Phoebe sat across from her sisters Eden and Jasmine as they chatted about their shopping spree. Inside Ridge House Tavern a popular bar and grill that sat on Fulton’s river district, the ladies waited for the rest of their party to show up for what was becoming a weekly ritual.

A server approached the table with a bounce in her step and a gleeful smile. “Good evening, ladies,” she said. “Are you still waiting for your party, or would you like to order now?”

Eden and Jasmine glanced at each other, then to Phoebe who hadn’t paid the server much attention.

“I think we’re still waiting, but you can bring water with lemon for our party of ten please,” Jasmine spoke up.

“You can also bring a few appetizers while we wait.” Eden looked at her sisters. “Do you guys want the mozzarella sticks or…?”

Eden and Jasmine glanced back at Phoebe who was still tuned out of their conversation with her sight cast toward the doorway.

“We’ll just take the mozzarella sticks for now,” Jasmine chimed.

“I hope you don’t mind if I pry, but are you three the Rose triplets?” the server asked.

“Yes,” Eden answered quickly. No matter where the girls went, they couldn’t hide from the series of questions that were fired off whenever someone noticed they were Roses. Usually, the girls didn’t mind, but some days like this one, they just wanted to be left in peace.

“Oh my goodness. You guys are so much more beautiful in person!” the waitress squealed.

Jasmine turned her nose up. “That sounded like a backhanded compliment, and I’m not feeling it.”

Eden cut her eyes at Jasmine. “Don’t start.”

“You know I keep it real with everybody,” Jasmine retorted. She turned her attention back to the waitress. “Are you trying to say we’re not beautiful on TV or the newspapers or wherever it is you saw us?”

“Oh boy,” Eden said. She glanced to Phoebe for help but only received a faraway look from her.

“Oh, not at all!” the waitress said, embarrassed. “What I meant was, you know how pictures are. Sometimes they don’t catch you in the right light. Or you could be in the middle of a laugh, and they catch the wrong angle.”

“So, you’re saying we’re not cute when we laugh?” Jasmine continued.

“No!” the waitress fumbled. “Sometimes when I laugh, I snort, and it can be rather spooky if someone caught a picture while that was happening.” The now nervous server laughed and snorted simultaneously to prove a point, but Jasmine didn’t let up.

“So, you’re saying our pictures look spooky?” Jasmine cut her eyes at the waitress. “Can I speak to your manager please?”

“Oh God, Jasmine, let it go, we’re not doing this here,” Eden said. She glanced to the server who looked mortified at the mention of her manager. “Just stop while your ahead, honey. If you don’t mind, how about those waters and appetizers?”

“I’ll be back shortly with your order,” the server said, scurrying away.

Eden shook her head at her sister.

“What?” Jasmine said.

“Must there be an issue every time we go out?” Eden said.

“Hey, it’s not me. Take issue with the people who open their mouths and start with us.” Jasmine mumbled under her breath. “She was probably racist.”

“Oh my God,” Eden moaned. “Don’t start Jasmine, I’m not playing. I don’t want to hear your everybody’s racists rhetoric or your theory on why Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a job. I swear to God if you start I’ll kick your ass myself.”

Mumbling under her breath, Jasmine whispered, “Hmph, you better stay woke.” Jasmine threw up a fist pump, and Eden grabbed her hand and pulled it from the air.

“I’m not playing with you, Jasmine. If you keep this up in public, I’m not coming out with you anymore. Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

“You’ll make some time for it when somebody racist come for your ass in a restaurant or grocery store. Or heaven forbid, you get pulled over by the cops.”

Turning a deeper shade of red from fury and embarrassment, Eden cut her eye at Jasmine. “Your privileged ass ain’t never been oppressed, so miss me with that, Jasmine! Our ancestors would roll over in their grave hearing you talk like that after what they went through.” Reaching across the table and snapping her fingers, Eden spoke sharply, “Earth to Phoebe!”

