“So, I have to ask,” I say, gesturing with my wine glass. “Did any of you get a chance to see Serena as a Rockette?”
“Oh, I wish!” Margie says with a laugh, and the tender look on her face tells me she absolutely does.
“No, I was retired before Tony and I moved to Nyack,” Serena says. “Met these guys after.”
“Make sure she shows you her photo albums, though,” Bethany says to me. “She’s got some incredible shots. You’ll be blown away.”
Serena waves a hand, but her face has tinted pink.
“I will take you up on that,” I say to her.
“So, what do you do, Lily?” Margie asks.
“Oh, I’m a writer.” I sip my wine, trying to remember how many I’ve had. Ria is far too good at keeping glasses full, so I’m not sure how much I’ve actually consumed. But I feel warm, a little fuzzy, and very, very happy. So…three glasses, maybe?
“Really?” Bethany asks. “Sophie writes.” She indicates her daughter sitting next to her, scrolling on her phone. When Sophie doesn’t look up, Chris nudges her.
“Soph.”
She glances up. She’s cute, with blond hair and too much eyeliner. Her blue nail polish is chipped as she holds her phone and looks around. “What?”
Bethany swallows a sigh, and I figure she probably does that a hundred times a day. “Lily here is a writer.”
“Really? That’s cool,” she says, and it seems like she might really think so. “What do you write?”
“I’m mostly a romance writer. I’ve done a few articles here and there.” I sip my wine. “A couple screenplays. A series. A bunch of books.” Sophie’s eyes get a little bit bigger with each item in my list, which is fun to watch, but I steer the conversation back to her. “What about you? What do you write?”
She lifts a shoulder in that teenage shrug that seems to be more of a tic than anything. “Mostly fantasy.”
“She writes about dragons and vampires and stuff,” Chris says, but rather than sounding dismissive, his voice is tinted with pride.
“Well, romantasy is very big right now,” I say.
Sophie sets her phone down and leans forward, and I cansee in my peripheral vision how her mother and grandparents exchange a glance. “Itis. I know! I’m working on one right now, and I’m trying to add some romantic stuff, but it’s hard.”
I wrinkle my nose as I nod. “It really can be, huh? But you, you have to buildworlds. That’s pretty impressive.”
She nods and smiles. “Thanks.”
“Maybe I could read some of your work sometime?” Then I wave my hand. “No pressure, though. Some writers don’t like to share their work. I get that.”
But Sophie’s face has lit up, brighter than it’s been since before dinner. “Yeah, that’d be awesome.” And she looks like she really thinks so.
“Remind me to give you my email address when we go,” I tell her. Then I look to her parents and their parents. “How long are you all staying?”
“A week,” Bethany says, then looks to Serena. “Serena’s got a few things set up for us, since she knows the city.”
“We’re doing a food tour tomorrow,” Sophie says, and her eyes are bright, a sparkle I recognize. She’s found somebody who gets her passion for words. I’ve felt the same way on occasion. “Hey! You should come, too!” She looks to Bethany. “Right, Mom?”
“Oh, I don’t—” I start to protest, but I’m cut off by Serena.
“Absolutely,” she says. “You should join us. I take every visitor who comes to see me on this tour. They’re fantastic.”
“We went last year,” Sophie says. “I wasso full.” Her tongue lolls out and she slides down in her chair, making me laugh softly.
“But this is your visit with Serena,” I say, my gaze on Margie and Robert. “I don’t want to impose.”
Margie makes apfftsound and waves a dismissive hand, much like Serena does. I can see their friendship in their shared mannerisms. “You should definitely come. It’s a blast. Goodfood”—she gestures around the table—”great company,” and we all laugh.
