Page 34 of The Persistence of Thornes
“Why don’t you head out back?” I suggest to the boys. “We’ll eat out there.”
“Cool.” Casen shrugs. “Come on, Quinn.”
Halle wraps her arms around her torso, watching them go. Once the door is shut behind them, she drops her focus to the floor in front of her. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. They’re teenagers. I did worse at their age, I’m sure.”
Between one blink and the next, she perks up. As if when she smiles, she’s slipped a mask into place. “Is there anything I can help with?” She looks around at the various toppings I have laid out. “Please, put me out of my misery and give me a task.”
Laughing, I point to a tray of condiments. “You could take that out back. Ask your brothers what kind ofquesadillas they want. We’ve got beef, chicken, and cheese. And what kind do you want?”
“Um.” With her lip caught between her teeth, she surveys all the fixings. “Cheese for me, please.” With that, she picks up the tray, balancing it easily on one hand.
“Were you a waitress?”
She whips her head around, her expression full of confusion, until she eyes the tray, and her posture relaxes.
She gives a tiny nod. “Yeah, I was. Habit, I guess.”
Halle heads out back, and I’ve barely gotten started on her quesadilla when Seda comes downstairs.
She’s changed into a clean pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt. Her hair is freshly brushed, and I swear she’s put on a bit of mascara and lip gloss. Though I didn’t think she even owned mascara. I’ll have to talk to Salem about that.
From the look of things, my daughter is crushing on the teen boys next door.
“You look nice.” I leave it at that. The last thing I want is to embarrass her.
She freezes at the bottom of the stairs. “But not too nice, right?”
“Uh…” I feel like I’m caught in a trap. Is there a right answer for this situation? “No, not too nice,” I hedge. “But nice enough.”
Fuck, I’m not ready for this. It’s inevitable that my baby girl will grow up and crush on boys, but that doesn’t make witnessing the changes any easier. There’s nothing like raising a kid to truly show a person how quickly time goes.
“Cool. That’s good. I think,” she mutters more to herself than me.
I arch a brow and leave it at that. “Cheese quesadilla for you, right?”
“Um…” She hedges, her eyes darting to the back door.
Halle breezes back in, tucking her light brown hair behind her ears. “They both want beef.”
Seda brightens, her back straightening. “I’ll have beef too.”
I narrow my eyes. “You never want beef. You always want cheese or chicken.”
Cheeks going pink, she darts a look at Halle. “I changed my mind.” She lifts her chin, shoulders pulled back in defiance. “I want beef.”
I lower my head to hide my amusement. “Seda, don’t ever change yourself to impress others. The people who matter will like you just the way you are.”
Brows knitted, Halle looks from my daughter to me and back again.
“Just give me freaking cheese then, Dad,” Seda snaps.
I flinch on instinct.
“Stop making such a big deal out of it. God.” She storms outside, the door shutting harder than normal behind her. Though she may not have slammed it, she still made her point.
Dad.
