At dinner that evening, Meemaw, having arrived with Dr. Sturgis, seemed to be in high spirits.
Before the meal was over, Mike and Sheldon seized the opportunity to fill Meemaw and Mary in on Paige's situation.
Both women had a good impression of the brilliant little girl from her last visit, so they readily agreed to help.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance as well," Dr. Sturgis chimed in after hearing about Paige's predicament. "My research project begins in two weeks. We could use that as a legitimate reason to persuade her mother."
After listening to Mike's explanation, Dr. Sturgis understood just how difficult Paige's mother could be.
for the girl's sake, he decided to join Mike's scheme. On a personal level, Dr. Sturgis genuinely admired the child prodigy.
"With your help, the plan is perfect," Mike said with a grin.
Dealing with a control freak like Linda required a solid cover story. Mike's original plan was to use "studying" as an excuse to get Paige some free time on the weekends.
However, if the request came solely from Meemaw and the Coopers, it might not have been persuasive enough.
Now, with a heavyweight academic like Dr. Sturgis involved, the odds of convincing Linda skyrocketed.
By the time dinner wrapped up, the group had finalized the details of their "Save Paige" operation.
---
In the blink of an eye, a week flew by. Before the weekend rolled around, Mary and Meemaw called Linda as planned.
After explaining the situation, Meemaw took the lead and arranged to meet Linda on Saturday.
In a coffee shop, Meemaw, Dr. Sturgis, and Mike finally met with Linda, who had brought her daughter along.
"What is this university research project you mentioned?" Linda asked directly, not long after walking through the door.
It was clear that when it came to her daughter's education, Linda didn't miss a beat.
"It's a physics research project initiated by a colleague and myself," Dr. Sturgis explained.
Hearing that the project was real, Linda relaxed a little. Then, her curiosity took over. "Is Paige really qualified to participate in a project like that?"
She knew Dr. Sturgis held a doctorate, so his research certainly wouldn't be simple.
"Paige is exceptionally bright. She is absolutely qualified to be my research assistant," Dr. Sturgis assured her. "In fact, if she can keep up with the pace, there is a strong possibility she could contribute as a full researcher."
"No, being your assistant is already wonderful," Linda said humbly, then turned to her daughter. "Well? Thank Dr. Sturgis."
Even though Linda wasn't in the field, she knew that participating in a university-level research project would be a huge learning opportunity for her daughter.
"Thank you, Dr. Sturgis, for giving me this chance," Paige said, playing along perfectly.
The little girl knew Dr. Sturgis was doing this to help her, so her "thank you" was incredibly sincere.
"No need to thank me, Paige. You earned it. Besides, I have high hopes for you," Dr. Sturgis said, adding a pointed piece of advice: "Never waste your talent."
"I won't," Paige nodded obediently.
Seeing that phase one was a success, Meemaw immediately followed up. "Linda, my place is just a stone's throw from the University of Texas. Why don't you let Paige stay with me for the weekend? It would give her a chance to brainstorm and hang out with Mike and Shelly."
Getting Paige out from under her mother's thumb was the crux of the entire plan.
Hearing Meemaw's suggestion, Linda was clearly tempted.
Shuttling her daughter to various tutoring classes every weekend took up a massive amount of Linda's personal time.
Plus, with the divorce proceedings getting messy, she really didn't have the energy to hover over her daughter right now.
"Linda, you need some time for yourself, too," Meemaw said, noticing Linda was wavering. She pressed the advantage. "Think about it. When was the last time you had a weekend entirely to yourself?"
Meemaw's words struck a nerve, sending Linda into deep thought.
It was true. Ever since they discovered her daughter's gift for learning, Linda hadn't really had any "me-time."
"Alright. I agree to let Paige stay with you guys. We'll try it out for two days," Linda finally agreed after a long pause.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her," Meemaw promised with a smile, seeing the plan come to fruition.
Sitting nearby, Paige exchanged a glance with Mike and flashed a happy grin.
Linda then discussed a few details about Paige's stay with Meemaw. Once everything was settled, she left the coffee shop with a lighter step.
You had to hand it to her—Meemaw was a pro at negotiation and soothing people's nerves.
Once they were sure her mother was gone, Paige let out a long breath, stood up, and bowed formally. "Thank you guys so much."
It was obvious the poor girl had been under immense pressure around her mother.
Having a free weekend was a precious luxury for her.
"Don't mention it. This was all Mike's idea; John and I just helped out a little," Meemaw laughed.
Looking at the girl, who was the same age as her grandson, Meemaw felt a twinge of sympathy, but she also genuinely liked the kid's intelligence and maturity.
Seeing Paige's sincere smile, Meemaw felt happy for her from the bottom of her heart.
She then ordered some food for the table to celebrate.
This also served to make up for the meal she had promised to treat Mike to the previous weekend.
After they finished eating and stepped outside, Meemaw asked, "Do you boys want a ride home, or are you doing your own thing?"
"You guys go ahead. Paige and I are going to hang out for a bit," Mike responded immediately.
Clearly, since Dr. Sturgis rarely came out, Meemaw likely had special plans with him.
Besides, Mike still had a mission to complete: playing cupid for Paige's parents.
"Alright then, have fun," Meemaw smiled, not asking any further questions. She took Dr. Sturgis's arm and walked toward her car.
Once the car drove off, Paige hopped in front of Mike, asking excitedly, "So, what's the plan?"
Without any adults around, Paige revealed her childish side. Or rather, she just felt comfortable enough around Mike to be herself.
"First, we need to figure out where your mom went before we can make our next move," Mike said.
Mike's grand plan involved manufacturing a romantic scenario for Paige's parents, hoping they would relive the good old days.
"I have a feeling she's at a bar right now," Paige said after thinking for a moment.
She knew her mother was under a lot of stress. With a rare free weekend, she would likely go somewhere to let off steam.
"Let's go. You lead the way, we need to confirm it," Mike said.
For a married couple, the warmest place is usually their shared home—the place full of their best memories.
So, the venue Mike had chosen for the "surprise" was their house.
But right now, he needed to be sure Paige's parents weren't home.
Guided by Paige, the two arrived at a nearby bar. Sure enough, Mike spotted Linda on the dance floor.
She looked completely different from the poised woman he had seen earlier.
With the deafening music pounding, Linda was tearing up the dance floor, letting loose in a way that was almost frantic.
Mike watched in shock for a few seconds before grabbing a visibly embarrassed Paige and quietly slipping out of the bar.