Jenny quickly shook her head, her eyes searching for Tara in the crowd.
“What am I missing here?” he asked.
“It’s best if you’d ask Tara about him, okay?” Jenny said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
With the fifteen-year age difference, Owen hadn’t expected Tara and Jenny to be close. But now it seemed like he hadn’t caught on a lot of things six years ago. Maybe there had been a good reason for Tara to leave Winter Peaks. The way Jenny reacted made him believe she knew more than she was letting on. If Tara wouldn’t give him a proper explanation this afternoon while Frankie was with Caitlin, he would ask Jenny next.
“I’m ready!” Frankie said as she joined them again.
“Bye, Frankie. Talk later, Owen,” Jenny said before she quickly scurried off behind the bar.
Owen opened the door and walked outside into the crisp late September air. He walked side by side with Frankie over the cobblestones as they passed his sister’s bakery Miraculous across the street. Since Chloe was out with Adam and they already had eaten breakfast, he walked on and passed his brother Mason’s and sister Lily’s tattoo and barber shop Sharp Lines.
They hadn’t taken three steps or the door to Sharp Lines opened.
“Yo! You were just going to walk by? Not cool, O. We want to see our niece!”
Owen rolled his eyes at his brother. “I was going to drop in later today.”
Mason stepped aside for Lily and Aria, as they walked onto the sidewalk.
“Hi, Frankie! Want to see our shop?” Lily asked.
“Sure!” Frankie followed her aunt inside but stopped and openly stared at Lily’s best friend Aria.
“Who are you? Are you also my aunt?”
Aria smiled as she sat down on her stool behind the reception desk where she often drew new designs. “I’m a friend of Lily.”
“Aria came around the house even before I was born. She’s like a sister to me,” Owen said.
Owen pulled a brow when he unmistakably overheard Mason mumble from his side of the shop, “Speak for yourself.”
Lily and Aria were four years older than Owen and Mason even eight years older. He often heard them tell stories about things he missed out on because he’d been too young at the time. Since Lily and Mason were joined at the hip, and Lily and Aria were also besties, the three of them used to hang out all the time.
Owen had noticed the rift between Aria and Mason. He also heard Lily asking Aria if something had happened between her and Mason. Aria didn’t want to talk about it, but going by the longing looks she just now threw Mason, Owen figured Mason had probably broken Aria’s heart.
“Is Mason your boyfriend?” Frankie asked Aria.
Owen smiled, as Frankie’s proved once again that her character most definitely resembled his more than Tara’s even after six years apart.
Aria’s cheeks pinked as she stumbled, “Eh, no. He’s my… eh, boss.”
“Can you give me a tattoo?”
“Hey, I’m your auntie! I want to be the first to get my hands on your skin.”
“That sounds really weird…” Frankie said and pulled her nose.
Owen laughed, “Okay, Fluff. That’s enough for today. We still have to do some shopping and aunt Cait is picking you up later today.”
“Where is aunt Cait taking you?” Lily asked as she grabbed a tin from the reception desk before handing a prepackaged cookie to Frankie.
“She’s taking her to see you guys for dinner at the big house,” Owen said.
“Cool! We’ll see you later then, Fluff.”
Frankie narrowed her eyes at her aunt. “Only Owen calls me Fluff.”