Page 145 of In Spades

Time wouldn’t heal all wounds—not if they were deep enough. Left unattended, wounds could kill a person from the inside out.

33

KRISTIN

“Supper’s ready!” I shouted as I heaved the chicken casserole out of the oven and slid it onto the stovetop.

My threadbare oven mitt betrayed me, and my thumb slipped through a hole in the stitching. I sucked in a sharp breath as hot glass seared my exposed skin.

“Shit!” I yelped.

The casserole dish slipped from my hands onto the hot mats with a clatter.

“Shit, shit, shit!”

I ripped the oven mitt off my hand and threw it on the counter, diving for the sink to run my finger under a stream of cool water.

Just great.

“You said four swear words!” Zoe chirped from her spot at the table. “That’s a whole dollar in the swear jar ‘cause four quarter makes a dollar!”

Damn the public school system for teaching her pesky skills like math. Or maybe that had been Will?

In that case, damn him too.

“Ky, Hunter, Logan!” I called out as I shut the water off. When I stuck the serving spoon into the herb crumb topping of the casserole, it bubbled up just to taunt me.

Hunter dragged his feet to the kitchen. Kylie at least had the decency to fake a half-hearted smile.

“Where’s Logan?” I asked.

“Sleeping,” Hunter muttered.

“Sleeping?” I glanced at the clock on the stove. “At six o’clock? I don’t think so.”

I hauled ass to the boys’ room and flung the door open. “What the hell, Lo?” I asked, flipping on the lights. When he didn’t stir, I yanked his comforter away. “I called you twice. And besides that, you were supposed to be doing your homework. So, let me ask it again. What the hell?”

“You’re loud,” Logan mumbled, rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

So help me God, if he was hiding alcohol from me…

“You have two seconds to start explaining yourself before I start doling out repercussions for your behavior.”

“Go for it,” he mumbled, shifting onto his side, away from me.

Father, forgive me, for I am about to sin.

I tamped down the urge to unleash court-appointed-legal-guardian hell on him. Instead, I let out a breath. And another…

And another.

And another, over and over until I could see straight.

“Logan,” I said, careful to keep my tone steady. Or at least not deranged. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Lo—”

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