Page 27

“Sure does!” I tell her as I help her into the car.
“I thought Dad was picking us up?” I hear Sawyer’s voice from behind me and then he’s moving around to the other side of the car. I follow behind him after making sure Isla is buckled in and climb into the driver’s seat.
“He had a call, but you’ll see him at home.”
“Do you know if he’s in a good mood?” he asks.
I look at him through the rearview mirror and narrow my eyes at him warily. “Why…”
He turns his head to look out the window, avoiding my gaze. “Well…I may have gotten into a liiittle…back and forth.”
“Sawyer…” I warn.
“It was nothing!”
“It sounds likesomethingif you have to gauge your father’s mood before you tell him whatever it is.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not suspended again!”
“Well, thank…goodness?” I tell him as I slowly move through the pick-up line.
Isla looks over at him. “Don’t make Daddy mad!”
“I’m not! I didn’t do anything,” he snaps.
“Do you want to do a trial run on me?” I ask him and he shakes his head.
“Nope. I’ll take my chances.”
We make our way out of the parking lot and I find myself interested in whatever it is that he did that he doesn’t want to tell me. Sawyer is quiet most of the way home while Isla, as usual, is talking a mile a minute, filling us in on all of the latest first-grade gossip. When we make it home, Isla immediately takes off for Mr. Kincaid’s office and Sawyer moves upstairs without another word or even a glance my way. I thought Sawyer and I were in a good place, and I’ll admit I’m a little disappointed that he felt he couldn’t share whatever it is that got him in trouble.
I make my way down the hallway toward my room to put away my bag and grab my slippers when I hear Isla talking to her dad. I look in his office and I see her sitting in his lap scribbling on a piece of paper while she tells him about her day. Mr. Kincaid, who seems to be listening intently, looks up at me with a smile briefly before it falls.
“Wait, what did you say?” He grabs the pen from Isla’s hand and turns her little face toward him.
“Sawyer’s not suspended,” she says and I realize Isla really did give him the rundown of everything that happened today.
“Why would he be—” He looks at Isla, knowing she probably doesn’t have the full scope of the story, and turns to me. “Do you know anything about this?”
“It’s true, he did say he’s not suspended, but I don’t know what happened.” I wince.
“Christ.” He groans before getting up and putting Isla on her feet. “SAWYER KINKAID, MY OFFICE NOW!” he yells.
“Oooh.” Isla giggles before holding a hand over her mouth.
“Go with Elianna,” he says as he ushers Isla out of his office while pointing at me and I see Sawyer coming down the hall.
His annoyed eyes dart between me and Isla. “I’ve been home for five whole minutes.” He deadpans while looking at me.
“I told him you weren’t suspended!” Isla says proudly, like she thought she was helping.
He sighs before shaking his head.“I will remember this when you start screwing up.”
“Sawyer…” I say in a scolding tone and he rolls his eyes before walking into his dad’s office.
“Start talking,” I tell him before he’s barely across the threshold to my office.
It’s been less than a month since I got a call from their school regarding Sawyer’s behavior and I knew I shouldn’t have gotten so comfortable. “Dad, it’s not a big deal.” He sits in the chair in front of my desk.