‘Just so long as they don’t do it at a waiter, we’re all good,’ said Jack.
‘Correct response,’ I said.
‘Also, we would never,’ said Finn, snapping his fingers like they were castanets. The candles flamed, then guttered, flamed, then guttered.
‘Please stop him,’ muttered Noah, as he laid out the cutlery and napkins.
‘Are we ready to rock and roll?’ called Rosie, coming out with her drink high and her hair higher. She left the door open so that the warm strains of Glenn Miller’s music could be heard. Mom followed after her, and we all took bets on whether she could withstand the door being left open.
Halfway to the table, Mom turned back to close the door. The rest of us broke into a cheer.
‘Leave it, Amelia,’ called Rosie with a chuckle. ‘I’ve got the anti-mosquito charm going.’
Mom relented, though it definitely took all of her strength.
‘You look like you had a nice afternoon,’ I said, clinking my glass with Rosie’s as she took the seat next to mine. Finn took the seat opposite me, and Noah the one next to him. Oh good. This wouldn’t be awkward at all.
‘The ocean air always does me good,’ Rosie said, oblivious to the tension between the three of us. She dropped her voice. ‘I even got a tattoo. Look.’
She pulled up her skirt to reveal a rose on her ankle.
‘Trent at Spilled Ink did it,’ she confided. ‘Your mom got one as well.’
I gasped, leaning forward on my elbows to get a better look. ‘She did not.’
‘What is it? A dollar sign?’ whispered Lara, with a laugh.
‘Amelia, show us some skin,’ called Rosie.
‘Absolutely not,’ said Mom, who was hovering at the end of the table, typing on her phone.
With a grin, Rosie used her magic to lift the bottom of Mom’s skirt, revealing a tiny ampersand tattoo covered in clingwrap. Mom reacted with incredible speed, ducking to yank her hem back down.
‘Rosie!’ she admonished.
‘Mom, yourebel,’ I said. ‘Remember when you gave Tiff grief for months after she got that extra ear piercing in eighth grade?’
Mom tried to protest, but she gave up, holding up her hands with a sigh. ‘Sometimes you just have to do something stupid.’
‘Who are you and what have you done with Amelia?’ asked Lara, mock-suspiciously.
‘Oh shush.’ Taking a seat, Mom tried to hide behind the glass of wine Noah had generously passed her. She met mygaze as she sipped, and a tiny sparkling moment of understanding passed between us: Mom wasn’t the tattoo type, but Rosie was. And Mom was doing her best to be there for Rosie.
‘HowisTrent?’ asked Finn. ‘I’ve been meaning to stop by this summer. Maybe you can join me, Molly.’
The pair of tongs Noah was using to grab a portion of salad rattled sharply against the glass bowl.
‘Especially since Amelia is suddenly cool with tattoos,’ added Finn.
Mom held up her hands. ‘I wouldn’t saycool. I’m all right with it on a strictly case-by-case basis.’
‘I could be one of said cases, though, right?’ I teased.
‘We’ll get matching ones,’ Finn promised. He nudged Noah, who was done with the salad and had moved on to the dips. ‘Hummus me up?’
Noah slammed the bowl of hummus down so heavily that the entire table shook.
‘Do you ever stop?’ he snapped, dark eyes narrowed. Magic crackled around him, flaring against the night sky. ‘You take overeverything. And leave Molly alone. I can’t think of a worse idea than her getting a tattoo with you. Tattoos are for ever, and you’re …’
