Page 92 of Puck Block

It only takes one look at her face to confirm what’s going on.Damnit.

“They’re selling the house, aren’t they?”

She shushes me, and I sink into a chair.

“Is this because of their financial problems?”

Talk about being pelted with guilt. Maybe if they didn’t spend their life savings on putting not one, buttwoof us in youth hockey and giving Emory, Taytum, and me everything we needed for Bexley U, they’d be able to afford Taytum’s medical bills, insulin, and fancy pump.

“How do you know about that?” We both turn at the sound of Mary-Ann’s voice as she stands with her arms down by hersides. She comes closer and grabs the back of the empty chair separating me and my aunt.

She looks to Taytum’s empty chair and sighs. “Does she know?”

I gulp. “She knows you’re struggling to afford the insulin on top of the other medical bills.” I keep my word to Taytum and don’t let on about her messing with her levels to push getting the pump.

“There weren’t any issues with the last pick-up, though. As far as I know, the credit card went through.”

I look away in the middle of her sentence.

“Ford...?”

Silence fills the kitchen, and it doesn’t take long for me to break.

“I paid for it, okay?”

“What?” The two women in the room speak at the exact same time.

I shrug. “It’s the least I can do. Look at all you’ve given me. Both of you.”

“Stop that right now.” Mary-Ann’s hand comes down onto my forearm, but I refuse to look at her. “We’ve got it under control. We’re still fighting with our private insurance, but once we sell the house and make the equity off of it, we can pay off the credit cards and bills to get back on our feet. The most important thing is making sure she gets her insulin every month and that pump.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I say. “But you don’t need to sell the house.”

The depths I’m willing to go to for Taytum tells me much more about myself than I’m willing to admit.

“It’s already on the market.”

“Well, take it off,” I demand.

She takes a seat, and her head hangs low. “Trust me. If there was another way, we’d take it. But there isn’t.”

I unhook my grip on the table and bang my knuckles on the top with frustration. “Well, whatever you do...don’t tell her yet.” Not until I figure out a way to save the day.

“Don’t tell her what?”

All eyes are on Taytum. My heart stops, and I pray that her mom can come up with something on the fly, but I know the moment Tay and I are alone, she’ll bat those thick eyelashes and it’ll pull the truth right out of me.

I can’t lie to her.

I can’t even keep my hands off her.

My aunt sits up a little taller and catches my eye. I already know what’s about to come out of her mouth, so I send her a death glare, and she rolls her eyes but zips her lips.

“What’s going on?” Emory rounds the island and looks at Taytum. “You okay?”

Taytum tucks her hair behind her ear and gulps.

Jay enters the kitchen next and ping-pongs his gaze around the room before looking at his wife. “Oh, did you tell them?”

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