Daria was texting Frankie on her secret phone when a knock sounded at her bedroom door. She quickly shoved the phone under her pillow.

“Come in,” she called. Her little brother Donny slipped into the room and climbed onto the bed. Daria instinctively wrapped her arms around him as he curled up against her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked softly.

“Dad’s pacing again,” Donny mumbled. “I heard him talking to Mom last night. Mom’s in trouble with Grandpa Anton.”

“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Daria said, rubbing his back gently. “Why don’t you go see if Rosemary will give you a cookie? I’ll go talk to Dad.”

Donny nodded. They walked out of the room together. While he headed toward the kitchen, Daria climbed the stairs to her parents’ bedroom. The door stood open, so she knocked lightly on the frame before stepping inside.

Her father was putting on his shoes, but he stopped for a moment when he heard her. He offered a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hi, sweetheart. Everything okay?” “That’s what I came to ask you,” Daria said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Donny said you were pacing again. Can we talk about it?”

Junior let out a small sigh and shrugged. “It’s nothing, really. You know how I worry about your mom. She’s been pushing herself too hard lately. I asked her to step back for a while, but she wouldn’t listen, and now…” He trailed off with another sigh.

“And now what?” Daria pressed gently.

It was obvious he didn’t want to involve her, but the exhaustion and strain on his face told her he needed someone to talk to. “Come on, Dad. Secret’s safe with me,” she said.

Junior hesitated, then caved. “Your mom accidentally let some shipments get sent to the wrong place. They belonged to your great-uncle Anthony. She’s trying to get them back right now.”

“And if she can’t?”

“It’ll get worked out,” he said,. “I don’t want you worrying about this, okay?” “How much money are we talking about?” Daria asked.

Junior shook his head, clearly unwilling to give her the number. “Don’t worry about all that, Daria.”

She wasn’t satisfied, but she knew better than to push. “Is there anything I can do to help you stop worrying?” Junior smiled softly, the first real one she’d seen from him all day. “You already have. But I do need to head out for a bit. If you could help Rosemary keep an eye on the boys while I’m gone, that would be great.”

“Of course, Dad.”

Daria watched him grab his keys and leave the room. Her heart ached for both her parents. She wanted to help, but she had no idea what she could do.