Chapter 36

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

MARGO

We stay there until Daniel calms down, and then we go back inside to thank Meghan for driving all the way here. She doesn't stay very long before she has to go, and we're left alone again.

Daniel is quiet, staring out the window, and I don't know whether to fill the silence or let him stay lost in his thoughts. I know he's wondering what his life would be like if his mom was still around.

I'm getting restless sitting here doing nothing. I find myself searching his dad's name online to see what comes up. His name is everywhere. His work profile is the first search result, and what Meghan said is right. He's successful now. He's worked at the tech company for the past four years. He's handsome like Daniel. There's no denying that Justin is his dad. Anyone with eyes could see that.

The next search result is his social media. I click on it and it's very clear that he likes posting pictures. There are pictures of his car, beaches in Mexico, and his fiancée. The photo that's pinned to the top of the profile shows a beautiful woman in her late thirties, if I had to guess, showing off her ring. Her hair is slicked back, and she wears a slim black dress. She stands next to Justin. He's smiling ear to ear.

I turn off my phone and set it down.

Daniel's gaze shifts to the phone. "You found him already, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Well? What's he like?" Daniel asks.

"It's hard to judge someone from a few pictures."

He laughs softly. "You don't like him."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

I roll my eyes. "He's not what I expected, but that doesn't mean I don't like him." I push the phone toward him. "Do you want to look?"

He shakes his head. "Not really."

"So what do you want to do?" I ask.

He sighs, looking out the window again. "I don't know. I wish there was a way where I could meet him without telling him who I am first."

That sounds like a challenge, and I like challenges. My mind surges with ideas right away. We could find out where he works? Maybe we could knock on his door, pretending to be salespersons? But there's a better answer.

"What's that face for?" he asks.

A grin stretches across my face, and I lean in. "How would you feel about crashing his wedding?"

His eyes bug out. "What?"

"Let's crash the wedding. We can get dressed up and blend in."

He scowls. "You make that sound like it would be easy."

I laugh. "It would be. All I have to do is figure out where the wedding is. I bet they'll invite so many people they won't even notice us there."

"I don't know."

"Come on. It's perfect. You can see him up close and decide whether or not you want to get to know him."

He crosses his arms as he mulls over my suggestion. "What if I decide I don't want to meet him?"

"That's the great thing about this. You can leave at any time, but at least you'll know what your dad is like. You can have closure."

"Do you know when the wedding is?" He stares at me, squinting like he's trying to read my mind. "You do, don't you?"

"Next Saturday."

He shakes his head with a laugh. "Of course you already know."

"I'm Margo Blakely, after all."

"What about your concert? It's on Friday," he says. "Won't you be tired?"

I'm not about to miss either event. I don't care how tired it makes me, I'm going to both. "Nope. I'll be okay."

His mouth twists to the side and his brow furrows like he doesn't believe me. "You'll tell me if it's too much?"

"I promise."

His face relaxes. "Okay."

"So we're going?" I ask.

He nods. "We're going."

I reach over and grab his hand as my heart leaps. I hope finding his dad is what he needs to feel whole. Who knows, maybe that's where he belongs.

As soon as I get home, I start searching for clues to piece together the location of the wedding. It's easier to find than I thought. After about an hour I had found a post of the fiancée posing in front of a beautiful ballroom with a caption that read, "I can't wait to marry you here." She tagged the location. To my surprise it's a place here, not Seattle.

It couldn't have been any easier.

I was a little disappointed that I didn't have to look very hard. I like puzzles. The type with five-hundred-plus pieces. This was more like a four-piece puzzle meant for a toddler.

Still, I found it. Now, I know the time and the place.

By the time Monday rolls around, I have to force myself to get out of bed. I want to stay curled up in my bedsheets forever, but I don't want to waste the day.

"Will you do my hair?" Annie asks.

How can I say no to that? It's one of my favorite hobbies. I love her long hair. It's beautiful no matter what she does to it. If she'd let me, I'd style it every day.

Annie sits near the vanity and waits. She's already dressed in a pastel pink sweater and light jeans. In her lap is her latest book obsession. She cracks it open as I start to brush her long locks.

"What do you want me to do today?"

Annie shrugs. "You're the boss."

I normally style her hair in braids because it's easy, but I feel the urge to try something different. I gather the top of her hair and pull it back into a ponytail, and then I spray her hair with heat protectant.

Annie peeks up. "You're going all fancy on me today."

I smile and nod as I turn on my curling iron. I haven't used it in forever. Back when my hair was long, I curled it all the time, but now the only time it gets used is when Mama borrows it.

While the iron heats up, I get dressed. I want to wear something that pops. Maybe if I disguise myself in bright colors, I'll feel better. Our closet is overflowing with clothes, which are mostly mine because I love shopping. It's a rainbow of colors, everything from purple to blue to yellow and all the colors in-between.

I'm drawn to the pair of pink overalls in the back. They're perfect. I'm a firm believer that no one can have too many overalls. I match them with a white shirt that has little blue flowers speckled across it and puffy sleeves.

