Page 79 of The Penalty

I’m grateful for the change to hopefully distract Shae. The last thing I want right now is her to ruin this night.

My dad and I take the ends of the table. McKenzie and Shae sit on either side of me. Kylie is next to McKenzie and my mother sits next to Shae.

It’s all a little too close for comfort if you ask me, but I can get through this.

We all take in the spread of pork, black-eyes peas, collard greens, and cornbread. The same meal I’ve had every New Year’s Day since I was a kid.

“McKenzie, does your family have New Year’s Day dinner?” my mother asks.

“Oh, um, no. Not like this.”

“Really? Well, we’ll have to explain it all before we dig in,” Mom says.

“The food comes with an explanation?” McKenzie asks.

I chuckle. “The pork symbolizes prosperity, and the black-eyed peas are for wealth. Collard greens are for good fortune, and the cornbread symbolizes gold,” I explain.

She looks over at me, and I can tell she wants to laugh, but she holds it back. “Oh. Ok then.”

“Yes. Eating this meal starts your year off strong,” Mom adds. She’s made us eat the exact same thing every year since I can remember. She’s adamant about it. Even when I couldn’t make it home for New Year’s, she’d find me a place where I could order it on the road. She’s very superstitious like that. As an athlete, I can understand that, so I’ve never questioned her. I’ve probably rolled my eyes a few times, but I always eat it.

“Thank you for sharing this with me,” McKenzie says to my mom, and Mom gives her a warm smile.

“Let’s eat!” Dad says as he starts helping himself.

I reach under the table and squeeze McKenzie’s leg. She looks over at me, and I can see that she’s a lot more relaxed now than she was in the car. She fits right in here, just like I knew she would. Kylie passes her the cornbread, so she looks away from me. I turn to find Shae staring at me again.

Fuck.

I am not doing very well at this tonight.

I mouth the word, “What?” to Shae.

Her eyes dart to McKenzie and then back to me. She shakes her head and scoops some peas onto her plate, but I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the end of this conversation.

After dinner, McKenzie asks where the bathroom is. I stand from the table and offer to take her, but Kylie grabs her hand. “I got it, Dad.”

The two of them walk off, and before I can sit back down, Shae grabs my arm. “Let’s talk.”

I sigh, knowing this was coming, and follow her out to the back deck.

“What’s up?” I ask once the door is closed behind us.

She raises her eyebrows. “What’s up? Uh, how ’bout you tell me.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, attempting to play this off. Unfortunately for me, Shae knows me a little better than most people, especially when I’m hiding something.

“Are you fucking that girl?” She comes right out and says it.

“What?” Fuck, am I sweating right now? McKenzie and I have been in our own little world. I hadn’t even thought about what I’d say if someone questioned me. I certainly didn’t expect it to happen tonight.

She crosses her arms over her chest. “You heard me, Ty. Answer the question.”

“It’s none of your business who I’m fucking.”

“It is if it’s my daughter’s friend.”

I swallow but don’t say anything. Kylie is the biggest reason McKenzie and I have kept this thing between us a secret. Neither one of us wants to hurt her.