Chapter 19 #2
“Where’s everyone else?” Finn asks, but before anyone can answer the question, there’s noise at the front door.
Chord and Violet quickly follow, accompanied by a fit guy somewhere in his late forties or early fifties.
He looks so much like Violet that even if Finn hadn’t already warned me he might be here, I’d assume he was Violet’s father.
“Rosalie,” Violet says as soon as she notices me, and I’m the first she takes into her arms to say hello. It feels nice, both the hug and her recognition.
Behind her, Chord throws a raised eyebrow at Finn before he schools his face to stillness. “Good to see you again, Rosalie.”
“Same to you,” I reply.
“This is my dad, Luke,” Violet says with a motion toward the other man. “Dad, this is Rosalie.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he says with a polite nod of his head.
“Likewise,” I respond.
An awkward, expectant lull falls over the room as we wait for Luke to place my name, if not my face, but all he does is glance around in confusion.
Poppy covers her mouth to hide a smile, and Charlie steps in to break the tension. “So, where’s Daisy?”
“She’s—” Poppy begins, before she cuts off with a horrified expression. “Oh, shit.”
“Bad word!” Izzy exclaims.
“Here I am!”
It’s a tight squeeze with us all crowded into the kitchen, but I don’t realize it until we collectively spin in the direction of the new voice. I can’t make out the newcomer yet, but someone gasps—I think it’s Charlie—and Finn drops his head back with a groan.
“Holy hell,” he mutters. “I’m so, so sorry, Rosie. I have no excuse.”
“Ta-da!”
Chord snort-laughs, then covers it up with a cough, and everyone shifts enough for me to see Finn’s sister, Daisy, spinning in a slow circle to show off her Rosalie Thorne costume from all its various angles.
She’s wearing a replica of the indigo boned and beaded bodysuit I wore on my recent tour.
Her blonde hair is blown out in my trademark curls, her lips are painted intense coral pink, and her white knee-high boots are stacked with a platform heel.
She’s clutching a bedazzled microphone in one hand, and she sets the other on her hip to strike my signature pose.
“I thought it would be fun to dress up,” she says, “because you know I’m singing nothing but sweet Rosalie Tee tonight. I look good, don’t you think?”
She really does, and if I weren’t here, I bet Izzy would love that her aunt dressed up for the party.
Daisy lifts her chin and her hand as she waits for applause, but the vibe is quiet and discomfited, and I hope it’s not on my account.
I think this is funny. I cross my fingers and hope Daisy will too.
“Ah, Daze?” Poppy slips from our little knot, closes the short distance to Daisy, and takes her hand to put it back by her side. “Finn’s here with his date, and… well.” Poppy sighs and her posture sags. “Daisy? Meet Rosalie.”
Daisy’s expression, all bright and excited, searches the group for the only face she shouldn’t recognize. I raise my hand to wave awkwardly, then wince at how fast her face falls.
Daisy’s throat bobs and she straightens out of her pose, arms dangling dejectedly. “Well, fu—”
“Fancy that!” Dylan shouts. “It’s time to eat!”
Everyone takes the hint, turning toward the dining table, and I slip out of the way so I can say a proper hello to Daisy. Finn is with me, but Daisy hangs back, cheeks aflame, and when I reach her, she drops her face into her hands.
“It’s a great dupe,” I comment, touching the sequins sewn into the fabric cinching Daisy’s waist. “Where’d you find it?”
“A costume store I found online,” Daisy admits. “Where’d you get yours?”
“Dior.”
“Ah.” Daisy shifts her feet. “Of course.”
I pick up her hand to admire the delicate charm bracelet on her wrist. “This is gorgeous. You’ll have to tell me where I can get one just like it.”
She smoothly removes her hand from mine and shifts her weight to one foot, then the other. “I’m not sure. Sorry. It was a gift.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this flustered,” Finn says, his tone a mix of amusement and disbelief. “Think you can pull yourself together enough to enjoy your night?”
Daisy suddenly stands taller, rolls her shoulders back, and glares at her brother. “If you’d given me a little warning that you were bringing Rosalie Thorne to dinner, maybe I wouldn’t have made a complete ass of myself.”
Finn chuckles but has the good sense to rub his neck with chagrin. “Maybe you’re right, but this moment will go down as a highlight of Davenport family night.”
I warm to the idea that I’ve somehow made it into Finn’s family history, but Daisy smacks his chest, hard enough that Finn at least pretends to flinch. Satisfied, Daisy turns to me.
“I’m going to change,” she says, “but before I do, let me complete my humiliation by confessing that I am, most probably, your biggest fan. I know every word to every song you’ve ever released.
I went to three of your shows last year, and I paid way too much for a piece of trash that you may or may not have dropped coming out of a hair salon in 2022.
” She finishes with a flourish and a bow.
“Make of that what you will. I’m off to find an open window. ”
I laugh and stop her from leaving with a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t change your clothes on my account. You look fantastic.”
“Thanks, but I can’t possibly share air and food and karaoke with you dressed as you. It’s too shameful.”
Even though Daisy is the one that’s made our introduction one of the most unusual I’ve experienced, I’m the person anxious to rescue it. I want Finn’s siblings to like me. “I’ll save you a seat at the table?”
“Okay. Thanks.”
With a final scowl for Finn that only makes him laugh, Daisy disappears upstairs. I watch her retreat until Finn scoops me up in his arms and kisses me tenderly enough to make my knees weak. I have to grip his upper arms to keep myself from swooning.
“I hope she’s okay,” I say.
“Who? Daisy?” Finn grins. “She’s fine. Trust me. My baby sister’s tough enough to get over a little unexpected embarrassment, and as soon as she is, she’ll be telling this story for the rest of her life.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” He kisses the frown from my mouth with a series of soft kisses, and I take a relaxing breath. “I promise you there’s no need to worry. Tonight might already be the best family night ever.”