"What earrings are you going to wear with it?" Annie asks.

I run over to the vanity again. All of my earrings are displayed on a jewelry organizer. "Strawberries," I say. "Definitely strawberries."

My strawberry earrings are subtle—my definition of subtle tends to vary from other people's definition, or so I've been told—because these earrings are studs and smaller than most of my other pairs. They're pink instead of red, and go with my overalls perfectly.

"Those are cute," Annie says.

I make a face and gesture toward her. "Do you want to wear them?"

She laughs. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm letting you curl my hair. I think that's enough change for one day, don't you think?"

"One day, I'll get you to wear one of these, mark my words," I say, laughing too.

She looks down at her book. "We'll see about that."

After I finish changing, I go back to curling Annie's hair. It doesn't take very long, which is good because it gives us time to head downstairs and have breakfast with Mama. Then we head to school.

As per usual, I stop at my locker to put away my backpack and Annie heads to the library. Almost as soon as I open the locker door, I'm wrapped in a hug and Daniel's scent fills my senses. He kisses my shoulder.

I smile.

"Hey, you look cute." He smiles back. Lopsided grin and all. And just like that, I'm caught in a daze. It's only Daniel and me, and everyone else disappears. I spend our first period class being distracted by his hand grabbing mine behind the lab table. He walks me to every class after that even if that means running from his class to mine to catch me walking out of the door. By lunch I'm sure the entire school knows Daniel and I are together. Cameryn corners me at one point, demanding details, and I love it. I feel like a regular teenage girl.

At lunch Daniel sits with Annie and me, and somehow this seems like the way it should have always been. There's no awkwardness. Daniel and Annie are getting along, and we all laugh at each other's jokes. Annie even joins in the conversation instead of hiding behind her book. It fills me up inside, making me wish it could always be like this.

Olive comes running up. Her long hair flies wildly behind her as she comes to a full stop at our table. She's grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes find Daniel. "Guess what."

"What?"

She hugs a stack of papers close to her chest. "I got it." She set the papers down on the table, revealing a drama title on the front: My Fair Lady . She bounces, so giddy from her excitement that she can't stand still .

A smile stretches across his face. "Yeah?"

She nods. "I start rehearsals next week."

"I'm happy for you," he says.

Olive slides into the seat across from us and next to Annie.

"This is my sister, Annie," I say, gesturing.

Olive leans on the table. "Oh, I know. We've already met."

"When?" I ask, jaw dropping.

"When Daniel asked us for—"

"Tell us about your play," Daniel says.

I glance between all three of them and their varying expressions. Daniel's face is turning red, Olive raises an eyebrow, and Annie laughs behind her book.

"What's going on?" I ask.

Daniel shrugs. "I'm just curious about the play."

"Uh-huh," I say. I lean closer to Olive. "What happened? What did Daniel ask for?"

Daniel tugs on my arm. "No, wait."

I playfully jump back and cover Daniel's mouth. "Tell me."

Olive glances at Annie, who nods, and then back at me. "He wanted advice on where to take you for your date."

Daniel groans.

I smile and let him go. "That's actually really sweet."

His cheeks redden and his eyes dart around. "I've never done this before."

I laugh. "Neither have they," I say, pointing at Olive and Annie.

Daniel shrugs. "Well, they watch movies about romance."

I love how he thinks watching movies makes them experts, but to be fair, I'd probably go to Annie for advice too.

Olive turns to Annie. "What's your favorite movie? "

Annie sets down her book, using her finger as a bookmark. "Give me a genre."

"Rom-com?"

" Leap Year ."

Olive nods. "Good choice. Historical?"

Annie doesn't miss a beat. " Pride and Prejudice ."

"The 2005 or 1995 version?"

"Neither." She sighs. "I wish those two versions had a baby. The 2005 is gorgeous, but the 1995 version is closer to the book."

Olive's hand flies to her mouth. "I think I love you."

Annie rolls her eyes, but smiles.

"Do you watch movies a lot?" Olive asks.

"All the time. We even had Daniel watch one with us the other day," I say.

Olive gasps, crossing her arms and glaring at Daniel. "And you didn't tell me?"

We all stare at Daniel, and he shies away from the attention. "How was I supposed to know you wanted to come?"

Olive clears her throat and gestures toward herself. "Have you met me? Of course I'd want to come."

"Well, why don't you come over today?" I suggest. Then I turn to Annie. "What do you think?"

"That would be fun," she says.

Olive's smile widens. "I can't wait."

"Then it's settled," I say.

Olive and Annie start talking about which movie to watch, and my heart swells. I'd been so focused on trying to help Annie fall in love, but maybe that's not what she needs right now. Maybe I need to change my list. Annie needs a friend, and that friend just might be Olive .

Daniel's phone rings. When he answers it, his brow furrows and his jaw clenches. "Okay, let me know when you get here," he says. The color in his face drains as he meets my eyes.

"What is it?" I ask.

"That was Laura. She says my grandma is freaking out at the nursing home. She's asking for me." He takes a shaky breath and then continues, "She's asking for me by name."