* Jo's videochat meeting *
Meg liked making lists. It made her feel more organized and in control. She made a list of everything and checked it three times just in case. Tonight, she was making a list of things she should take to Florida since John had invited her and Rose to spend Christmas with his family. She was writing things down when her phone rang and Jo's face appeared on videochat.
"Hi Jo!" she greeted her sister who was wearing one of her smartest dresses ever. "Wow! You look..." she started, surprised, when she saw her.
"Come on. You can say it: I look hideous." Jo said, defeated.
"I was going to say great, actually. What's the occasion?" Meg asked. Jo looked at her and sighed.
"Remember Frederick Bhaer?" she asked. Meg looked at her, her eyebrows furrowed and thinking carefully about that name. "He was my tutor while I was writing my thesis?" Jo tried again. Now Meg nodded.
"The professor! Yeah! What about him?" Meg asked
"Well... he heard about my book coming up, so he called me and asked me if I would do a little seminar at NYU in Creative Writing. I was shocked at first, but he was so sure and so eager to talk to me. We had a coffee some days ago to talk about it and now we're having dinner at Chez Noir." Jo said as Meg smiled widely.
"You have a date!" the eldest sister exclaimed, giggling.
"No, I don't!" Jo protested, but Meg wouldn't have it. She just giggled and nodded.
"Nobody goes to Chez Noir for a work dinner, Jo! That's one of the most romantic restaurants in New York." Meg said.
"What do you know!" Jo exclaimed, a bit offended by her sister's declaration. Meg shrugged her shoulders.
"John looked it up once. His best friend Aaron took his fiancée there to propose to her." she explained. Jo was about to say something but she refrained herself as she noticed little Rose approaching her.
"Auntie Jo Jo!" the little girl exclaimed.
"Hey, flower! How's my favourite goddaughter?" Jo asked, smiling.
"You mean your ONLY goddaughter." the girl said, crossing her arms across her chest. Meg suppressed a laugh.
"You don't know if any of my friends here named me godmother of one of their children." Jo retorted. Rose raised an eyebrow.
"Have they?" she asked. Jo sighed.
"No." she admitted. Meg laughed.
"You look very pretty, auntie Jo!" Rose exclaimed. Jo smiled.
"Thanks, sweetie!" she greeted.
"Auntie Jo has a date tonight!" Meg told her daughter with a mischievous smile. Rose's eyes got bigger.
"With uncle Laurie?" she asked innocently. Jo shook her head vigorously.
"No, sweetheart. She's not going with uncle Laurie." Meg said. Rose's eyebrows furrowed.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because... well, because he's to her what Harry is to Hermione." Meg explained. Rose thought about it for a minute.
"Oh. So, now she's going out with a Ron?" she asked. Meg laughed a bit.
"I don't know. He may be a Viktor Krum as well." Meg said. Rose made a disgusted face and both sisters laughed.
"You DO know how to explain relationships." Jo told Meg as she rolled her eyes.
"We've been watching a lot of Harry Potter lately, so... better make a use of it for life! So... what are you doing about your hair?" Meg asked, changing the subject and examining her sister's look.
"I don't know... up or down?" Jo asked, unsure. She was never good at styling herself. Meg was the stylish sister. She always knew what to wear and how to look pretty in every occasion.
"Down. You look pretty with your long hair." Rose said. Both women smiled and Meg kissed her daughter's cheek.
"Shoes?" Meg inquired.
"I have flat ones." Jo said as Meg made a face.
"Stilettos will look better." Meg said.
"No stilettos in my wardrobe, so... flats will be." Jo said.
"Red lipstick and a bit of blush will do. And don't overdo the eye shadow." Meg advised. Jo smiled. Meg could notice her sister was actually nervous about all this and smiled sympathetically at her.
"What?" Jo asked. Meg let out a long sighed.
"Just... nothing. Just... enjoy the night, Jo. You deserve to have fun and enjoy yourself with someone who is interested in you." Meg said.
"I just... It's not..." Jo stammered.
"Jo, you'll be alright. Just be yourself... but no Christopher Columbus exclamations, please!" Meg said which made Rose laugh.
"What if I don't have anything good to say? What if I bore him to the point that he doesn't want to know about me anymore?" Jo asked. It was obvious that this guy interested Jo more than any guy she'd known.
"You will. You're an amazing writer and person, an incredible aunt and sister. You'll have plenty to tell him. And I'm more than sure that he'll want to know plenty about you, Jo. Nobody takes someone who they think it's a bore to Chez Noir. Trust me." Meg said. Jo smiled at her sister.
"Thanks. I better go." she said.
"Have fun!" Meg exclaimed as they both finished the call. She was happy for Jo. She loved her sister to pieces. She had been the one who helped her up when she needed it the most and she truly deserved the all the happiness in the world, in Meg's opinion. Maybe this professor would be the one to bring that happiness to Jo.