Page 129 of Turnabout Is Fair Cosplay
Drew and Ryan join us with plates of pie and ice cream in hand.
“You took the LSAT recently? When?” I ask.
“The week after we went to the play.” Mom takes Eaton from Dad and bounces him on her knee. The little guy giggles. “You remember the day I had to cancel our lunch date?”
I thought she sounded more frazzled than usual on the phone that day. “How? You have to register weeks in advance.”
“Let me guess,” Portia says. “You asked nicely.”
“Old family friend?” Julie hazards.
Mom turns to Dad, and she may as well be a heart-eye emoji. “I know a guy. He pulled some strings.”
My parents are meddling, opinionated, at times overbearing, but also so darn lovable.
“So where are you applying?” I ask.
“Not sure.” Mom takes a bite of pumpkin pie. “All I know is I want to be within driving distance of my grandkids.”
“Then you should look into schools close to Boston,” Portia says, squeezing Drew’s hand.
Julie’s fork clatters to the ground. “For reals?”
“We’re due this summer,” Drew says proudly.
There’s a lot of excited mother-daughter-sister-father screaming after that.
Adam and Sarah join us on the patio with more plates of pie and ice cream. “What just happened?” Adam asks.
I vacate the peacock chair and claim one of the dessert plates Sarah is holding. “Portia is having a baby. Mom took the LSATs on the sly—”
“And Auntie Bea is the new tarot reader in the family,” Julie says, tickling Eaton’s tummy.
“Oh no way.” Adam glances over at Sarah and sets down his dessert plates. “Um, did you want to go see the beach? Head out for a run?” he says quietly. “We can do dessert anytime.”
Sarah rests her head against Adam’s chest. “Maybe later. Let’s stay and celebrate. Get the details.” She winks at my brother before taking a deep breath. “Congratulations, Portia!” She threads her way through everyone to give my sister a hug. “And Molly! I want to hear everything. Who was in on the surprise?”
Adam is looking at Sarah like she’s the sun over the Pacific Ocean.
“Bro?” I slide him a piece of pie. “Everything okay?”
“I’m going to marry her. Just as soon as she’ll let me. That’s all.”
“Well, now.” I pat Adam on the shoulder. “I’d say that sounds more than okay.”
The rest of the evening passes in a happy blur of laughter and sugar and stories. Long after the air turns chilly and Adam and Sarah have headed back to Pacific Beach, Dad and Mom find me.
“Your mom would never have done it if you hadn’t pushed her. I’ve been floating the idea for years, but she would never give it any thought.”
“It’s different coming from your offspring.” Mom hands me a tote of leftovers. “Eat them before they grow gray and fuzzy.”
“Mom,” I say, fishing a pack of tarot cards out of the tote. “What are these doing in here?”
“I’ve decided to retire. Besides, I won’t have time once classes start. You should do a reading when you get home. Maybe the cards will be as helpful for you as they were for me.” She gives me a hug. “Family legacies aren’t such a bad thing. Whether they’re tarot cards, law degrees…”
“Or an extensive collection of literature.” Dad tugs my ponytail.
Chapter 38
