Margo's Got Money Troubles

Margo wakes up in the morning next to JB and discovers she has six missed calls from Jinx. She calls back in a panic and learns that someone has arrived for a home inspection; if Margo is not there in 15 minutes, they are threatening to take Bodhi with them.

Margo rushes home by herself to find a heavily pregnant woman named Maribel from Child Protective Services. Maribel is intrigued to learn that Margo is also undergoing a psychological evaluation as part of a custody mediation, but she reveals she is there on a separate investigation. Someone called in reporting neglect and abuse, though Maribel refuses to reveal the caller’s identity.

Maribel asks questions about Margo’s night away and what her dating life looks like. When Jinx notices Margo’s injured ankle, Maribel seems to think Margo injured it because she was drinking heavily the previous night, despite Margo’s denial. She examines Margo and Bodhi’s room and asks more questions while Margo silently panics about the needles that are still hidden in her closet. Maribel even insists that Margo change Bodhi’s diaper, and she seems skeptical at Margo’s explanation that the redness on his bottom is just a diaper rash.

When Maribel learns of Jinx’s past career in professional wrestling, she asks specific questions about substance abuse, and Margo is forced to admit that he is currently in treatment. Maribel makes both Jinx and Margo submit urine samples and declares that Jinx needs to get off the methadone if he will be staying in this house. Margo is appalled that Maribel is suggesting that Jinx quit the treatment program that has a higher success rate than the 12-step program Maribel suggests. However, Maribel claims that this is policy and it is non-negotiable.

Margo and Jinx discuss Maribel’s visit and panic about Margo having used mushrooms not long ago. They look it up online and are relieved to discover that the mushrooms will not show up on the urine test, but they will turn up in a hair follicle test.

Margo calls JB and breaks things off with him. She explains her situation and insists that she needs to focus on fixing things. Later, she tells Jinx that she is thinking of quitting OnlyFans. Jinx encourages her to keep with it as she is not doing anything wrong. He also says that he will move out as he doesn’t want to stop the methadone treatment when it is going so well. Margo worries about how she will manage both OnlyFans and raising Bodhi without Jinx. She decides she will pivot into a career in real estate instead; that way, Mark will have no grounds to take Bodhi.

Dr. Sharp arrives for the home visit just as Jinx is packing up to move out. Margo tells her about the CPS visit and Jinx’s methadone treatment, and Dr. Sharp confirms that she is not the one who triggered it. Dr. Sharp observes Margo with Bodhi at meal times and during his bath, and she leaves just before bedtime, thanking Margo for being generous with her time. Later that night, Margo thinks about how she could potentially date JB if she quits OnlyFans, but she finds it difficult to picture herself with him.

Margo visits Shyanne and apologizes for lying, revealing that she is going to quit OnlyFans. Shyanne is initially cold with her, but she eventually warms up and fills Margo in on her wedding; she admits that she snuck away to gamble while Kenny was asleep. Shyanne is thrilled to learn that Margo is thinking of a career in real estate. She asserts that she knew Margo would come to her senses, as she didn’t think Margo would have wanted to lose Bodhi.

Margo is stunned since she has not mentioned the home visit yet, and she is livid to discover that Kenny is the one who called CPS. Shyanne reveals that once Kenny saw the posts, he badgered Shyanne to do something about it, and Shyanne couldn’t say no. Margo questions why Shyanne married someone who is so unyielding, and Shyanne confesses that she felt like it was the only choice she had. While Margo understands her mother’s position, she is also furious. She calls Shyanne out on pretending that her judgment is love rather than a fear of losing her husband. Margo tells Shyanne to stay out of her life, and she leaves.

When Margo gets home, she receives an email from Ward with the report of the psychological evaluation. In the detailed report, Dr. Sharp notes that Margo displays high intellectual and cognitive functioning and that she perceives the world and people around her in nuanced ways. She describes Margo’s involvement and responsiveness as a parent. She also acknowledges the potential stress from Margo’s line of work, but she notes that it currently allows Margo to be a present parent while bringing in a good income. Dr. Sharp recommends that the baby’s legal and physical custody remain with Margo, calling her parenting approach “optimal” for Bodhi. An overjoyed and proud Margo begins thinking about how she can use this report to stop the CPS investigation from proceeding.

