that we'd be curious about where he's been."
"We need to look for a sign that he's a fake," Rose said.
"Like what?" Poppy asked.
"Sugar," I said. "Remember, at the council meeting they said that doppelgangers love sugar."
"Dad has a sweet tooth," Rose pointed out. "That's going to make it tougher to figure out if this guy's real or not."
"I don't remember that," I said stubbornly.
"Well, he used to, anyway," she replied, with a shrug. "People do change, but don't you remember how Mom would always buy him chocolate from that little place on the boardwalk? He loved chocolate, just like you."
I hadn't remembered, not until now. What else had I forgotten in the years since I'd seen my father?
"We should concentrate on finding out more about him," I said. "Grandma's keeping him occupied for now, but I'll try to keep an eye on him and see if he lets anything slip."
"You're the youngest. Why do you get Dad?" Poppy asked.
"Because I'm the one he approached. That means he thinks I'm the weakest link."
"Or maybe it really is Dad and he just missed you."
"We can't think that way, not yet." Not even as much as l want to think that way. "Not until we have proof that he could be our father."
Just then there was a knock on the door. I looked at my watch. "Oh no," I said. "It's probably Ryan. We have a date tonight."
"Obviously, you can't go now," Poppy said, nodding in the direction of Dad.
"Tell him you're sick," Rose said.
"I don't like lying to my boyfriend," I protested.
"It's a white lie," Rose said softly. "If Ryan finds out Dad is here, he'll tell his dad, who will tell the whole council, who will come over here and take him away to see if he's a doppelganger. I think we should try to see if we can figure this out on our own first, don't you?"
I nodded, recalling how upset Deputy Doppelganger had looked in the holding cell this morning. I didn't want my dad—if he was—to be there unless it was absolutely necessary. Finally I answered the door, only opening it a crack.
"Hey," Ryan said hesitantly when he saw me still wearing my food-splattered apron from work. "Are you okay? Did you forget we have plans tonight?"
"No, I was going to call you. I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm just going to relax at home tonight."
"Oh," Ryan said. "Well, do you need some company? Can I come in?"
"You'd better not," I said. "I wouldn't want you to catch anything. So ... I'll call you when I feel better, okay?"
Ryan stuck his foot in the door to prevent me from closing it. "Is there something wrong, Daisy?"
My face flushed bright red. I was a terrible liar. "No, I told you, I'm just sick."
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your dad, would it? My dad told me that he—or his doppelganger—was spotted in town today. He's not here, is he?"
I glanced back at the couch, where Poppy and Rose were shaking their heads and mouthing no, no, no.
"No, of course not," I said to Ryan.
I was glad that Dad was still out in the backyard with Grandma, where Ryan couldn't hear or see him.
"Well ... okay," Ryan said reluctantly. "You will call me or my dad if you see the guy, right?"
I nodded, and faked a few coughs for good measure.
"Get some rest," he said, then leaned over to kiss my forehead.
When I shut the door, Poppy cried, "That was close!"
I hated lying to Ryan. "Now I really do feel sick."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The next morning over a breakfast of strawberry waffles, which I cooked, Dad made the suggestion that Grandma Giordano stay with us during the "adjustment phase."
"I've been gone a long time," he said. "I'm practically a stranger to you all. And I'll need a hand in the kitchen."
Grandma Giordano snorted. "Rafe, you know as well as I do that you're a better cook than I am. And Daisy takes after you. She does most of the cooking, anyway."
"Yes, well, I'm a little rusty in the kitchen," he said. "I was held against my will for so long."
"Held where?" Poppy chimed in.
"I don't know,"
"We need to look for a sign that he's a fake," Rose said.
"Like what?" Poppy asked.
"Sugar," I said. "Remember, at the council meeting they said that doppelgangers love sugar."
"Dad has a sweet tooth," Rose pointed out. "That's going to make it tougher to figure out if this guy's real or not."
"I don't remember that," I said stubbornly.
"Well, he used to, anyway," she replied, with a shrug. "People do change, but don't you remember how Mom would always buy him chocolate from that little place on the boardwalk? He loved chocolate, just like you."
I hadn't remembered, not until now. What else had I forgotten in the years since I'd seen my father?
"We should concentrate on finding out more about him," I said. "Grandma's keeping him occupied for now, but I'll try to keep an eye on him and see if he lets anything slip."
"You're the youngest. Why do you get Dad?" Poppy asked.
"Because I'm the one he approached. That means he thinks I'm the weakest link."
"Or maybe it really is Dad and he just missed you."
"We can't think that way, not yet." Not even as much as l want to think that way. "Not until we have proof that he could be our father."
Just then there was a knock on the door. I looked at my watch. "Oh no," I said. "It's probably Ryan. We have a date tonight."
"Obviously, you can't go now," Poppy said, nodding in the direction of Dad.
"Tell him you're sick," Rose said.
"I don't like lying to my boyfriend," I protested.
"It's a white lie," Rose said softly. "If Ryan finds out Dad is here, he'll tell his dad, who will tell the whole council, who will come over here and take him away to see if he's a doppelganger. I think we should try to see if we can figure this out on our own first, don't you?"
I nodded, recalling how upset Deputy Doppelganger had looked in the holding cell this morning. I didn't want my dad—if he was—to be there unless it was absolutely necessary. Finally I answered the door, only opening it a crack.
"Hey," Ryan said hesitantly when he saw me still wearing my food-splattered apron from work. "Are you okay? Did you forget we have plans tonight?"
"No, I was going to call you. I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm just going to relax at home tonight."
"Oh," Ryan said. "Well, do you need some company? Can I come in?"
"You'd better not," I said. "I wouldn't want you to catch anything. So ... I'll call you when I feel better, okay?"
Ryan stuck his foot in the door to prevent me from closing it. "Is there something wrong, Daisy?"
My face flushed bright red. I was a terrible liar. "No, I told you, I'm just sick."
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your dad, would it? My dad told me that he—or his doppelganger—was spotted in town today. He's not here, is he?"
I glanced back at the couch, where Poppy and Rose were shaking their heads and mouthing no, no, no.
"No, of course not," I said to Ryan.
I was glad that Dad was still out in the backyard with Grandma, where Ryan couldn't hear or see him.
"Well ... okay," Ryan said reluctantly. "You will call me or my dad if you see the guy, right?"
I nodded, and faked a few coughs for good measure.
"Get some rest," he said, then leaned over to kiss my forehead.
When I shut the door, Poppy cried, "That was close!"
I hated lying to Ryan. "Now I really do feel sick."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The next morning over a breakfast of strawberry waffles, which I cooked, Dad made the suggestion that Grandma Giordano stay with us during the "adjustment phase."
"I've been gone a long time," he said. "I'm practically a stranger to you all. And I'll need a hand in the kitchen."
Grandma Giordano snorted. "Rafe, you know as well as I do that you're a better cook than I am. And Daisy takes after you. She does most of the cooking, anyway."
"Yes, well, I'm a little rusty in the kitchen," he said. "I was held against my will for so long."
"Held where?" Poppy chimed in.
"I don't know,"
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