Maybe it was just luck. But the tips were better than they'd been in weeks. By the time he clocked out, Marcus had another $100 in his pocket. Thursday night, he took Lily shopping, not at Goodwill, not at the clearance rack, at an actual store with actual new clothes that had never been worn by anyone else. Lily's eyes went wide as saucers when he told her she could pick out anything she wanted.
Anything within reason. Marcus grinned. But yeah, anything. She chose a dress, a blue one with little white flowers on it, the kind of thing she'd only ever seen other girls wear to church. She held it up to her chest and looked in the mirror with an expression of pure wonder.
It's so pretty, Daddy. Not as pretty as you. They bought the dress and a new pair of shoes to go with it and a hair ribbon that matched the flowers. It was more money than Marcus usually spent on clothes in a month, but he didn't care. For once, he didn't count every penny.
For once, he let himself enjoy giving his daughter something special. Friday afternoon, Sophie texted him the address for dinner. Marcus looked it up on his phone and nearly dropped it. The house was in the hills in a neighborhood he'd only ever driven through on the way to somewhere else. The kind of place where the driveways had gates and the lawns were always perfect.
"That's where we're going?" Lily asked, peering over his shoulder. Apparently. Is it a castle? Marcus laughed.
Close enough. Saturday morning. He woke up nervous. He hadn't been nervous like this since the custody hearing. His hands shook as he made breakfast.
His stomach churned when he tried to eat. What was he supposed to say to these people? How was he supposed to act? He was a mechanic and a waiter. They were clearly wealthy beyond anything he could imagine.
What if they looked down on him? What if they treated him like charity case? What if Lily felt out of place and uncomfortable? Daddy, you're burning the eggs. Marcus blinked and looked down at the pan.
Smoke was rising from the scrambled eggs, which had turned from yellow to brown to nearly black while he was lost in thought. Shoot. He pulled the pan off the burner and scraped the ruined eggs into the trash. Sorry, sweetheart. I'll make more.
Are you nervous about dinner? Marcus turned to look at his daughter. She was watching him with those big brown eyes, too perceptive for her own good. A little, he admitted. Why?
Good question. Why was he nervous? These people had invited him. They wanted him there. Judge Caldwell had called him a good man.
Sophie and Maya had been nothing but kind. I guess I'm just not used to this, Marcus said slowly. Being invited to nice places, being thanked for things, having people actually want to spend time with us. Lily considered this. Mrs. Patterson wants to spend time with us.