Page 73 of Cosplay & Consequences

That earned me a solid punch in the shoulder. I was no stranger to this conversation with Paige. Whenever something big happened in Faye’s life, I became the sounding board for my sister.

“Seriously, dude. She’s never done this before,” Paige said, back to tapping at her phone without missing a beat. “New territory. I’m lost here.”

I let out a small groan, feeling every muscle in my body protest as I sat up. “Well, you could do what you always do. Ground her, feel guilty after one to two days, and then let her off the hook.”

Paige put down her phone. That’s when I knew this conversation turned serious. “Yeah. That’s what Dad did with us. And you saw how well that worked with me.”

I took a moment to respond, mostly because my abdomen spasmed from all the burpees I just finished. “Faye isn’t you. She’s a good kid,” I replied. She punched me in the shoulder again. I winced and let out a grunt. “Hey! You know what I mean.”

Paige sulked. “So, you’re saying this is a one-time thing?”

“I think how you respond now could make it a one-time thing,” I replied. “But you also have to remember that Faye is way smarter than we were at her age. If you’re really scared about her going down the wrong path, you need to talk to her about it. Tell her some of your horror stories as a teenager. Unlike us, she learns from other people’s mistakes.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like playing the teenage single mother card,” Paige said, getting quiet. “You know I worry about putting any guilt on her like that.”

“Faye has never felt bad about being your kid and you know it. We both have other examples than that,” I reminded her. “Remember when you stole Dad’s car?”

A small grin crossed her face. “He was so pissed at me when he had to bail me out.”

“Tell her that story,” I advised her. “But maybe not with a fond smile.”

“Yeah. Okay.” She sat there for another moment or two, her eyes directed on the ground. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when it’s just me and her in Toronto.”

I didn’t have a response to that. Truth be told, I had been trying very hard not to think about the two of them moving away from California. As the awkward pause continued, I forced myself to remember that this wasn’t about me or what I wanted. “You don’t need me as a safety net, Paige. I may have been your backup with her, but you’re the one in the trenches every day. Look at how well she’s turned out. She’s smart, strong, and doesn’t take crap from anyone. If you ever do need me, I’m always going to be there for the two of you.”

Paige eyed me warily. “You mean that?”

“The moment you call me and say, ‘I need your help,’ there’s going to be a Danny Finnegan shaped hole in the door as I rush to get to you and Faye,” I assured her. “That’s never going to change.”

“What about you and Jess?”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

She gave a little shrug, and I could tell she still felt insecure. “You two seem pretty solid for only knowing each other for a couple of days. With me and Faye gone, you two are probably going to hit it off. What if this turns out to be a big thing for you two? You’re not going to have time to-”

I punched her in the shoulder, and she turned to glare at me. “That’s not how this relationship works,” she snapped at me. “I’m the one who does the punching.”

“You’re an idiot if you think that anyone is going to get between the three of us,” I reminded her. “We’re a package deal. Everyone knows that. You didn’t see her last night, but Jess is the one who kept me from falling apart when we were searching for Faye. If things do turn out well between us, I guarantee you that when you ask for help, there’s going to be a Jess shaped hole right next to mine.”

A smirk crossed her face. “Yeah, she does have that run-straight-into-the-wall kind of personality,” Paige joked. I could tell her worries were subsiding.

“You okay, now?” I asked.

She picked up her phone, and I knew the conversation was over. “Yeah. I’m good,” she said before shouting out, “Hey! Jorge! Danny’s been keeping a stash of Snickers bars under his bed!”

I winced as the sound of metal equipment being dropped echoed across the room. “You little snitch!” I growled at her.

“You punched me, and you had it coming!” she snarked back.

Jorge marched toward me, a scowl on his face. “I knew it! On your feet Danny!”

I glared at Paige as I pulled myself off the floor. “There’s going to be payback for this,” I promised her.

Paige’s eyes were focused on her phone. “Shouldn’t have cheated on your diet,” she replied. “Jorge always finds out.”

When we returned from the gym, Paige informed me that Reuben wanted a call to go over the trailer results. Of course, we had to meet on his schedule. Paige left her laptop for me to use and took Faye down to the con for another round of book buying, despite her being grounded. I had enough time to take a shower but not much more. My hair was still wet, and I could feel water dripping down my neck as I connected to the meeting.

The screen blipped, and all three were waiting for me, though Stella had somehow ended up with a filter on her camera that made her look like a cat.