Katie and Mom were the only ones at home by the time I got back. Mom was on the phone, but she hung up as soon as she saw me.
“Jessica, what took you so long?” Mom scolded. “You promised you’d watch your sister. I was trying to reach Poppy to see if she could cover for you.”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I replied. “I completely forgot. There was a robbery and—”
Mom interrupted me. “A robbery? At the estate sale? You’re kidding.”
“A valuable flute was stolen, but nobody was hurt,” I explained.
“That’s a relief,” she said, and then looked at her watch. “I want to hear all about it, but I’m late.”
My mom was a real estate broker and she was always busy on the weekends. I assumed that Dad was off with my five other sisters somewhere. My brother Sean was at college in Orange County.
Mom hurried off, and then Katie asked, “What are we going to do today?”
“Chores first,” I said firmly. “Mom left a list.” Katie’s chore was simple, at least in theory. She had to clean her side of the bedroom she shared with Kellie. Their room was a pit of toys, but we had it straightened up within a few minutes. The doorbell rang as Katie picked up the last stuffed animal.
Samantha Devereaux stood on our doorstep like Katie’s personal genie.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought Katie might want to come to Slim’s with me for an ice cream,” Samantha said. Sam was Sean’s girlfriend. Sometimes she still spent time with my family even though he was away at school.
“Can we?” Katie asked. She was six years old, and obsessed with Samantha.
“Of course, you’re invited too, Jessica,” Samantha added. We didn’t get along that well, but I had to give Sam credit: she tried.
“Great,” I said. I almost meant it.
Sam had the top down on her red VW convertible, and the wind in my hair cheered me up. Things always looked better when you were in a convertible.
Slim’s was an old-fashioned diner with red leather booths, a jukebox, and shiny stainless steel counters. It was also where Flo, my snarky virago trainer, worked as an indifferent server. Her brother owned the place, which probably meant he couldn’t fire her. Even if he wanted to.
We grabbed a table and I waved to Flo, who was perched on her usual stool at the counter. Her T-shirt read HI, I’M AN EVIL GENIUS AND I’LL BE YOUR SERVER TODAY.
We ordered three shakes. “Jessica, can I have some money for the jukebox?” Katie asked.
I slid some quarters across the table at her. “Have fun.”
Sam and I watched Katie skip to the jukebox. There were dark circles under Samantha’s eyes.
“How’s college life?” Sam attended UC Nightshade, which meant she was right here in town.
She smiled. “Surprisingly, I love it. I miss Sean, though.”
My attention wandered when Dominic and his sister Raven walked in.
“Jessica!” Raven didn’t wait for her brother before she slid into the booth next to us. “What are you doing here?”
“The same thing we are, Raven,” Dominic said dryly. He fixed his blue eyes on me. “Hello, Jessica. Find anything you liked at the estate sale?”
“Not really,” I said stiffly. Then I realized that I hadn’t introduced everyone, so I did. Samantha didn’t even pretend she wasn’t curious about Dominic.
“Are you guys new to Nightshade?” she asked.
“Dominic is the new lead singer in Side Effects May Vary,” I said. “Haven’t you been to the Black Opal lately?” Sam and Sean used to frequent the all-ages club when they were in high school.
She shook her head. “I’ve been busy with school.”
Flo walked up with a bunch of to-go bags. “Here’s your order.” She handed the food to Dominic.
Raven was chatty for a change, but I wondered if it was to make up for her brother’s silence. Dominic hardly said a word the entire time, and once, when our knees bumped accidentally, he looked appalled. It was clear he couldn’t wait to get away from me.
I needed to talk to Flo anyway. “Excuse me,” I said, squeezing out of the booth. Samantha gave me an odd look, but thankfully didn’t comment.
I approached Flo, who was back at her perch at the counter. “What’s up, Jessica?” she asked. She lowered her voice. “Is this virago business?”
I nodded and filled her in on what had happened at the estate sale.
She frowned. "My tattoo didn't tingle either, so it could have just been a plain old robbery," she said. "But we'll stay alert for any new developments. Thanks, Jessica."
I returned to the table, where Raven was still rambling on.
“Raven,” I said, interrupting her in mid-chat, “your food’s getting cold.”
Dominic stood up abruptly. “We’d better go before Aunt Katrina’s meal is ruined.”
“She ordered a salad,” Raven protested, but Dominic was already halfway out the door. “See you tomorrow, Jessica. Nice to meet you, Sam.” Raven gave me an apologetic look and followed her brother out the door.
“Guy problems?” Sam asked.
“Is it that obvious?” I replied. My brother’s girlfriend could be a pain in the butt and it killed me to ask her for advice, but I was desperate.
“To an expert like me? Yes,” she told me. “How long have you guys been going out?”
“That’s the problem,” I said. “We’re not.”
“Bad breakup, huh?”
“I wish,” I said.
She laughed. “You wish you had a bad breakup? That’s different.”
“You have to go out with someone on a regular basis before you can break up with him,” I replied. “We never got that far.”
I found myself telling Sam all about what had happened with Dominic in the fall—everything except me being a virago, of course.
“He’s afraid,” she finally said, when I ran out of breath.
“Maybe,” I admitted. “Lately, it seems like he can barely stand to be in the same room with me.”
“So something about you has him scared,” she said. “What could that be, I wonder?”
“I have no idea,” I said, but it didn’t sound convincing.
“Drink your shake,” she said. “Things always look better after one of Slim’s shakes.”
As I slurped my chocolate deliciousness, I wondered if Sam was right. Dominic’s mother was a virago too, and she’d basically left them in Nightshade with their Aunt Katrina. No wonder he was leery of dating a virago.
“What if I know what he’s afraid of and it’s something I can’t change?” I asked Sam.
“Then you have two choices,” she said. “You can accept that it’s never going to happen and move on, or you can fight for him.”
Being a virago was something I couldn’t change and it was the one thing I knew Dominic had a hard time with. It looked as though Dominic and I didn’t stand a chance.
There were plenty of nice guys out there. I told myself I’d find someone else, eventually, but I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Katie came back, her face gleaming with the effort it took to contain her glee. Sam and I exchanged an amused glance.
“What’s up, Katie?” I asked.
The “Happy Birthday” song, the one they always sang on her favorite television show, came on.
“Happy birthday, Jessica,” Katie said.
“I didn’t know it was your birthday today,” Sam said. She grinned at Katie as she danced around the table to the music.
“It’s not,” I whispered. “It’s a week away.” I hesitated and then added, “I don’t suppose you want to come to my birthday party next weekend? It’s just cake and ice cream at the house.”
“I’d love to,” she said. She gave me a smile that made me realize why Samantha had been the most popular girl in high school. Her smile could charm anyone into liking her. Even me.
Sam’s dad was in jail and her mom was a permanent no-show. I realized that Sam was probably lonely. It wouldn’t kill me to be a little nicer to her.