Page 131 of Dream Weaver

Amen,Erin mumbled into my mind.

Ha. If only we had Mom here,Pippa joked.She knows how to get a leg up on him — and a lot of other things.

Ugh. I tried to block out images of Mom and Captain Edwards getting down and dirty, but it was too late.

Erin looked around uneasily.Don’t jinx us—

Another set of headlights came over the hill. We three sisters groaned, and Claire cheered.

“Grandma!”

I winced. Mike went on guard. My sisters gritted their teeth.

Captain Edwards’s eyes went all shiny, and his voice cracked. “Virginia…”

A sleek Lexus SUV whisked up — the kind you saw parked in front of country clubs and five-star restaurants. When Mom traveled, she traveled in style.

The car stopped, but she didn’t emerge. Seconds ticked by as she waited for someone to open the door for her.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Mike muttered while we sisters rolled our eyes.

Captain Edwards and his men practically fell over one another to reach the door first.

Edwards won — no surprise there. In one smooth move, he managed to straighten his jacket and hair as well as open the car door. He kept his eyes down, the way the queen’s footmen did.

One toned leg appeared, along with a very high, stylish heel. Mom paused there, letting the men get a good, long look. Then she stuck out a hand, which Edwards took gallantly.

I could hear his heart pounding from ten yards away. And that was before Mom had even exited the vehicle.

Finally, she slid out with a wiggle calculated to make every sequin on her dress glitter.

Yep. Mom sure knew how to make an entrance. Captain Edwards and his men practically drooled.

Cooper cocked an eyebrow and whispered, “That’s your mom?”

“Yep,” I sighed. “The apple fell pretty far from the tree, huh?”

Pippa chuckled dryly. “All three of us apples.”

“Wow. She looks like a movie star,” Cooper said, not all too impressed.

She did, especially in that glittery 1930s-style dress. On me, it would look like a moldy potato sack. But Mom could have graced the cover ofVoguemagazine in it.

“Mom,” Erin said flatly. Then she cleared her throat and attempted — but failed at — a peppier tone. “I mean, Hi, Mom. Good to see you.”

“Grandma!” Claire ran over and hugged her legs.

Mom looked down, patting Claire’s head awkwardly, then pivoted away. “Watch the dress, darling.”

“It’s beautiful!” Claire breathed, missing the snub.

Captain Edwards’s eyes shone in a way that saidten out of ten.

And, hey. Momwasbeautiful. Even spellbinding.

I froze. Was Mom more than just a dragon shifter?

Pippa must have picked up on the thought, because she muttered into my mind,I shudder to think she might be one-quarter witch or something.

---