"He can't have been half as bad as Fee," Karin said, chuckling behind one upraised hand. "Driving like a bat out of hell since the first day she was handed a set of keys. Before that, really." She flashed a brief look, plainly amused, in her sister's direction, then turned a far softer expression toward Rylee. This was a story she wanted to hear; in her experience it was rare enough that Charlie provided such an opening without the aid of late-night boozing, and Karin intended to take full advantage of the attempt at camaraderie.
"So what was it, Rylee?" she asked, a shadow of her old smile creeping into her voice. "Backing into mailboxes? Hitting parked bikes?"
True to form, their waiter seemed to sense the cadence of the conversation finally hitting its stride, taking the ill timed opportunity to walk over and attempt to interrupt. Karin placed her order as quickly as possibly, adding to the quite short list of her order a glass of dry red wine. It was a rare treat, but now more than ever she felt she needed it.