Between conversations at work and via text, I couldn't piece together whether Mason was the rightful owner of the red sailboat I saw on Lake Erie, but it didn't matter when it wasn't on the water, and he wasn't even in Ohio.

He was just another Midwestern musician in the world, and although many of our well-known contributions were more in the angsty rock crap that I didn't listen to, classical musicians and piano players had a place in the world too.

But without him to keep me distracted, what was I supposed to focus on? My career goals?

Actually, yes, Marigold. That would probably be a good idea.

I sat down in front of the TV with my navy blue yarn and crochet hook, I realized that it really didn't get any better than the road map I had for myself in my head. Working for myself while watching TV was the American Dream, really. In fact, the only way I could possibly outdo myself on that was to take my crochet onto a boat and work there.

How could I ignore that thought? It was brilliant.

Although Mason didn't tell me where he was going to play that weekend instead of the Lakeside Daisy (and I couldn't stalk his social media to figure it, since he didn't have any), it probably wasn't too nosy to ask him directly.

I put down my hook and picked up my phone. Whether Mason wanted to participate in it or not, we lived in the age of instant, constant communication, and it was beautiful—but playing the game was an art that I had yet to master.

I stared at the screen for a moment, unsure of how to ask my question in a way that didn't seem like I cared too much, when Alex came into the room. I looked up at her and smiled.

"You're still working on that blanket? It seems like you've been chipping away at it for almost a year at this point, she said, and I nodded.

"Well, it's only been eight months, and I'm only kind of working on it now. I'm trying to figure out where Mason is this weekend without seeming like a stalker," I said.

"And you said that he lives his life in real life instead of on Instagram, right?"

I nodded. "It's psychopathic, really."

"Then text him and ask him if you're so curious. People like people who care about what they're doing with their lives. Most people just pretend to care, as long as it's convenient for them."

She had a point. I certainly knew how it felt to feel like no one was really hearing a single word that I had said.

I typed up my message: Hey! I was curious about where you're playing this weekend. And I added a cute smiley emoji at the end so I seemed endearing instead of crazy.

The three little dots popped up, and while I wasn't expecting such a quick response, I was also expecting more of a conversation than the one-word reply of Pittsburgh.

"Pittsburgh? That's a couple hours away, and it's very not specific," I mumbled out loud to myself.

Alex answered anyway. "Why does it matter? It's not like you were planning on going to see him."

I wasn't, but now that the idea was out in the universe, it wasn't going to leave my mind any time in the near future.

"Oh my god, I should not have said that," Alex mumbled to herself, and this time, I replied.

"Well, if asking people about what they're doing with their life is good, isn't actively supporting them even better?"

She shook her head. "Not when you've only been talking for a few weeks. That's literally the most insane thing you can do right now."

Although she was definitely right, it was okay to be a little crazy when it came to aesthetic boats. It was the one thing that I had learned in my twenty-four years of life.

She wasn't going to be able to talk me out of it now. I'd tell Mason that I loved his piano playing at work, which was true, and that I wanted to support him and his career even more.

"Blake? Could you come here for a second? I made a giant mistake, and when it blows up in Marigold's face, she's gonna hate me," Alex called, and he walked into the room, right in front of the TV.

"Would you move? I'm trying to watch Chopped," I said, but Blake didn't budge. He just stood there with his arms crossed, but he wasn't intimidating in the slightest. My arms were bigger than his.

"What's going on?" he asked.

With every word of Alex's explanation, his harsh stare became more and more judgmental in my direction. But it wasn't my fault. Out of Mason and me, one of us had to make something happen if it was ever going to. And I didn't mind being the one to take the leap (except I did, but no one needed to know that it stressed me out).

"Your car barely makes it to work, MG. It's not gonna make it to—" he trailed off, and when Alex told him it was Pittsburgh, he rolled his eyes. "Your car can't make it there. Don't be ridiculous."

"Uber," I said.

"Do you have any idea how expensive that's going to be, especially in this economy?" he continued. "You don't have money."

I bit my cheek. "You don't know what my financial situation is. You just think you're better than me because you have a degree and an office job and your own desk."

"But you don't have excess money just lying around, do you?"

I didn't, but there wasn't anything wrong with a little bit of credit card debt. "I think I can pay for a weekend trip, Blake. Don't be so condescending."

He held his hands up. "If you're sure, then do it."

"I will."

"Marigold, don't fall for this. You know he just likes to get people all worked up so they do something really stupid because he thinks it's funny," Alex said.

But it was only a little bit stupid, and if it worked out for me, he wouldn't have anything to laugh at.

Well, if there was ever a time in my life to be only a little bit stupid, it was now.

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Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate your support as I try to navigate writing this book.

So for today's question, what is something new that you have learned about yourself in the last three months?

For me, it's that I'm not invincible, and that is perfectly okay! I've struggled with migraines for quite some time, and as I've gotten older, they've gotten worse. It's very frustrating when I want to do something and can't because I'm in too much pain, am too exhausted, or am struggling with the neurological effects of migraines (it feels like I'm discovering new ones all the time haha). And I've recently learned that it's okay to be irritated about it, but at the same time, I have to listen to what my body is telling me. I'm not invincible. And there's nothing wrong with that.