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She was talking faster now, eager to explain the design before her father decided against it.

“I don’t have to use anything dangerous. The lady at the costume tent said there are safe things for kids, and I can do the stitches with makeup instead of putting things on my skin.”

Duncan shook his head.

“No, Sienna. I thought we agreed on a simple costume. I’m not having you turn yourself into something that looks like it came out of one of my old horror projects.”

“But that’s the whole point! It’s supposed to look like a monster.”

“I understand what you’re asking. I’m telling you I don’t want you wearing that kind of makeup.”

Sienna’s face crumpled with frustration.

“You always do this. You decide it’s too scary before you even look at what I made.”

Duncan’s shoulders stiffened.

“That’s not fair. I’ve spent this entire weekend letting you try things I wasn’t sure about. You’ve done the costume tent, the hair, the makeup, and all the crafts you wanted. I’m allowed to say no to something.”

“I know you’re allowed. But you won’t even look at my drawing!”

She turned toward me.

“Goldie looked at my sketches. She said I was good at it.”

Duncan went still.

I recognized the moment his attention shifted from Sienna to me.

“You’ve seen her drawings?”

“Some of them,” I said carefully. “She showed me her sketchbook Friday afternoon while you were working.”

His gaze remained on mine.

“And you knew she was drawing things like this?”

“She showed me costumes, scenery, makeup ideas, and some really clever room designs. I told her she had a good eye for it.”

Sienna nodded emphatically.

“She said I should show you.”

Duncan looked between us.

“Then why am I hearing about this now?”

I glanced toward the nearby festival visitors. A family had stopped to examine the ornaments on the next table, and I didn’t want this becoming a public argument.

“Could we move over there for a minute?”

Duncan followed my glance and seemed to realize how close we were to the other customers.

He took Sienna’s hand, and we walked to a quieter area beside the path where the vendor tents ended.

I turned toward him.

“Sienna showed me her drawings because she wanted my opinion. I told her they were good, and I encouraged her to show them to you. I didn’t tell her she could make any of the things she’d drawn, and I didn’t promise you’d approve them.”