“She’s not the only family I have. I have you.”
Maddy studied me for a moment. “And our moms. Right? They’re your family too.”
I licked my lips. “Yeah. Of course.” But even the way I said it came out disingenuous.
She looked away from me. “Emma…” Her eyes came back to mine. “Please. Please do it. Do it now before you lose the chance to meet them altogether. People don’t live forever.”
I knew who she was talking about. My grandparents died before I was born. Not getting to know them had always made me deeply sad. My mom had no siblings, no cousins, nobody else. There would only be my dad.
Mom said my conception had been a passionate one-night stand with a handsome, charming married stranger on a beach in Miami. She didn’t know his name—or she didn’t want to tell me.
I’d talked to Mom once about taking a DNA test. She got extremely upset. She said the only family I might find would be his, and she’d made it very clear that me popping up would ruin a marriage. She also said he’d told her he didn’t have kids and didn’t want any. I would not be a welcome surprise.
So if I wasn’t likely to find any siblings and my dad was someone who’d rather not know I exist, what was the point?
Only what if things were different?
What if he did have other kids now? People change their minds. What if I had a sister? Or a brother? What if I was an aunt, or somebody’s cousin—and they wanted to know me? What if he had a medical condition I should know about? Something genetic? Something I should be screened for?
I chewed on my lip.
“How about this,” Maddy said. “Run your DNA and make your account private. We’ll change your privacy settings for a few minutes, poke around. If you have any relatives out there, we’ll screenshot it and go back to private. Then I’ll go and find them online and tell you if they seem like people worth knowing.”
“I don’t know…”
“Aren’t you curious?”
I blew a breath through my nose. I was. I always had been.
“Okay,” I said. “Fine.”
She squealed and tore the box open.
We did the test. I set up my profile on the website and Maddy said she’d mail it in the morning.
She went back to scrolling on her phone and I sat looking out over the water as the sun set. When my cell pinged next to me, I half expected Mom again, but this time it was Justin.
It was a link to SurveyMonkey.
“Huh,” I said.
Maddy nodded at my phone. “Amber?”
“Justin.”
“What is it?”
I clicked on it and a survey popped up titled “Your Date With Justin.” I had to cover my smile with a hand.
Congratulations on your upcoming date with Justin! Your preferences are important, so he’d like to know what you think. Please complete this questionnaire by 9:00 tonight.
“Oh my God,” I breathed. “He didn’t.”
It was multiple choice.
PREFERRED TIME OF DAY FOR OUR DATE:
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
WHAT ACTIVITIES INTEREST YOU?
Hiking
Dinner and a movie
A museum or aquarium
Day on the lake
Escape room
Wildcard (Justin’s choice)
Other:
