Feels Like Summer (on pause)

two

 The mythological Bailey eventually arrived, ten minutes before dinner was served. Rosie didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she was passing by when the back door opened. Grace moved swiftly to confront her daughter.

"Where have you been?" she demands.

"Chill out, I was just with friends." Bailey brushes by her mom without a second glance. "You must be Rosie."

Rosie nods, looking Bailey up and down. She's sixteen, but looks older, all curves and low-cut shirt and the shortest shorts Rosie's ever seen. Her hair is blonde, the same as Olly's grown out tips, but Bailey clearly keeps hers healthy and one shade. "Is your stuff already in my room?"

"Yeah, we moved it when you were gone," Rosie says. "It's a really pretty bedroom."

Bailey nods thoughtfully. "Mom said the blue was too bright for walls."

Grace sighs, and Rosie gets the feeling that Bailey is the wild one of the bunch. "Go help your brother set the table," Grace finally says. Once Bailey retreats into the kitchen, she turns to Rosie. "Bailey's really quite sweet."

"She seems nice," Rosie answers honestly.

Grace nods. "She's just going through a bit of a teenage rebellion phase, you probably did the same."

Rosie keeps silent, because she never did. It was hard to articulate, but when all of her friends were off partying, piercing body parts and getting secret tattoos, Rosie watched from a distance. You couldn't be an uncontrollable rebel in the Haynes household, not with Nora taking up so much effort and Katherine working long hours to provide for the three of them. It wasn't a plausible outcome. So Rosie just offers a shy smile and follows Bailey into the kitchen.

Dinner is a rowdy affair. Nora at any meal is loud and explosive, and the addition of Bailey and Wyatt does nothing to keep the volume down. Rosie gets the sense that Olly is on the quieter side, just like her, and wonders if that's maybe an older sibling thing.

"Tomorrow the you should show Rosie and Nora the beach," Grace says, addressing her children. "Maybe give them a small tour."

"A tour?" Nora perks up. Rosie sighs. Nora has a fascination with tours of all sorts— museum tours, city tours, even things like garden tours that Rosie hadn't known existed before Nora dragged her to one.

"I can walk them to the beach in the morning, but I have plans for lunch tomorrow," Bailey says.

"What plans would those be?" Grace asks, her voice slightly on edge.

"I'm just seeing some friends Mom, ok, it's not a big deal," Bailey says with finality.

"You know Connor and I are going to the Boardwalk tomorrow, right?" Wyatt asks. "So I'll be gone all day." He does deign to add an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we've been planning this for weeks, it's the only day his Mom could drive us."

Rosie remembers what it was like to be without a license, her every move dependent on the schedule of her mother. That meant a lot of long, lonely weekends.

"That's okay," Grace says, sounding slightly defeated. "Olly?"

Olly shrugs. "I could walk there in the morning with Bailey, but I did have plans to see Finn and Isabelle. I could cancel, if you wanted..."

"No, no, keep your plans," Grace says hurriedly, then turns to the girls. "So it'll just be a beach morning, then. We can tour the town later."

"But what if I want to tour the town now?" Nora demands.