“Wrong?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Zinnia replied, sitting on a tree stump.

In front of her was a wooden tray piled with all kinds of treats, like cookies, candies, pistachios, and nuts. There were also homemade fried snacks like fried cheese and plantains. All of these were brought from home and shared with her by the kids.

Sunny lay curled at Zinnia’s feet, happily gnawing on the roasted corn the kids had made just for him.

Simon was now getting jambalaya for Zinnia. Kids in this small town, like him, had mastered all sorts of practical skills from a young age and were remarkably dexterous with their hands.

Yesterday, the kids said they’d make jambalaya today. They wasted no time. By the next day, some had gathered ingredients while others cooked. Now, they really made something to eat.

“But I feel like you haven’t been happy since you came back this year,” Simon remarked.

“Is it that obvious?” Zinnia asked, surprised that even Simon had noticed.

She thought, ‘I thought I’d been acting pretty normal these past couple of days, but if even Simon could tell something’s off, then Nathan and the others must have noticed it even more when I was really down.’

“Zinnia, my grandma says everything will get better,” Simon said. His little face was utterly serious as he handed her the steaming jambalaya.

“Really?” Zinnia froze.

Giselle, the small town’s revered geomancer, was already eighty years old.

The townspeople all hold Giselle in high regard. Whether it was building a house or consulting her about geomancy, they would always turn to her for help. Still, Zinnia and her friends never really bought into any of that.

But now, at the thought of Giselle, a spark of hope suddenly lit up in Zinnia’s eyes. ‘Could Giselle have a way to help Nathan?’ she wondered.

‘Damn it. If only I hadn’t promised to play with them,’ Zinnia thought, itching to rush home and drag Nathan along to see Giselle. ‘Why didn’t we think of asking her for help before?’

“Giselle says everything will be alright,” Simon told Zinnia earnestly. He didn’t really understand what his grandma meant, but to him, her words were the absolute truth, so he faithfully repeated them to Zinnia.

Simon gently patted Zinnia’s hand and said softly, “Don’t be sad, Zinnia.”

Seeing his little antics, Zinnia couldn’t help but laugh. She reached to pinch his chubby cheeks and teased, “You little rascal. You’re so young, yet you’re already so clever.

With his parents working at a research institute and rarely at home, Simon was raised by his grandma Giselle in the small town, making him more sensible and clever than most kids his age.

“Zinnia, I’m already a big boy now. No more cheek-pinching like before,” Simon protested with all seriousness as she helped to pull away.

“Big boy or not, you’re still just six years old. And don’t forget I saved you,” Zinnia teased with a light huff.

After Simon’s comforting words, Zinnia’s mood managed to lighten, if only a little.

When Simon was just two years old and still wobbly on his feet, he managed to sneak out of the house all by himself while Giselle was busy cooking in the kitchen.

As a little toddler, Simon was surprisingly steady for his age. One day he snuck out and wandered around the yard. Before he knew it, he had strayed to the edge. Then suddenly, his tiny feet slipped, and he tumbled down.

The edge of the yard was six and a half feet off the ground. A fall from that height would have been disastrous.

Just then, Zinnia was walking home from school. As she passed by Giselle’s house, she suddenly looked up and saw chubby little Simon tumbling down headfirst. Instinctively she reached out and caught him.

She landed hard on her bottom with a thud, yet she still cradled Simon securely in her arms.

As a result, Zinnia dislocated her hand and sprained a tendon, needing three whole months to recover. Nathan and the others were so worried about her.

From that day on, Simon became incredibly attached to her, sweetly calling her “Zinnia” at every opportunity. Whenever Zinnia was home, Simon and Sunny would follow her around like little shadows.

Six months ago, when the Shaw family took Zinnia away, Simon was absolutely devastated. He cried his eyes out, sobbing uncontrollably.

Simon imitated the gestures he’d seen on TV, clasping his hands together in a mock bow. “Yes, thank you for saving my little life, Zinnia,” he said with exaggerated formality.

Zinnia couldn’t help but laugh at Simon’s antics. She picked up her steaming jambalaya and took a bite.

‘As soon as I get back, I’ll drag Nathan to see Giselle. Even if it’s a long shot, it’s worth a try. Maybe she’ll have another way,’ she thought.

After spending most of the morning playing outside, Zinnia finally headed home.

When Zinnia got home, she found Nathan and the others sitting in the courtyard, playing cards.

“Nathan, let’s…” Zinnia’s words trailed off abruptly when she spotted Fiona.

“Oh, you’re back,” Nathan said, leisurely arranging his cards. As he saw her return, a gentle smile surfaced in his eyes.

“Yes, I am.” Zinnia scooted over and settled into the seat beside Nathan.

“What were you about to say just now?” Nathan asked gently, remembering how she’d trailed off earlier.

Zinnia glanced at Fiona and Quincey across the table and shook her head. “Nothing,” she said.

Noticing her hesitation, Nathan didn’t press further.

“Wanna play?” Nathan looked down at her.

“No thanks. I don’t know how,” Zinnia said, shaking her head. She grabbed a handful of shelled pistachios from the snack bowl in front of them and popped them into her mouth.

It was still early, and with plenty of leftovers from last night, there was no rush to start cooking.

Since they grew up, they had all been so busy that the only time they could get together and relax was during Christmas.

“I’ll teach you,” Nathan said with a soft chuckle.

“Alright then,” Zinnia agreed. She remembered playing cards with others at Sofia’s birthday party. It had actually been kind of fun. Now, she found herself wanting to play again.

“Here,” Nathan said, placing the freshly drawn cards into Zinnia’s hands.

“Zinnia, we’re playing for stakes. Do you have enough money?” Quincey grinned at her.

Zinnia nodded. “Oh, totally! My little bag is stuffed,” she said, giving her bulging purse a proud pat.

When she went out that morning, she came back with even more gift money. Zinnia had never lacked money, not even as a child.

“Alright then, we won’t be showing any mercy!” Quincey said. He and Fiona were both amused by her playful gesture.

“I’ve got some right here. Keep yours to yourself,” Nathan said with a smile. As she reached for her wallet, he gently pressed down on her hand to stop her.

Zinnia glanced at Nathan. “But that’s your money,” she said.

Nathan looked at her with a gentle smile and said, “Come on, Zinnia. What’s mine is yours. Why are you still trying to draw such a line between us?”

Zinnia glanced at her cards and teased, “Hey, who said it would all be mine? You should save money for your future wife. Otherwise, if you’re broke, no girl will want you.”

Frankly, Zinnia had no clue if her cards were any good. She had a straight and two Jokers, but no other good cards. Everything else was below ten.

“What are you even thinking about?” Nathan said with a helpless smile. “These aren’t things you need to worry about. Just focus on eating well and having fun every day. That’s all you need to do.”

Nathan poked her forehead, shaking his head with affectionate exasperation. ‘Why would she worry about things like this at her age?’ he thought.