Page 18 of The Secret Heir Next Door

"I'm so glad you think so. We can use all of these to make your party magical."

Abby bobs her head, completely enthralled by Serena and her candy wonderland. I feel a sense of relief. If Serena can keep Abby this happy, then maybe, just maybe, this party might actually work.

But then I’m stuck with this eyesore near my building.

“I love them.”

“Abby, what about this?” Serena asks as she gets on her tablet and starts drawing something.

I peek over her shoulder to see that she’s drawing a unicorn wearing a Spiderman costume. She makes a series of unicorns wearing superhero costumes.

“Whoa!” Abby gushes. “That one, that one!”

“You just did those free hand?” I ask in awe. “That’s quite impressive.”

“It’s a good skill to have,” she shrugs. “What do you think, Abby? Would you like these guys at your party?”

“Yes!”

“How can you deliver that? No one will be able to make that in two weeks.”

“I make a lot of my own decorations if I have to. I have a 3D printer and a lot of other tools to work with.”

"You've really exceeded my expectations. This is incredible."

She nods and goes back to talking to Abby while also taking notes on her tablet.

"Thank you," she replies, standing up and turning to face me. "I want to make sure Abby has the best birthday ever."

"Well, you're off to a great start," I admit, watching Abby as she marvels at a display of colorful candies.

"I hope so," Serena’s eyes meet mine. "She's a wonderful little girl. I'm glad I can help."

Abby tugs on Serena's sleeve, drawing her attention back. "Can we make a candy necklace, Serena?"

"Of course, we can," she laughs, taking Abby's hand and leading her to another table set up with candy beads and strings.

Abby is smiling, laughing, and completely engaged. Serena's efforts are paying off, and I can see the genuine connection she's forming with Abby.

The little girl before me isn’t cranky. She isn’t getting into trouble. She is excited, attentive, and loving every minute of this.

I really do need to step up more. Three kids under the age of four is a lot for one woman to handle.

"Uncle Logan, look!" Abby calls out, holding up her half-finished candy necklace. "Isn't it pretty?"

"It's beautiful, Abby," I say, smiling at her. "You're doing a great job."

“We can have this at the party, too,” Serena grins back at Abby. Serena’s eyes flit up to mine. “I made a little basket of things to try for you.”

“For me?”

“Yeah, you’re so adamant that the store is an eyesore, but you haven’t tried anything in it or attempted to understand the need for the colors.”

She’s right, but I won’t let her see that yet.

I walk over to the table, where I see two baskets wrapped in cellophane.

“What’s this one?”