It was the first time Paige had ever seen such a "real" side of her mother. Even after they left the bar, she still had a look of disbelief plastered on her face.
Honestly, the whole scene had been a massive shock to the little girl's system.
Mike, on the other hand, took Linda's drastic personality shift in stride.
After all, as an adult, he knew that having a "public face" and a "private face" was pretty standard stuff.
"Mike, actually... my mom isn't usually like this..." Paige glanced sideways at Mike, whispering her explanation.
To her, the whole scene had been mortifying. Plus, scientific studies suggested that "crazy" could be hereditary. Being the genius she was, Paige was terrified Mike might get the wrong idea about her own future stability.
"I get it. When adults are stressed out, sometimes they just need to blow off some steam..." Mike offered a perfectly reasonable explanation to comfort her.
Once Paige had calmed down, Mike moved on to logistics. "Is your dad home on weekends?"
As mentioned before, Mike's plan required the house to be the primary venue. If Mr. Barry was home, they'd have to find a new location, which would be a hassle and probably less effective.
"He shouldn't be," Paige said. "My dad usually spends his weekends at the clinic. He doesn't come home until late..."
It made sense. With a wife who was intense and indifferent at home, most men would probably choose to stay at work, too.
"Great. Let's head to your place and scope it out. If no one's there, we can start setting up," Mike said. Then he paused. "By the way, you have a key, right?"
"Of course." Paige smiled and pulled a set of keys from her pocket.
They arrived at Paige's house without issue. Just as she suspected, the place was empty.
"Where's your sister?" Mike asked, looking around the quiet living room.
"She's probably at a classmate's party right now." Paige's expression got a little complicated when she mentioned her sister.
In this household, Erica was essentially collateral damage.
Because Paige was a child prodigy, their parents' attention naturally gravitated toward her. Erica, who was normal in every way, often got unintentionally ignored. Worse, their parents likely compared her to her genius sister all the time.
It was the classic struggle of being the sibling of a gifted child. Georgie and Missy could definitely write a book on that subject.
Mike saw that Paige didn't want to dwell on her sister, so he wisely dropped the topic.
---
After doing a quick walkthrough of the house, Mike solidified his plan.
As an upper-middle-class family, Paige's house wasn't a mansion like Regina or Karen's, but it was significantly larger than Meemaw's or the Cooper residence.
Mike measured the distance from the front yard to the living room, then called a local event planning service to place an order.
Not long after, a pickup truck loaded with bouquets, ribbons, and decorations pulled up to the driveway.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Mike?" A man wearing a tie—looking like the manager—approached Mike at the door. "We brought everything you asked for."
"That's me," Mike nodded.
After confirming the order, the manager looked at Mike's incredibly young face and asked responsibly, "Are you sure you don't need us to help with the design layout?"
"No thanks, I've got a complete plan in mind," Mike replied.
"Alright, you're the customer, you're the boss," the manager joked, not pushing the issue.
Mike had prepared plenty of cash for this operation, which was likely why the manager was so accommodating. As long as the money is right, the customer is always King.
Mike gave the manager a few specific instructions, and the man and his two workers got to work.
Two hours later, a "flower path" leading from the yard into the living room was complete.
Fresh flowers, ribbons, balloons, and bright backdrops created a perfectly romantic atmosphere.
After paying the bill and sending the workers away, Mike checked the time. "Paige, do your parents have a favorite restaurant?"
"There's a steakhouse they really like. They love the flavor there..." Paige thought for a moment.
"Perfect. Do you know their number for takeout?" Mike asked.
"Sure." For a memory whiz like Paige, recalling a phone number was nothing.
There was still some time before dinner, but considering the travel time for Paige's parents, booking now wasn't too early.
Mike called the steakhouse.
He didn't just order food; he requested a full "candlelight dinner" package to be delivered, including a bottle of their best red wine.
Mike was definitely spending a pretty penny today.
Soon enough, the restaurant's special delivery arrived and was set up on the dining table in the living room.
Looking at the dreamlike, romantic scene before her, Paige looked up at Mike with a sudden realization. "Mike, you must have no trouble getting girlfriends, right?"
"Huh?" Mike, who was double-checking the placement of the decorations, didn't follow her train of thought.
"You just seem to know exactly how to make girls happy," Paige explained.
Oh, so that's it.
Mike laughed, shook his head, and pointed at his own handsome face. "Look at this face. Do you really think I need to try to make girls happy?"
It was a shameless thing to say, but... he wasn't wrong.
Paige stared at him, eyes wide, apparently stunned by his sheer audacity.
"Alright, clock's ticking. I need you to forge your parents' handwriting and write a short 'confession' note for each of them. Then, we need to get out of here..." Mike ruffled the girl's hair to snap her out of it.
"Hey!" Paige ducked away from his hand, smoothed her hair, and asked, "What should I write?"
"Just write something sweet, or copy a couple of lines from a romantic poem. It doesn't have to be Shakespeare," Mike said casually.
The main stage was already set; the notes were just the cherry on top.
Under Mike's supervision, Paige scribbled on two cards, then tucked them into two large bouquets of flowers.
She labeled them with her parents' names, placed them in the designated spots, and then Mike ushered her out of the house.
They found a hiding spot across the street with a good view.
"Mom," Paige said into the phone, following the script she and Mike had rehearsed. "Dad asked me to tell you he prepared a surprise for you at home. You should come back right now..."
Linda still had feelings for her husband. Hearing her daughter's message, she sounded genuinely pleasantly surprised.
Not long after, Linda—back to her dignified self—drove up. When she saw the heart-shaped balloons at the gate, a smile broke out on her face.
She walked up the flower path leading to the living room, looking absolutely delighted.
Across the street, Mike and Paige were watching Linda's reaction like hawks.
Seeing her enter the house with a smile, Mike knew the battle was half won.
"Okay, call your dad now," Mike instructed.
Paige nodded and dialed her father.
"Dad," she said, "Mom wants to make up with you. She prepared a huge surprise at home. Come back quick..." Paige was getting good at this; she cleverly guided the conversation.
A little while later, Barry's car pulled into the driveway.
When he saw the decorations, a long-lost smile appeared on his face, too.
---
Once both parents were inside, Mike and Paige snuck up to the yard to peek through the window.
The success of the entire plan hinged on this moment.
Inside the room, Paige's father read the small card in the bouquet. He stood up and walked over to embrace his wife.
Seeing them hugging tightly, Mike knew the mission was a success.
"Alright, we really need to go now," Mike whispered, nudging the transfixed little girl.
Whatever happened next in that house was likely going to be rated R. If they didn't leave now, things were going to get very awkward for Paige very quickly.