Margo visits Mark at his house, curious to find out if he still wants to be a part of Bodhi’s life following Dr. Sharp’s report. Mark confesses his change of heart stems from Sarah, his ex-wife, finding out about Margo and Bodhi when Jinx called and yelled at him. Mark reveals the divorce is not yet finalized, and Margo guesses that by filing for custody, Mark was trying to show Sarah that he is willing to take accountability for his actions in the hope that she won’t leave him. Mark has also changed his views about Margo’s fitness as a mother: He says he bought the Rigoberto video and was impressed with it, confessing that it’s not what he was picturing. He is content with Margo retaining custody, though he says he would also like to meet Bodhi. Margo welcomes this.

At home, Margo goes through the binder she put together with her plans to move into real estate. She dreads having to do it, but she is also afraid of losing Bodhi if she doesn’t follow society’s unwritten rules. Suddenly, struck with an idea, she meets with Ward to put together a plan about the CPS investigation. Margo suggests they present OnlyFans as “a social media spin on a camgirl site” to present their case favorably (274). Ward is skeptical, but when Margo reveals what Maribel said to enter the house, he comes up with another plan.

Margo waits for Maribel’s return. Jinx rents a house close by, and Margo is glad to still have him around. She contemplates how she will eventually make peace with Shyanne, as she is the only mother Margo has. She also thinks about how, following Bodhi’s birth, there will now always be love in her world.

Mark comes over to meet Bodhi for the first time. He and Jinx get along well despite their earlier rocky start, and Mark’s obvious delight in his son earns Margo’s approval. During Mark’s visit, Maribel arrives. She proclaims Jinx tested positive for opiates, and Margo points out they already had the paperwork about his methadone treatment. Furthermore, with him moving out over the weekend, the methadone holds no relevance anymore.

Maribel reveals Margo’s test was clean, but she demands a hair follicle test. Margo demands a warrant for the test, knowing Maribel won’t have one. Earlier, Ward had explained that no judge would sign off on it since neither her home nor her urine had any evidence of drugs to begin with. Maribel threatens Margo by stating that refusing to comply would be seen as a red flag.

Margo presents evidence of her positive psychological evaluation and a signed letter from Mark proclaiming he has no objection to Margo’s work on OnlyFans. She also presents legal precedent showing how another mother working as a camgirl, which is considered a legal, sex-work-adjacent field, had sued CPS for taking her children away and won $2.2 million. Finally, Margo presents a letter from Ward threatening to prosecute as Maribel entered the house under false pretenses the first time, claiming she would take Bodhi away if Jinx didn’t comply or Margo didn’t turn up.

Maribel immediately backtracks, claiming that Bodhi appears to be safe with Margo, and she asserts that this home visit concludes the investigation. She leaves in a rush, even as Margo wishes her good luck with her own baby.

After Mark leaves, Margo calls KC and Rose over, and they celebrate with Jinx and Suzie. Later, Suzie asks Margo if she can officially be a part of the business team, and Margo welcomes her in with open arms.

At the end of February, Margo gets a surprise call from JB: He’s in town and wants to meet. Over a meal, JB tells Margo that he doesn’t think they should date, given what Margo said to him when they broke up. However, he doesn’t want to waste the connection they clearly share.

JB proposes they start a business together, using his machine learning engineering experience and her talent for writing. They would offer “in-depth data-driven analysis of their target demographic to OnlyFans content creators and make ad recommendations” (290). Margo loves the idea; however, they ponder whether they can work together as business associates without getting romantically involved.

JB and Margo continue shooting ideas about their business. JB suggests they call it “Ghost Ink,” and Margo is pleased. She thanks JB for coming down and presenting this idea to her, and he confesses he couldn’t stop thinking about her; he knew they would end up in each other’s lives, and he just had to figure out how. Margo silently admits that she wants this, too, and she looks forward to starting this next adventure with him. She reflects on how, ultimately, all art is just “[o]ne person trying to get another person they have never met to fall in love with them” (294).