“Yeah, right. That’s why my marriage blew up, because I was so intriguing. Anyway, I’m not looking.”
“That’s when you find your soulmate.”With the daughter who’d like to roast your soul over an open fire.“Does he have kids?”
“Just a dog.”
“That makes him perfect. Dogs love everybody.”
“Bella will come around,” Arianna assured her.
“I keep trying,” Sunny said as they walked through the door. Sunny’s wrist had finally healed, but Bella still hadn’t admitted to what she’d done at the ice rink. Now Sunny was beginning to wonder whether the girl had any conscience to poke, after all.
The party was in full swing now, the gang playing pin the wings on Cupid. Of course, the only one not playing was Bella, who was rooted to a chair in the corner, ignoring everyone for her phone.
Paisley scored a Cupid bull’s-eye and crowed, “I won!”
Sunny came over and checked it out. Sure enough. A perfect landing.
She pulled the gift card envelope out of her pocket. “There you go. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.”
Paisley took it with an enthusiastic thank-you, and to make sure no one felt like they’d missed out, Sunny suggested they check out the presents under the Valentine’s Day tree. All the kids made a dash for it. Even Bella left her chair, but she walked over at slug speed to show Sunny that she really couldn’t care less and was only being a good sport. Sunny imagined herself pinning some Cupid wings right on the girl’s butt.
Dylan had already found his present and opened it to discover a video game. “Awesome!”
The two girls were tearing into theirs, rejoicing over the crafting kits they got—fairy potions for Sophie and string art for Paisley. Bella opened the small box Sunny had slipped under the tree for her. It was a set of boho stackable rings, fabulous if you asked Sunny. Obviously not so fabulous if you asked Bella. She shut the box without trying on a single ring.
Sunny sighed and went in search of punch. Molly joined her at the punch bowl. “She won’t be a brat forever,” Molly said.
“Really? You sure?”
“Actually, no. I just wanted to make you feel better.”
“Very funny,” Sunny muttered. “If we weren’t drinking from it, I’d dunk her head in the punch bowl.”
“We could lure her into the bathroom and give her a swirly,” Molly suggested with a wink as she helped herself to an iced heart-shaped cookie.
The toilet—that was where Sunny’s plans to win her stepdaughter’s love kept landing. Hurt, anger and frustration all warred in her for predominance.
“Just ignore her,” Molly advised. “She’s trying to get to you.”
“She’s succeeding.”
“She’s enjoying making you chase her. Don’t do it. It’s only feeding the monster.”
“I have to...”
Molly held up a hand. “I know exactly what you think you have to do. You have to be the perfect stepmother. But you already are. You’ve been nothing but kind. You don’t need to grovel. She wants that power over you. Don’t give it to her. It won’t do either of you any good.”
Sunny could remember a few times when she’d stomped off to her room and shut herself in, assuming her family would be so sorry that they’d been deprived of her presence that they’d come begging her to return and bless them with her presence. It hadn’t worked because no one had gone into mourning over her absence. Molly was right, of course.
“Come on, we have a rom-com to write and film,” Molly said.
It was a short film, with Paisley claiming the starring role and Dylan agreeing to act opposite her only with the promise of a gaming gift card. The kids came up with a simple plot, which involved Dylan and Paisley fighting over the last piece of chocolate and Sophie, wearing the much-used Cupid wings, stepping in and instructing them to share. It was all so adorable Sunny momentarily forgot about the pouter and enjoyed filming the whole thing for posterity. Dylan’s mortified expression at the end when Paisley ad-libbed, saying, “I’ll always share with you,” and kissing him on the cheek was priceless.
“They’re so cute together,” Molly said, standing at her elbow. “Who knows? Maybe someday he’ll want her to kiss him.”
The laughter and applause for the actors didn’t lure Bella from her self-imposed separation and, with a suppressed sigh, Sunny moved them on to the final activity she’d planned for the day.
“Okay, everyone, we’re going to playForgot My Deodorant,” she announced.
