“It’s very fast. A fast pinch.”
She considered this carefully. “How old do you have to be to get your ears pierced?”
Noah set two dishes in the middle of the table. “Fifteen,” he said. “At least fifteen.”
“But Ella has earrings and she’s not fifteen.”
Noah scooped chicken and roasted vegetables onto Gennie’s plate. “Then that’s a decision Ella’s family made. We’ll talk about earrings when you’re”—he shook his head, passed the chicken to me—“when you’re twelve. At the earliest. Okay?”
She fingered my lobsters again. “I guess so.”
Noah cut Gennie’s food into bite-sized pieces and handed the plate back to her before sitting down.
“How old do you have to be to make your hair pink?” she asked.
“Oh my god,” he said under his breath.
I smothered a laugh, saying, “I’m thirty-two and I did this for the first time last month. There’s no rush. You have all the time in the world to dye your hair and get earrings and everything like that. I promise, you’re not missing anything.”
She gave me a thoughtful nod. “Okay. I can wait.”
Noah gazed at Gennie while she dug into her food, carefully pushing most of the vegetables to the far edge of her plate. After a moment, he blew out a breath and reached for the bread. It was abundantly clear he had his hands full with this parenting gig.
“This is incredible,” I said, jabbing my fork in the direction of my plate. “When did you do all this cooking? I didn’t see any of this magic happen.”
He barked out a laugh. “I didn’t cook. There’s a meal delivery service two towns over. We supply their dairy and some produce. I’ve been on their roster since day one.”
“This is the best meal I’ve had since—since the last time I was here,” I said. “Probably the last actual meal too.”
“Then you should come to dinner every night,” Gennie replied. “Noah says I’m required to eat a real meal, so you should too.”
I expected Noah to jump in and explain that wasn’t possible but he just stared at me for a long beat, deep grooves dug into his forehead. When he didn’t look away, I said, “Cooking for one isn’t very fun. It’s simpler to have Cheez-Its or a bag of popcorn or some peanut butter on crackers.”
“Shay,” he said, the grooves deepening.
I’d dug a ditch in his forehead. Me and my shambles.
“It’s fine. Really. I’ll have to look into this meal service. Sounds perfect. Especially since the school year will be starting in a few weeks and then I’ll have no time.”
He went on staring at me. Then, “You’re going to be teaching in Friendship schools?”
“Subbing,” I said. “Which is just as hectic as a regular teaching position. More, actually, since the assignments vary day-to-day. But I’m looking forward to it.”
“You’ll be a teacher at my school?” Gennie asked. “Fuck yeah!”
“Gennie,” Noah warned, but there was no weight behind it.
“Will you still play with me after school?” she asked. “Or will you be too busy then?”
I glanced at Noah. He gave a slight nod which I interpreted to mean he was cool with us continuing our work. It could’ve meant any number of things but I was happy with this explanation. Gennie needed all the help she could get and I had a soft spot for this kid.
“We can still play,” I told her.
She stabbed her fork into the air. “Yes!”
“You’re ready for more reading and fact practice?” I asked her.
“Arrr, matey,” she growled. “Me’s a right good mather.”
