"A restaurant? What’s gotten into you?" Maisie’s covered in flour, and little Theo’s running around her with tiny steps, delighting in the mess his mom’s making in the kitchen. "Since when do you like going to restaurants?"

  "Cork gave me a bonus." It’s the best excuse he can come up with. "And I thought I’d share it with you."

  Maisie steps closer and makes a face to show she’s grossed out. Eddie doesn’t like her playing mad all the time, but it’s been happening more lately.

  "No, Eddie. I’ve been cooking all day. We’re not throwing it all in the trash. Save your bonus for later. I haven’t forgotten, you know." She smiles at him.

  Eddie bends down and scoops Theo into his arms. He stays in the kitchen with him, watching Maisie while Theo squirms in his grip. He loves watching how her small frame can handle so much physical work without showing a hint of exhaustion. She glides around their cramped kitchen like she’s flying. She’s chopping here, cleaning there, shaping dough figures somewhere else. All while the oven’s on, and she has to check it every so often. He’s sure she’d outshine him in Cork’s kitchen. Mostly because she actually enjoys it.

  Eddie doesn’t like cooking. At least according to Cork, he’s good at it. But he doesn’t like it. So he doesn’t cook. Unless he’s at work. At home, he’d rather order something. But that doesn’t happen because Maisie always has something ready. And every idea she has turns into a masterpiece.

  "How’d training go?" Her question catches him off guard, but her tone’s friendly enough. Maybe they won’t fight this time.

  "Nothing special." He’s not lying. "Met up with the guys and Ballard again."

  "Ballard was your coach, right? He’s the uncle of a coworker. Ex-coworker, I mean." Maisie corrects herself. She’s barely worked since Theo was born. They could leave him at daycare or with a sitter, but Maisie won’t have it.

  "Yeah. Old Ballard. He was glad to see me."

  "You’re like his golden goose. Every time you show up. You take the hits, he takes the cash."

  "Come on, Maisie. Ballard’s a good coach. He’s done a lot for boxing in this town."

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  "For boxing, sure. But does he have a champion?" Maisie talks like she knows boxing, which makes Eddie wonder how to respond. "Has he ever won anything with anyone?"

  "I don’t know, Maisie." Her question genuinely makes him think. "But around here, it’s about the money."

  Maisie pushes him out of her way and heads to the fridge. She grabs something and returns to the counter—her workspace for the afternoon. Little Theo’s in his arms, watching her curiously as she moves around. Everyone’s happy. At least he and Theo are. Maisie sometimes overreacts. Eddie’s sure that’s the case now too.

  "Money isn’t everything." She keeps pushing back.

  "Maybe not, but think about Theo." The little one hears his name and repeats it a few times. He’s been talking for a while now and will start forming full sentences soon. "How much we could buy him with that money. Clothes, toys. If you want, we could treat ourselves too. It’s almost what I’d make in a whole year at the restaurant. Fifteen thousand dollars, Maisie. Some families work hard and never see that much at once."

  Maisie wipes her hands on her apron, reaches out to Eddie, and takes Theo from him. They step back behind the counter, and she shows Theo the dough figures she’s made. Theo perks up. Eddie feels useless for a moment. Maisie hands him back and sets the little one on the floor to play. Only then does she reply:

  "I don’t mind you training. See, you trained today. Hung out with friends. I want you to do what you love, Eddie."

  For a second, Eddie’s hopeful, but he knows Maisie’s got more to say.

  "But I don’t want you fighting. That’s it. Train, talk to Rex, quit your job if you want—I don’t care. I just want Theo to have a healthy dad."

  "And if his dad doesn’t follow his dreams? Isn’t that a bad example?" Eddie cuts in.

  "What dreams, Eddie?" She still won’t look at him. Maybe that’s for the best. "You’ve been written off from boxing for ages. They call you up to get beat. You think I don’t know? Are you still dreaming of big wins and matches? That’s over for you, Eddie. It’s been over for a long time. If you want to fight so bad, can’t you get Ballard to set you up with a kids’ group and make a champion yourself? Why not? Instead, you’re making me explain myself again." Maisie doesn’t stop. "You want me to agree to let my husband get pummeled for fifteen thousand dollars? Listen to how that sounds. How am I supposed to face anyone if I let that happen?"

  "We live in Brantley. No more than five hundred people would even know."

  "Exactly. We live in Brantley. And everything gets around by the next day."

  Eddie tries to step toward her, though he knows she’s territorial when she cooks and doesn’t let anyone invade her space. He wants to touch her, but she pushes him back.

  "Do what you want. I’m not taking back my words. If I see you in the ring, I’m gone. And you can do whatever you want with your fifteen thousand dollars."