I laughed, and then filled Dad in on how my geometry test went, thanked him for the chocolates he sent, and got him generally up to speed on my friends and all the Juniper Shores Prep gossip. I purposely left out mentioning Juniper Shores Socialite because I didn’t want him to be tempted to look and read anything negative about himself. Our time went by way too fast, especially since I didn’t know when Mom would bring me to see him again. Life without transportation was hard. At least I had Merit.

I hugged Dad goodbye so hard and kissed his cheek. “We’ll get you out of here soon, Dad, I promise,” I said, even though I was fourteen years old, and the world mostly happened to me at this point. But if I could help, if I could figure out a way, I would.

Mom put her arm around me, and she turned her head as we walked. I knew she didn’t want me to know she was crying, so I pretended I didn’t notice, and I made myself not cry so it wouldn’t be harder on her. It was life-affirming to know that I could prioritize her.

On the sidewalk, I spotted Oliver.

“Y’all ready?” Oliver asked, looking at Mom.

Mom nodded and sneakily wiped her eyes.

In the car, I pressed my forehead against the cool window, where it left a mark when I pulled away. Oliver and Mom were quiet. I was trying to process what had just happened. Yes, it was a relief to see my dad. But nothing had changed.

Oliver broke the silence, saying, “Well, I know this might not be good enough news to help too much, but I was able to get your car back. We can go pick it up tomorrow.”

“That is awesome!” Mom said. “Isn’t that awesome, Iris?”

“It’s everything I’ve ever wanted,” I said quietly.

What was I supposed to say? All I wanted was to go home. To my real home. Where my mom and dad were together. And my shoes lived. And I didn’t have to be a kid with a dad in jail. How had everything gone wrong so quickly? And what could I do to make it right?

What can I do to make it right? I knew enough about Dad’s business and his software that maybe if I could get in there and dig around a little, I could figure out where that money had gone. Mom wouldn’t want me meddling, of course. So I’d have to get Dad alone. He wouldn’t approve of me getting involved, but I could ask him, like, a jillion questions before he’d get suspicious. But it couldn’t be with Mom because if I asked even one question, she’d know exactly what I was up to. Mom powers were real. They were to be feared.