"You know what?" I said, dabbing my lips with the napkin. "I think we should skip dessert tonight. I want to get home to Macy."
Brad raised an eyebrow. "Jess, she's grounded, right. Isn't she supposed to be in her room? Why do we need to get home early?"
"She is. But I think it's time for a mother-daughter conversation about respect. And consequences."
Brad was clearly not happy with me. I'll make it up to him later tonight. The drive home gave me time to plan. Macy was playing little Miss Innocent, probably pretending to be tucked away in bed by now—thinking she'd gotten away with her little rebellion. Looks like she still had no idea I monitored every keystroke and click she made.
Most parents use monitoring software. How else am I supposed to keep an eye on and ensure she doesn't start to have loyalties to the wrong person—to the wrong woman—in the wrong place?
I let myself in quietly, having noted that Macy's light was off when we drove up. Good. She thought she was being so careful.
I walked up the stairs slowly, deliberately, my heels clicking on the hardwood just loud enough to announce my presence. Standing at her door, I could hear the rustle of movement inside—probably rushing to pretend she is asleep.
I knocked once, then opened the door without waiting for permission.
"Mom?" Macy's voice was perfectly pitched—surprised but sleepy, but I could tell she was faking a wake up voice.
She was good. I'd give her that.
"Hi, sweetheart." I stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind me. "Did you have a good evening?"
"Yeah. I did some homework and went to bed early."
"That's good. Very responsible." I moved closer to her bed, noting how her eyes tracked my movement. I looked around the room casually—her desk chair had clothes draped over it, backpack in the corner—no Dior bag anywhere though. "Where's that beautiful purse Daddy got you? I wanted to see how you're taking care of it."
Macy's face flushed slightly. "It's... I left it at dad's."
"Hmmm. That's smart. Such an expensive piece—you want to make sure it stays perfect." I smiled softly. "I was actually hoping I could borrow it sometime. I have a client event next month and I thought it would be perfect with my navy dress."
"Oh. Um. Maybe?"
Interesting. The hesitation told me something had happened. Either the bag was damaged already—which would be typical Macy—or there was more to this 온라인카지노게임 than I'd been told. I'm betting Felicity knew I'd want to use it and was trying to keep it away from me. Yup. She definitely needs to stay in her lane. 
"You know, I've been thinking about our conversation earlier. About Felicity."
I could swear I saw Macy's shoulders tense. "Oh. Okay."
"I realize I may have been too harsh. You're growing up, and you're going to form attachments to people. That's natural."
Hope flickered across her face. "Really?"
"Really." I sat on the edge of her bed, smoothing the comforter with maternal care. "But I also think there are things about adult relationships you don't understand. It's not your fault obviously. It's just that, well honey—sometimes, when marriages are in trouble, children get caught in the middle."
"In trouble? What do you mean?"
"Well, you probably noticed some tension between Felicity and your father. I didn't want to say, but I think it would be good for you to know a little bit—your father and Felicity have been having some problems lately."