“Maddie, you should know I’m here if you need to talk. About anything.”
I nodded.
We ran hand in hand, through the pummeling rain, all the way to the entrance of the zoo where the staff building was. Everyone was there. As soon as we were inside, Seth dropped my hand. I made my way to the bathroom, where I used the air dryer on my soaked hair so I’d stop shivering. My reflection in the mirror was scary—streaked mascara, sopping wet tangled hair, and bright red cheeks. I pushed my hair out of my face, wiped away mascara, and joined the others in the room.
Seth was sitting by Rachel on a long couch by the refrigerator. I checked the time on my phone. Rain or not, I needed to get out of here.
Everything okay? You left without saying good-bye.
I sat in my car and read Seth’s text. The second the rain had let up a little, I’d rushed out of the zoo and into the shelter of my Corvette.
I’m fine, I sent back to Seth.
Then I started my car. It was time to fix the only thing I felt like I could right now. Then maybe I’d feel a little better.
I stood at the brightly lit counter, looking at the rows and rows of diamonds—diamonds in rings, in bracelets, in earrings. Diamonds on broaches and in hair pins. The staff at the jewelry store had greeted me once when I came in. Now they stood in a corner talking to each other, as though waiting for a more worthy customer to bestow their energy on. I did look like a wet mop, I was sure. I didn’t blame them.
What would my mom like?
She wasn’t super flashy or over the top. Something simple and yet elegant.
“Excuse me,” I called. “I’d like to buy this necklace.”
The man who joined me at the counter seemed surprised at the item I was pointing to. “That’s a ten-thousand-dollar necklace.” Did he have to look at me like that? Like the girl who stood in front of him was more likely to grow horns than have ten thousand dollars?
“Really? Huh. Do you have one closer to twenty thousand?” I asked.
What was wrong with me? Maybe I had changed, I thought as the startled-looking man led me over to another section. I purchased the first one he suggested and shot out of there.
Getting my dad alone that night wasn’t hard. I told him I wanted to show him a special feature in my car. He was more than willing to look. When we sat side by side, him looking at all the buttons expectantly, I pulled out the box.
“I want you to give this to Mom.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a necklace.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to tell her it’s from you. That you’ve been thinking about her and bought this for her.”
“You don’t have to do this, Maddie.”
“I know, but I want you two to get along. I love both of you and hate to see you fight.”
“It’s just part of being married.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Not the way you guys do it. Just please.” I pushed the box into his hands. “Think of a nice way to give it to her. You have to try, Dad.”
“I do try.” His voice became defensive like he was about to launch into a speech about how it wasn’t his fault.
I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “I know. Just do this. For me.”
He opened the box and looked at the offering. Then his eyes shot to me in surprise. “How much did this cost?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s the thought that matters. That’s what she’ll appreciate.”
He closed the box slowly. “Okay, Maddie. I’ll give this to her. We’ll see if it helps.”
“Thank you.”
“I take it you really don’t have anything to show me about your car.”
“No. I’ve not discovered any secret buttons that launch missiles or spit fire.”
He gave me a half smile. “Too bad. That would’ve been amazing.”
“Oh, wait. Have I shown you this button?” I pushed the button that lowered the screen in the dash, revealing the storage compartment. “Tell me that’s not cool?”
“And yet you’ve hidden nothing impressive behind there.”
“And now I’ve shown it to you, so I’ll never be able to. I really didn’t think that one through.”
He laughed and let himself out of the car. I leaned my head back against the seat. I needed this to work. I climbed out of the car and stopped by the mailbox. There was nothing for me. If I got my final acceptance letters, I would feel so much better.
It was 7:00 p.m. My house was quiet. That meant that either my parents weren’t home or they weren’t speaking to each other. I closed my eyes and tried to let go of my thoughts. Why did I always have to worry so much about other people’s problems? Why couldn’t I just leave it all behind, go to Stanford with Blaire, and let things happen or not happen by themselves?
My phone buzzed on the desk with an incoming call. It was a number I didn’t recognize. I let it buzz until it stopped. The penny Seth had found and gifted to me sat next to my phone. I picked it up and turned it over in my hand. It hadn’t really brought me much luck. Maybe I was using it wrong. I rubbed it, then laughed at myself. It wasn’t a genie lamp. I sighed and put it back down.
My phone buzzed again. Same number.
I picked it up this time. “Hello.”
“Maddie Parker?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“This is Paul Wendell. Your contractor.”
“My contractor?”
“You’re Beau’s sister, right?”
“Yes … ”
“The second payment is due on the work I’ve done.”
I wasn’t following this conversation. “Okay. Don’t you have his number?”
“I’ve tried his number. He’s not calling me back. Your name is on the contract. One of you needs to pay me.”
“I didn’t sign anything. How is my name on a contract?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m here at the condo. I’ll be waiting.”
“How much does he owe you?”
“Thirty thousand.”
Thirty thousand. Beau had that. I’d given him a million. There was no way he’d blown it all already. Was it even possible to blow a million dollars in less than two months? How much had he paid for the condo?
“Hello?” Paul said.
“Oh, sorry. I … I need to talk to my brother.”
“Well, someone needs to get here now and pay me or I’m removing all the installations I’ve done to try to recoup my labor costs.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” I hung up and immediately dialed my brother’s number. He didn’t answer. I sent him a text. Call me!!!
Ten minutes passed and my phone didn’t deliver any messages from my brother. I paced my room. What was I supposed to do? Pay off his debts again? Maybe he hadn’t realized the bill was due. He’d pay me back.
I left my room to search for my parents. There was no way I was going to his condo alone to meet up with some strange guy I didn’t know. But my parents weren’t home. I started to call my dad, but stopped myself. My parents were already fighting about Beau and his money situation. Did I really need to give them something else to fight about? My eyes found the penny on my desk again and I dialed a different number.
“Hello?” His voice alone calmed some of the anxious nerves I was feeling.
“Seth?”
“That or some other guy is answering my phone now.”
I smiled. “I need your help.”
“Anything.” He said it in a dramatic fashion.
“Can you come with me to meet up with a stranger and drop off a bill for my brother?”
“Is this a back-alley drug deal?”
“If only.”
He laughed. “Sure. Do you want to pick me up or should I pick you up?”
I thought about my car, the one I wouldn’t be able to explain, that was parked in the garage right now. The place my dad had insisted I start parking after I’d brought it home. “Can you pick me up?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
I wrote out a check, sealed it in an envelope, then went outside to wait on the porch. Seth arrived fifteen minutes later. He gave a playful beep of the horn when he saw me.