Page 87 of Deacon

There was no graceful way into it. “Jade and I are moving to Bay of Saints.”

Dad stared long enough for the objection to assemble itself. “You’re what?”

Repeating myself made the decision feel firmer rather than frightening. “We’re moving to Bay of Saints. I accepted a position with the freestanding ER project. Better pay, better title, better long-term opportunity. Jade will transfer schools.”

Matty’s surprise came without Dad’s edge. “You’re serious.”

He wasn’t judging. That helped. “Yes.”

Dad settled back in his chair, displeasure hardening his face. “Why?”

I had expected the question, but my old reflex to explain until he approved never came. “Because it’s the right move.”

His eyes narrowed. “Right for who?”

There it was. Concern sliding toward authority, the pressure I had spent years mistaking for obligation. “For us.”

Dad turned to Jade. “Is this really what you want?”

The question tightened something in me. This decision belonged to Jade too, but I hated seeing her pulled into the middle as if she needed to prove it.

She swallowed before answering. “Yeah. I think getting away might actually be good for me.”

Dad’s frown deepened. “Away from what, exactly?”

Jade stared at her plate for a moment, then lifted her eyes. “The school. This town. Just... everything.”

Her answer landed harder than mine could. Dad withdrew into silence, and Matty’s concern filled the opening.

“Bay of Saints isn’t around the corner, Lil. I can’t keep an eye on you two from two towns over.”

Before I could answer, Jade did. “With all due respect, Uncle Matty, we are capable women and can keep an eye on ourselves.”

Pride almost beat me to a smile. Evan raised one finger like he was joining an official proceeding. “And Guncle Evan will be living in the same apartment complex, which means surveillance may actually become oppressive in a more decorative way.”

Jade’s snicker broke some of the tension.

Dad muttered, “That’s not the same.”

Of course Evan heard him. “No, sir, it isn’t. For one thing, I moisturize.”

Jade nearly lost the laugh she was swallowing while Matty found his plate fascinating. Dad remained unimpressed; his next words carried everything he believed I should want.

“You’re making a mistake. Your life is here. Jade’s life is here. Your family is here.”

The familiar pressure tightened around my ribs, but it didn’t bend me this time. “The job is a promotion. Better pay, better benefits, better hours eventually. Bay of Saints offers more for Jade too.”

“Wicker Falls has been good enough.”

Good enough. I looked at Jade, and she caught the invitation immediately.

“Actually, I looked up Bay of Saints High.” Her voice held that sweet, dangerous calm she used whenever somebody underestimated her. “Their art program is better, and academically it ranks higher than Wicker Falls High. So it actually is a better move for me too.”

Matty’s eyebrows climbed. “You already researched it?”

She gave him a flat look. “I’m not dumb.”

Nobody was foolish enough to argue.