Imogen shakes her head but she doesn't interrupt us.
"I know, she'll say I couldn't tell, but sometimes chemistry is obvious," Julie says. "You two… whew. I'm not sure how much she actually likes you, but she definitely likes that."
Imogen clears her throat.
"And that's good for her. She's so high-strung. She needs someone who puts her in her body. And not in a pervy way, though I know she thinks I'm a sex-obsessed teenager," Julie says.
"Not at all?" I ask.
"She needs someone who helps her relax and feel," Julie says.
"I didn't realize this would be nonstop character assassination," Imogen says.
"I can say it nicely." Julie laughs. "Imogen is very studious. Thoughtful. She gets lost in her big, beautiful head." She looks to Imogen and raises a browbetter?
"Barely." Imogen drops off our chai lattes. "Oatmeal is almost done."
"Thanks! I mean it that way, you know. I admire your intelligence," Julie says.
"Thank you," Imogen says.
"You're supposed to say something you admire about me now," Julie says.
"I admire your perseverance. Even though it's annoying." Imogen smiles and returns to the oatmeal.
"It's a compliment," I say.
"Oh yeah. Our job, as younger siblings." Julie takes a long sip and lets out an easy sigh.
I let the mix of cinnamon and ginger wash away the last bit of heaviness.
Julie does too. After another sip, she returns to her assessment. "Imogen is smart and gorgeous, as we covered. Always in her head. So she needs someone more… living in the physical world. And, no, I don't mean sex. I mean this." She motions to the tattoos on my forearms. "You're an artist, so you can understand where she goes, but your art is on people's skin, so you understand actual things. That's what she needs. In my head, it was always a doctor, a surgeon, or someone with a very matter-of-fact specialty. Not an internist, you know?"
"Someone who deals in the literal but understands the abstract," I say.
"Exactly. And better that you aren't a doctor. Because she'd never date a guy our parents' want for her. Maybe that's why she dated Zack for so long. Because he was studying film and Mom hated that. They won't like the tattoo artist thing. But they don't like anything. Don't take it personally."
"I won't," I say.
"Or maybe… I don't know. Mom is so weird lately. She caught me vaping and stole my pen and started using it!"
"Maybe she wants to make it look uncool," I say.
"Yeah, but she's out there huffing nicotine every twenty minutes now." Julie shakes her head. "And, honestly, I think I smelled pot on her a few times. Can you believe that?"
Imogen's posture changes, but she doesn't say anything, and Julie doesn't notice.
"Do you talk to her?" I ask.
She looks at me funny. "Talk to my mom?"
I nod.
"Have you ever talked to your mom and asked why she was being weird?" she asks.
"No," I admit. "But I'm not as smart or mature as you are."
"Nice try." Julie laughs. "But I'm not that easy to flatter."