Stone of Destiny(6)

I glared up at him, making the mistake of meeting his dazzling blue eyes. He wore a snug light blue V-neck shirt that brought the color out even more. I blinked and shook my head, trying to remember what his question was.

“Ethan? He’s been…busy. I guess. I haven’t seen much of him.”

“Hmm, too bad. He seemed like such an interesting boy.” Deaghlan’s eyebrow quirked up. He seemed pleased with himself.

Don’t let him get to you. He’s just trying to get a reaction.

Taking Niamh’s silent warning, I looked down at the ground, pressing my lips together.

“You know, Niamh, you really should be spending more time learning about Allison’s abilities,” Deaghlan said, his eyes eager with curiosity. “Her mind shields are practically non-existent. Rather than worrying about what Aoife is doing, don’t you think you’d be better off teaching Allison how to see through glamour?”

“I’m still here, you know.” I said, annoyed.

“I was actually planning on going home.” Niamh said. “I’d like to speak with Mother about a few things.”

Deaghlan waved his hand. He obviously didn’t think anything Aoife did was wrong. To him we were just like Niamh said, insignificant.

I’d had my share of Deaghlan for the morning and excused myself, practically tasting the incredulity coming off of Deaghlan as the screen door shut behind me.

I walked down the hall, past the stairs into the living room. My grandparents and mother sat at the little round table that separated the living room from the kitchen. Like most mornings, my grandfather was eating a bowl of cereal while talking with my grandmother. I grabbed a cup of coffee before joining them.

I took the first sip before I realized what my mother was doing. She had a mostly blank piece of sheet music in front of her. Her brow was furrowed as she filled in notes on the page. Without saying anything I met my grandmother’s gaze and widened my eyes, wondering if she was seeing what I was seeing. Her answering smile told me she was.

My mother was a musical prodigy from the time she was old enough to hold a fiddle under her chin. She’d taken private lessons and traveled across the country to perform with a handful of other talented young musicians called the Fiddle Kids. She not only had talent, but a magical stage presence that drove the audiences wild. My grandparents had some old videos of my mom at eleven, playing while my Aunt Jessie, age nine, danced a traditional Irish jig. They made it look as easy as breathing, which I’d learned through my own lessons was certainly not the case.

I never saw my mother write music before. She wrote a few pieces in college, but her days of composing ended after she met my father. To see her even attempting to put notes together was incredible. So much happened since I’d met my father and I couldn’t help wondering what had changed with her. Was she better when he was near? Could it be that time was erasing the thrall she was under?

A buzz and a series of beeps announced a new message on my phone, so I got up and grabbed it off the side table by the hall.

The text was from my cousin, Nicole.

I’m coming over. You better be awake!

I put my phone back as the front door banged open. Nicole sashayed to where I stood, her eyes bright. She squeezed my upper arms and flounced toward the table where my family still sat.

“I have some news,” she said as she kissed the top of my mother’s head. My grandparents chuckled at her as she breezed toward the coffee.

“Well, don’t let us stop you from having your coffee,” Pop said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

I sat back down and watched Nicole heap sugar into her cup

Without turning she said, “Jeff took me to Boston last night, as you all know.” She spun around and leaned back on the counter as she took a long sip of coffee. She drew out the moment before placing the cup on the counter. “He asked me to marry him.” Her voice was nearly a shriek as she held out her bejeweled finger in front of her.

“Oh my word, sweetheart,” Gram said and stood to wrap her arms around Nicole. “Congratulations.”

“Congrats, Nic,” I said with a wink. “I was wondering what he was waiting for.”

“Well, it’s not in my nature to make you wait, is it?” Nicole asked me sweetly. A little too sweetly. “Allison, will you please be my maid of honor?”

Everyone laughed as she came over and took my hands in hers. The sheer joy on her face was enough to keep me from ruining her moment with sarcasm.

“Of course I will,” I said and pulled my hands out of hers so I could hug her. “I’m so happy for you, both of you.”

When she met my eyes, I could see tears welling in hers and I looked away. Seeing someone else cry always made tears burn the back of my own eyes.