An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach), Mariah Stewart [best classic novels TXT] 📗

fruit and cheese and a bottle of wine on the round table that sat by the windows in the common sitting room. “This is amazing. Remind me to thank your son for being so good to Mama Dean and her friends.”

“You can thank him yourself later. He’d wanted to make it over here to have dinner with us, but he has some TV interviews to do. But we’ll definitely see him after the show.” Emma settled into one of the overstuffed chairs near a gas fireplace. “I can’t wait. I haven’t seen him since my birthday.”

“That was two months ago.” Liddy held up the unopened bottle of wine. “Anyone?”

“None for me, but feel free.” Emma added wistfully, “Two months is a long time.”

“I’ll pass for now, too.” Maggie cozied up on the sofa, her legs tucked under her. “I’d hate to go even two weeks without seeing my girls.”

“I think daughters are different. You guys go shopping together, you meet for dinner.” Emma toed off her shoes. “Sometimes you even have breakfast together just because. The last time I had breakfast with Chris, he was just getting in from the night before.”

“Different lifestyles, Em.” Maggie held up the brochure she’d picked up in the hotel lobby. “I looked up things to do in Charlotte. There’s a self-guided walking tour called the Liberty Tour. Nineteen historic sites from the American Revolution. There are carriage tours, too. Oh, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame is in Charlotte.”

“Ruvvvv, ruvvvv.” Liddy mimicked what she apparently thought was the sound of a roaring engine. “I’d go for the walking tour. The liberty thing.”

“Yeah, me too.” Maggie set down the brochure.

“Okay, me three.” Emma appeared deep in thought. A few moments later she said, “But I think we should do something special to commemorate our trip. Something different. Something . . . memorable.”

“Like what?” Liddy joined Maggie on the sofa and sat facing Emma. “We can ask someone to take pictures with our phones at every stop of that walking tour.”

“We can. But I’m thinking something more permanent.” Emma’s eyes began to twinkle.

Maggie laughed. “What exactly do you have in mind? And will it involve calling your son to bail us out?”

“I don’t think you can get arrested for getting a tattoo.” Emma looked first to Maggie, then to Liddy.

“You want to get a tattoo?” Maggie’s eyebrows raised in exaggerated shock. “Em, that’s so unlike you.”

“I was thinking all three of us should get tattoos. The same tattoo.”

“Matching tattoos,” Liddy said flatly.

“Yeah. Why not?”

“Because we’re . . . ,” Liddy began, then stopped. “I don’t know why not. Maggie?”

Maggie shrugged. “I never thought about getting one, but I could be persuaded. Depending, of course, on what you have in mind.”

“I was thinking something small and tasteful that would be meaningful to the three of us. Something that represents our years of friendship,” Emma said softly.

“Like what?” Liddy asked.

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. I was hoping one of you would have an idea.”

They sat in a prolonged silence, each apparently contemplating the possibilities. Finally, Maggie said, “Well, maybe it should have three parts. Like a shamrock. Or a triangle. Or a Celtic knot.”

“Or three stars. Three hearts. Three tiny kayaks,” Liddy said.

“Lid, we haven’t kayaked together in years,” Emma reminded her.

“Yes, but we used to. And we could again.” Liddy seemed to think twice about that. “Okay, scratch the kayaks.”

“Or it could be something that we share, like, we could get the same rose. Or the same butterfly.” Emma was still pondering the choices. “A single feather. A sandpiper. A dragonfly.”

“Sun, moon, and stars.” Liddy tossed out another. “The sun with three tiny planets, for the three of us.”

“This is more difficult than you’d think. Maybe we should find a tattoo artist and see what he or she has. You know, like a design book,” Emma suggested.

“You really think we’d be able to agree on a choice while we’re standing there?” Maggie looked up from her phone. “There are several artists in Charlotte. I’m reading the review comments right now.” She read silently for a moment, then aloud. “‘Botched a simple design. Avoid at all costs.’ Okay, nix Main Street Anthony. Here’s another. ‘Spent a month on antibiotics after S. did my tats.’ Ah, thank you, but no, Mr. S. We’ll pass.” Maggie scanned a few more. “Oh, here we go. Nicole’s Tattoos. Mostly four- and five-star reviews. One negative because the customer thought Nicole was expensive, though he admitted the work was perfect.” She looked up from her phone. “Nicole gets my vote.”

Liddy and Emma both nodded their agreement.

“I’m going to call and get some information. Like, do we need an appointment?” Maggie tapped in the number, then waited while the call went through. When Nicole herself answered, Maggie went through her list of want-to-knows. When she hung up, she didn’t look happy.

“What?” Liddy asked.

“Nicole can’t take three of us tomorrow at the same time. And unless we have something drawn out, we would have to select one of her designs.”

“If we can’t go together, it sort of takes the fun out of it,” Emma said as her phone played the ringtone signaling a call was coming in from her son. “Oh, there’s Chris.” She grinned broadly. “Hello, yes, we’re here and we can’t wait to see you.”

While Emma spoke with her son, Maggie picked at the fruit in the basket, snagging a few grapes. She poured herself a glass of wine and returned to the seating area in time to hear Emma say, “Oh, that would be great. Call me right back. And thanks, son.”

Emma turned an excited face to the others. “Chris thinks the tattoo idea is very cool. He’s going to call Nicole and see if he can bribe her with concert tickets or something if she’ll fit us in together tomorrow.”

“Great idea. I bet that works.” Maggie returned to the sofa.

“He isn’t going to be able to get here in time to eat and get back to the arena, but he’s going to send a car for