“What?” She shook herself free to find Allie and both boys grinning at her. “No. No epiphanies. Not with minors in the room.” Allie’s grin broadened, Evan blew a spit bubble, Edward climbed onto Allie’s foot, and Charlie felt like she’d dodged a bullet. The last thing she needed was for Allie to think she’d ever take Auntie Catherine’s side. Not after what had gone down with the Dragon Queen. “And I don’t know why Auntie Catherine called me,” she continued as if there hadn’t been both an epiphany and a lie about it. “That’s why I need to talk to her and find out what she’s actually Seen.”

“Maybe she’s just messing with you. You know how she hates not being the center of attention.”

Actually, Charlie knew how Auntie Catherine had created a new life for herself in Calgary away from the family and then left that life to Allie when she was banished. Later, she’d set in motion a plan to stop one of the old gods from rising and while the plan had been high-handed and bordering on downright nasty, the family wouldn’t have known about the rising or the plan had it not overlapped with Charlie’s music. In Charlie’s opinion, Auntie Catherine had no interest at all in being the center of attention. But this was not the time to address Allie’s issues with her grandmother, so Charlie let it go.

“How do you know she’ll talk to you?”

Charlie shrugged. “She called me.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean . . .”

“Precedent suggests it does. Okay, you two, take care of your mama. And you,” she leaned in and kissed Allie softly, “I’m sorry I won’t be here when the aunties arrive. If you want to distract them, why not feed them your grandmother.”

“Oh, I wish,” Allie sighed.

“Metaphorically.”

“Sure. Be like that.”

Charlie dropped her hand to the slight curve of Allie’s belly. “She knows they’re boys.”

“Of course she does.”