Chapter Thirty-Four

Maddy was reading in her room when Daniel came back from shopping; she could hear him stamping his feet by the back door. Tucker bounded down the stairs to greet him. “Hannah, I have some things for you,” he called.

Daniel was calling her Hannah all the time now. It made her feel strange, but she hadn’t corrected him. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

She brushed her hair and went downstairs. Daniel was in the kitchen. He’d emptied several bags of shopping onto the table. He turned toward her, looking proud of himself.

“First, a new jacket.” He picked it up to show her—it was a parka, blue and black, with black fur around the hood. It wasn’t what she would have picked out, but she supposed she could wear it. “And some mitts and a hat. Two hats.” One was an ugly gray wool thing—she’d never wear that, unless it got really cold—and the other was a baseball cap. Blue Jays. Oh well.

There were also two pullovers, a pair of jeans, and some socks and underwear. The sizes seemed okay, and she liked the sweater colors.

He was watching her, and she tried to figure out what to say. The clothes weren’t that great, but she couldn’t expect him to know what she’d like. “Thank you. They’re nice.” She gave him a smile, trying to be polite.

“And I got you a surprise.” He handed her a large flat bag, watching her as if expecting her to be especially pleased.

Reaching in, she pulled out a pad of paper and a selection of markers and pencils. These were a surprise, and she was happy to get them. She didn’t have to force a smile this time. “This is great—I love drawing. Thanks so much!”

He smiled back at her and reached into yet another bag, bringing out a small box. “And here’s something else,” he said, handing it to her. She studied the box, turning it over. On the front it had a picture of a beautiful woman with swirling brown hair and sultry eyes. Superior Preference was printed across the bottom of the picture in big letters, covering the woman’s shoulders. Other letters, across the top, said L’Oréal.

She blinked. “Is it hair color?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. Anyone watching for you will expect a girl with blonde hair. This’ll turn your hair brown.”

She must have looked doubtful, because he added, “There are instructions. If you want, I can help you figure out how to do it.”

No. She was hiding, but still—changing her appearance seemed too drastic, too big of a step away from being Maddy. Away from...her mom. Her friends.

But she kept the box and grabbed the paper and pencil crayons, heading for the stairs. “I’ll come back for the other stuff in a minute.”

“Don’t take too long. Supper’ll be ready in a jiffy.”