suspended before. For a week, too. Did you guys ever get suspended?”
Sawyer turned to face me, eyebrows raised. “This kid loves getting into trouble.”
“You’re definitely related,” I said.
“Holly, did you ever get suspended?” Spencer asked.
“They almost kicked her outta high school,” Sawyer said. “You shoulda seen her back in the day.”
Spencer gasped as he stared at me. “Really?”
“Your brother’s a liar.” I laughed. “He’s also projecting.”
“You guys are funny,” Spencer said before reaching out, his little hands grabbing at one of Sawyer’s. “Do you wanna see the new flowers I planted? I planted sunflowers. Come look at them, Sawyer!”
Spencer yanked Sawyer forward, pulling him into the hallway. Sawyer’s mom popped up then, an apron wrapped around her waist and her hands on her hips.
Shaking her head, she clicked her tongue. “Don’t get your clothes dirty before dinner!” she called out.
“I won’t!” Sawyer and Spencer yelled at the same time.
The scene had me smiling a little too much. Linda’s eyes found mine and I gave her a wave, still standing there in the doorway.
“Hi Holly,” she said, stepping over to me, her soft hand landing on the small of my back. “Come inside. The boys are being a little rowdy tonight, aren’t they? Why don’t you come take a seat? Me and Kurt are almost done cooking. Would you like to watch some TV?”
“I could help you out,” I offered. “I don’t mind.”
“You don’t want to ruin that beautiful dress.”
My head shook. “Don’t worry about that. What are you making? I’d love to help.”
Chewing at her bottom lip, she gave me a nod. “Well, okay. If you don’t mind. We’re making tacos. I thought we’d go a little casual tonight. Don’t let Spencer’s outfit fool you. He insisted on dressing up.”
“He looks so cute. I guess we both overdressed.”
Entering the kitchen, I found Kurt at the stove stirring away at something in a pan. He shot me a smile over his shoulder, waving with his free hand.
“Holly’s here!” he said, but then his smile dropped as he looked at Linda. “Sawyer didn’t come?”
“He’s in the backyard with Spencer,” Linda said, wiping her hands against her apron. “They’re both gonna be sitting at the dining table with dirt all over them.”
Kurt laughed. “Ah, they’re just being boys.”
“That smells really good,” I said, standing by the counter. “Yum. Chicken, right?”
“Yup. Should be ready in about ten minutes if you wanna take a seat,” Kurt said. “You can relax in the living room.”
“Holly said she’d like to help,” Linda said, holding up a head of lettuce. “Wanna help me rip it up?”
“Sure.” I gave my hands a quick wash at the sink before moving back over to her. “Tacos sound nice. I haven’t cooked in so long. Me and Sawyer haven’t really been able to get much cooking done in that motel.”
Linda came to a halt at that, eyes widening. “I’m sorry. You were supposed to be going all over Texas, right? You were supposed to be having some fun adventure before you…”
I gave my head a firm shake. “I don’t mind this at all. I promise. Texas will still be there later, right?”
