secretly hated kids, including the ones he taught. Why else didnât he have them with his last wife? And why did she have to die? If she were still alive, he wouldnât be here. Heâd be with her. I know she killed herself, but I wonder if maybe she got him mad. Maybe she saw that dark look in his eyes, too. Maybe it was the last thing she ever saw.
I watched Connor top his mini mountain of mashed potatoes with peas before inhaling half the structure in a single bite.
âCoach is thinking about letting me throw the ball on Friday,â he announced proudly with a mouth full of food.
âIn a game?â
âYes, Mom, in a game,â he said, finishing that bite.
My mom followed Connorâs football career close enough to know he played receiver, not quarterback.
âThatâs good, right?â
âItâs a trick play,â Connor said. âBut I took some direct snaps in practice. I think Coach saw that my armâs gotten a lot stronger.â
âWell, I guess you have Simon to thank for that,â I said, after catching the appreciative look Connor sent across the table.
Simon sensed trouble brewing. âNow, Maggie, I just toss the ball with your brother,â he said. âConnorâs done all the hard work on his own.â
Daisy was under the table resting her head on my boot, which was hopefully coming off in a week or twoânot that I would be heading back to the lacrosse field. That Maggie was done and gone.
âSure,â I said, in a way that definitely poked the bear. Connor got the subtext right away.
âI can spend time with Simon and Dad wonât mind,â he said snippily. âTrust me.â
âYou donât know that,â I snapped.
âHeâs not coming back, Maggie. Get real with yourself,â he said.
âDonât say that.â
âHey, hey, kids, letâs not upset your mother, okay?â Simon said, using a variant of his teacher tone.
âIâm not doing anything,â I said, overdoing the persecuted act for dramatic effect. âAll I said was âSure.ââ Next up came the eye roll, followed by a well-placed headshake.
âMaggie,â Mom said, using my name to express many thoughts at once, Back off! being the most obvious of the bunch.
âWhatever,â I said, looking down at my plate so I didnât have to look at anybody.
âEveryone take a deep breath,â Mom said, taking one herself. âI have some news to share.â
That got my attention. I had no idea what was coming, but I could see Mom psyching herself up for some big reveal. Simon actually seemed a bit uncomfortable. Maybe he didnât know either.
âIâve accepted a job,â Mom said. âItâs with The Davis Family Center.â
Connor perked up and looked genuinely happy for her. âHey, thatâs great news, Mom,â he said. âWhat are you going to do?â
âItâs a social worker position, focusing on family issues.â
Connor smirked. âHmm,â he said as if some idea came to him. âI know a family that needs some help.â He eyed me nastily.
Mom returned his look, putting a quick end to any more snippy comments from my brother.
I got up from the table and hugged Mom tight. I was thrilled. Delighted. Overjoyed, to be preciseâbecause I knew Simon was against it. While I congratulated my mom, I kept my gaze laser locked on Simon, waiting to see his face get red, waiting for the dark, scary look to return. But instead he beamed with a real smile, as genuine as Connorâs.
âThatâs fantastic!â he shouted, rising from his seat. I moved away quickly before the three of us got caught in some weird broken-family hug. âWhen do you start?â
âWednesday, two weeks from tomorrow,â Mom said, and then Simonâs expression changed dramatically. He looked troubled about something. He got his phone,
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