In the end, it was Julian who settled it, mostly by refusing to argue about it any further and simply handing Josh the car keys with a look that meant this conversation was over. "You're dropping your sister off today. She had a rough night, and I don't want her riding alone."
"Fine," Josh said, in the tone of someone conceding a point purely to end the discussion. "I think I can deal with her for today."
"I'll be the one tolerating you," Justina shot back, already heading for the door, and the two of them were still needling each other, shoulder-checking one another lightly on the way out, by the time they reached the car.
Amara and Julian stood in the doorway watching them go, shaking their heads at each other with the specific, resigned amusement of parents who'd stopped expecting their older two to get along in any way that didn't involve some low-grade sniping first.
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