“Hey!” I cried, like the idea just struck me. “Bet we can talk your dad into updating this place.” I threw out a hand. “I’m almost done decorating my place and I’d love to help. Throw up some paint. Hit Target and get a new lamp or two. Make it Imagine Dragons worthy.”

She gave me no indication she found this exciting. “Not sure Dad’ll go for that.”

I moved slightly toward her. “He loves you to bits, blossom. And he knows you’re growing up because he leans on you to look after Cillian when he’s not around. I bet he’ll be happy to do it.”

“Seems like a lot of work and money when I don’t really care there’s still daisies.”

I studied her wondering if perhaps her decorations reminded her of her mother or if she worried about the state of her father’s finances and how much of a hit that would be if he did that for her.

I saw no emotion on her face, discomfort, hurt or even hesitancy.

She just didn’t really care.

What girl didn’t care about her room?

“Can I ask your dad anyway?” I requested.

She looked back to the TV then to me, making a mute point that she wanted to get back to her movie, and replied, “Sure. But I’m not really big on that kind of stuff.”

I wanted to know what she was big on, outside of losing herself in books, movies and music. Not that any of that was bad or unusual for a teenage girl.

It was just that I couldn’t use any of it to get in there.

Another idea struck me and I moved to her dresser. I ran a finger along a bottle tipped sideways and not righted, scoring a line through the dust.

Then I looked back to her and grinned. “See you’re not big on makeup either.”

“What’s the point?” she asked.

“I hear you,” I replied. “You’re so pretty, it really isn’t needed.”

Her eyes, having drifted away, shot to me.

Telling.

Sad and telling.

God, I needed an in!

I glanced at the makeup before looking back to her. “You’ve got a lot of it for not being into it.”

“Mom made a big thing of it when I turned fourteen,” she told me. “She and Dad agreed I could wear it when I did, so she took me out and bought me a bunch, had some of her friends over. They all showed me how to use it, made it into a party.”

“That sounds really sweet,” I said softly, and it did. Rhiannon had done that up right.

She shrugged again.

“Do you wear it when you’re at her place?” I asked.

“Not really,” she answered.