At dinner, Connie, who had come to the Cooper family with Dr. Sturgis, looked much better.
Mike and Sheldon also took advantage of the time before dinner ended to tell Connie and Mary about Paige.
Both were impressed by the smart little girl who had visited last time, so they both agreed to help.
"Maybe I can help a little too." Dr. Sturgis, who had listened to Paige's situation, spoke up, "My research project starts in two weeks, which is a good reason to persuade Paige's mother."
After listening to Mike's explanation, Dr. Sturgis also somewhat understood how difficult Paige's mother was.
For the sake of the little girl, he decided to join Mike's plan. And personally, Dr. Sturgis was genuinely optimistic about Paige, this little prodigy.
"With your help, our plan will be even more perfect," Mike said with a smile.
For Linda, a mother with overwhelming control, Mike's previous plan was to use the excuse of studying to give Paige free weekend time.
And this excuse, relying solely on Connie and the Cooper family, might not be convincing enough.
Now with Dr. Sturgis, an authority figure, the possibility of persuading Linda was much greater.
Next, the few of them finalized the specific plan to help Paige as dinner concluded.
...
A week passed in a blink of an eye, and before another weekend arrived, Mary and Connie also called Linda as planned.
After explaining the situation, Connie, acting as a representative, arranged to meet Linda on Saturday.
At the coffee shop, Connie, Dr. Sturgis, and Mike successfully met Linda, who came with her daughter.
"What was the University research project you mentioned earlier?" Linda asked directly shortly after entering.
It was clear that Linda was very dedicated to her daughter's upbringing.
"It's a physics research project that my colleagues and I initiated," Dr. Sturgis said.
Hearing that such a research project truly existed, Linda felt relieved. Afterwards, she asked curiously, "Is Paige really qualified to participate in that kind of research project?"
One must know that Dr. Sturgis had a doctorate, so his research project would certainly not be simple.
"Paige is very smart and definitely qualified to be my research assistant," Dr. Sturgis said. "Of course, if she can keep up with my progress, there's a good chance she can also become a researcher."
"No, it's already great that Paige can be your assistant," Linda said humbly, then turned to her daughter and said, "Why don't you thank Dr. Sturgis quickly?"
Even if Linda was not a professional, she knew that her daughter participating in such a University research project would definitely allow her to learn a lot.
"Thank you, Dr. Sturgis, for giving me this opportunity," Paige said cooperatively.
The little girl also knew that Dr. Sturgis was there to help her, so her "thank you" was very sincere.
"You're welcome, Paige, you deserve it. And I'm also very optimistic about you," Dr. Sturgis meaningfully reminded her, "Don't ever waste your talent."
"I won't." Paige nodded obediently.
Seeing the initial success of the plan, Connie immediately spoke up, "Linda, my place is very close to the University of Texas. Why don't you let Paige stay at my place on weekends? It would be good for her to communicate more with Mike and Sheldon."
Allowing Paige to temporarily escape her mother's control was the key to this plan.
Hearing Connie's suggestion, Linda was clearly tempted.
Taking her daughter to various tutoring classes every weekend actually took up too much of Linda's personal time.
Plus, she was recently divorcing her husband and indeed didn't have much energy to take care of her daughter.
"Linda, you also need some personal time." Connie, seeing signs of her loosening up, continued to persuade her, "Think about it, when was the last time you had free weekend time?"
Connie's words hit Linda's weak spot, making her fall into deep thought.
Indeed, after discovering her daughter's talent in academics, Linda had not had any personal time completely to herself for a long time.
"Alright, I agree to let Paige try staying at your place for two days first." Linda, who had thought for a while, agreed to Connie's suggestion.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of Paige." Seeing the plan succeed, Connie said with a smile.
Paige, standing nearby, exchanged glances with Mike and then also showed a happy smile.
Next, Linda discussed some more details about Paige's temporary stay with Connie. Only after everything was settled did she leave the coffee shop feeling at ease.
It must be said that Connie was very experienced in negotiating and comforting people.
As for Paige, after confirming her mother had left, she let out a long sigh of relief, stood up, and said solemnly, "Thank you all—"
It was clear that the little girl felt a lot of pressure when facing her mother.
Having free weekend time now was very precious to her.
"You're welcome, this is all Mike's credit, John and I just helped out a little," Connie said with a smile.
Looking at the girl who was the same age as her little grandson, Connie felt not only a little heartache for her but also genuinely liked the little girl's intelligence and sensibility.
Being able to see the other person's sincere smile, Connie was also genuinely happy for her.
Afterwards, she specifically ordered some food to share with everyone.
This was also fulfilling her promise to treat Mike to a meal last weekend.
After eating, the few of them went outside the shop. Connie asked, "Do you want me to drive you back, or do you want to do your own thing?"
"You go first, Paige and I will just walk around," Mike immediately responded.
Clearly, since Dr. Sturgis rarely came out, Connie likely had special arrangements with him.
Moreover, Mike also had the task of trying to reconcile Paige's parents.
"Alright, I wish you a good time." Connie smiled and didn't ask further. Then, she took Dr. Sturgis's arm and walked towards her private car.
After the car left, Paige playfully jumped in front of Mike and asked with a smile, "What should we do next?"
Without adults present, Paige showed her childlike innocence. Or rather, she felt very comfortable around Mike.
"First, we need to find out where your mother went before we can proceed," Mike said.
In Mike's plan, he wanted to create a romantic experience for Paige's parents, allowing them to relive their initial good times.
"I think she should be at the bar now," Paige thought for a moment and said.
She knew her mother was also under a lot of pressure, and with this rare free weekend, she might very well go to a bar to let loose.
"Let's go, you lead the way, and we'll confirm," Mike said.
For a couple, the coziest place is their shared home. There, they should have many beautiful memories.
Therefore, Mike's first choice for the "surprise" venue for Paige's parents was their home.
Now, he needed to confirm that Paige's parents were not at home.
So, led by Paige, they arrived at a nearby bar. Sure enough, Mike saw Linda on the dance floor.
She was completely different from her usual dignified appearance.
Accompanied by the deafening music, Paige's mother was the most wild dancer on the floor.
After a few surprised glances, Mike quickly pulled the embarrassed Paige and quietly left the bar.