Maddie spent the rest of the day with Joyce, doing everything in her power to cheer her up. She bought her expensive clothes, makeup, jewelry, dinner, desserts, and even a teddy bear! But for some reason, it didn't work. Joyce was just as miserable as before. She seemed to feel even worse now.

"I don't get it." Maddie stopped dead in her tracks, dumped the shopping bags on a nearby bench, and turned to face Joyce.

"How do I make you happy?"

In response, Joyce just offered a sad smile and looked away.

"I am happy."

"Liar." Maddie insisted. "That’s a fake smile, I can tell. What's the problem?"

Joyce just let out a quiet sigh. Her eyes started welling up with tears again, but she tried her best to fight them back.

"I'm sorry... You spent so much money on me... My foster parents don't make in a year what you just dropped on me alone..."

Saying this, she slid down to the floor, leaning her back against the wooden railing and hugging the teddy bear tighter to her chest.

"I’m such a failure... I always ruin everything... I destroy everything I touch... And even this vacation... I managed to ruin it on the very first day..."

For the first time ever, Maddie found herself utterly clueless about what to do. She was used to solving any problem just by throwing a pile of cash at it, but here, that seemed to be doing the exact opposite. The sheer amount of money being spent on her was actually hurting Joyce; she was being eaten alive by guilt. But Maddie didn't get that. Or rather, she refused to get it.

"What can I do for you?" she whispered, sitting down right next to her friend and resting her head on Joyce's shoulder.

"Please, just tell me. I wanna make you happy, I really do. But... I don't know how."

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, broken only by the sound of the crashing waves.

"Could you just... stay with me for a bit? That's really all I need."

Hearing such a simple request, Maddie just let out a soft chuckle and shook her head.

"...'Kay. No more spending for today."