The look inhiseyes was unmistakable.
Jealousy.
Somehow, in the two years that had elapsed since our last Summerween together, my relationship with the Tucker boys had changed entirely. And apparently, I was the only one who hadn’t been in on it.
Chapter 4
COME, SING A SPELL
‘There’s our spot!’ cried Rosie, picking her way between the blankets. The overhead lights marked the paths across the lawn, reducing the likelihood of knocking over someone’s glass or stomping on their rug. Pre-dusk, this was less of an issue, but after the sun went down and we’d all over-imbibed on cocktails, things tended to get rowdy. The staked placards helped with that, too – a lamplit sign that told you whose party you were crashing was always a good idea. After all, there was nothing more embarrassing than accidentally stealing a watermelon or snacking on someone else’s cheese platter.
‘Hey, babe!’
Lara was there waiting for us, perched on a folded hoodie presumably borrowed from the college kid a few blankets down who kept trying to catch her gaze. She wore a sexy Morticia-Addams-meets-Midsommaroutfit that would have been in serious violation of the skirt-length rules at our high school, and which would have similarly scandalized the AV club, who didn’t take well to anyone taking creative licence with the classics. A striking flower crown topped her blonde mane, and she sported dramatic floral wedges that would’ve broken toes on a lesser individual. And all this without any magical intervention – so unfair.
Being Lara, she looked great.
But so, apparently, did I.
‘Molly,’ she admonished, but in an approving way. Leaping up to give me a hug, she whacked me with the floral lei she wore around her neck. ‘You lookgorgeous. A vixen. A siren. Awitch.’
‘The witch bit is easy,’ I said with a chuckle. ‘When did you get in?’
‘A few hours ago, although I’ve mostly spent it on Zoom calls. Still, Zoom calls in a quaint B&B with a fancy cocktail on the side aren’t so bad. I did the camera-off, microphone-off thing.’
‘Sounds awful,’ I said with a grimace.
I wouldn’t have minded Lara’s salary, but I was definitely lucky to work in an easy-going environment where it was basically just Eddie, me and a few freelancers and interns putting the newspaper together. Mom was always pressing me about sending my clips to larger publications, but larger didn’t always mean better. Sometimes it just meant more stressful. Which was probably partly why Lara had booked a B&B this time instead of staying at the Pink House, as she usually did. She was notable for being the only one outside of our families to attend our getaways, which she’d been doing since eighth grade, when her parents had abruptly divorced and she’d needed a break from all the drama.
Lara was glancing around as though looking for someone – although, to be fair, Lara was always looking for someone, and the Summerween Festival was a pretty solid place to do that.
A hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up, half expecting it to be one of the Tucker boys. But it was Mom, passing me the first of an endless assortment of dishes and floral decor to go on our blanket.
‘Wow,’ said Lara. ‘Positively decadent. I approve.’
‘I’m glad we’re up to your standards,’ said Mom, stooping to give Lara a hug. ‘So good to see you, Lara. I hear work’s going well, too. That Froyo subway activation made it to our desks – nice work with the cave recreation. Very smart.’
Lara flapped her lei at Mom. ‘Big words coming from you. How’s Shauna doing? Are you still kicking her butt?’
‘Always,’ said Mom airily. But there was something to the way she said it that made me wonder if Mom was somehow tired. But that couldn’t be. My mom was Superwoman. She had a preternatural ability to power through, close the loop, give a hundred and ten per cent … and all the other business aphorisms they put on mugs.
‘And how are you doing, Rosie? I haven’t seen you since the funeral.’
It was the first time this trip I’d heard someone directly mention Charlie’s death, but Lara wasn’t one for euphemisms.
‘I’m keeping busy,’ said Rosie, giving Lara a hug. ‘It’s been a hard year. But Charlie’s memory is everywhere. Here, let me just …’
Stooping, she lent the gentle touch of her magic to the roses she’d brought to decorate the edge of our blanket. Lara smiled. She didn’t have magic, but she’d never had a problem being around those who did. On the whole, most people were fine with it, just so long as you didn’t do anything too showy or get in the way of whatever it was they were trying to do (I had to agree, magical influencers were theworst). But still, it was usually better to err on the side of caution just in case, which was why being able to let loose in Whisperwind Cove every Summerween was such a draw.
‘Coolers incoming,’ came Finn’s easy-going voice from behind me. There was a light touch at my waist as he indicated he was coming through, and I swallowed. That was the second waist-touch of the night. Not that I was keeping count.
‘Hey, Finn,’ purred Lara, who was physically incapable of talking to guys in anything other than a purr. And most women as well. Like Finn, Lara didn’t discriminate based on gender: hot was hot, and opportunity was opportunity. ‘You’re looking … piratey.’
Finn, being Finn, had acquired an eyepatch at some point. And were those parrot feathers?
‘And you’re looking underdressed,’ teased Finn, going in for a hug.
‘That’s the goal.’ Lara raised her eyebrow at me, pointing at Finn’s shoulders and mouthing something rude.