Bringing her attention to her sisters, Phoebe waited for Eden to respond. She hadn’t heard a thing. Her mind kept replaying being snubbed by Quentin earlier.

“What is wrong with you?” Eden said. “Didn’t you see your boyfriend today? I thought you would be in better spirits.”

Jasmine smirked at Eden’s taunting, knowing Quentin and Phoebe crushed on each other, daily sending quirky text messages and making phone calls that were supposedly a “Hi just checking on you” type of thing but never went so far as the general flirtation.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Phoebe said nonchalantly.

Eden and Jasmine dropped their smiles.

“Uh oh, what happened?” Jasmine asked.

When Phoebe didn’t respond, the girls glanced at each other, but Eden spoke up, “Do we need to get Jonathon to kick his ass?”

Annoyed, Phoebe exhaled deeply. “No! Why would you suggest that?”

Eden shrugged. “I didn’t know if he did something that would warrant an ass tagging or not, don’t shoot me!”

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “That’s the problem right there. Everybody all in our business. Can’t have any privacy these days.”

The door to the tavern opened and in walked Samiyah and Claudia. They sauntered up to the table both clad in denim jeans and heels to die for. Samiyah still wore her double-breasted coat, and shades sat across her eyes. On Samiyah’s arm was a Dolce and Gabbana handbag, and you couldn’t tell from her catwalk that she was seven months pregnant.

On Claudia’s shoulder, a Louis Vuitton fur coat hugged her shoulders as a rich fur sat around her neck. The matching handbag and shades finished her look.

The women approached the table with easy smiles. “Ladies,” Samiyah and Claudia both chimed in a greeting. They bent down to air kiss the sides of the triplets’ faces one by one before taking their seats.

“Hey,” Eden sang, “you both are looking fierce, honey.” She snapped her fingers.

Jasmine nodded. “Yes! Looking like you just stepped out of a fashion show. You girls are definitely Roses now.” They laughed. Even Phoebe smirked at that comment.

“Jaden wouldn’t let me go back to Walmart. I told him Walmart has good things for everybody. We will need them one day.”

The ladies chuckled again. “And what did he say?” Jasmine asked.

“Talking about, nah baby, I don’t think so,” Claudia said, imitating Jaden’s voice.

The ladies laughed again.

“I told him Walmart has held me down for years, and I’ve worn some dresses from their store to one of our dates, and he didn’t even know it. You know what he told me?”

“What?” they all chimed.

“I know it. I’m just too kind to show it.”

The ladies guffawed as Claudia continued to imitate Jaden. “Besides, baby, no wife of mine will be caught dead in Walmart. Not because there’s anything wrong with the store, but can you see the headlines? Then he proceeds to hold his hands out as if looking at a headline talking about, ‘Multimillionaire Jaden Alexander Rose must not share his wealth with wife Claudia Stevens because she was seen shopping at Walmart on Sanders Boulevard today’.”

The ladies laughed harder, and Claudia shook her head.

“So here I am dressed down in a damn cat.”

More laughter rang out around the table.

“Jonas is the same way except he will go so far as to send his assistant to shop with me. As if I need help picking out fashionable clothes.”

Claudia nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Jaden had someone watching me, with instructions to pop out and stop me from purchasing something that didn’t have a four-digit or higher price tag on it.”

“I didn’t know Jaden was a fur type of guy,” Samiyah said.

“He’s not really like I said four-digit tag. I grabbed the first thing I knew would keep me warm. He hasn’t even seen this yet.”

“Welcome to the family,” Eden said with Jasmine’s and Phoebe’s nods of approval.

The server reappeared with another waiter, and they placed water with lemon and appetizers around the table. As they added the items, Desiree and Santana Summers shimmied through the door, bringing a frosty wind with them. They were also dressed to the nines as they made their way to the table arms outstretched.

“Hey, hey!” they both chimed, also bending to give everyone hugs.

“I love that bob cut on you!” Claudia said to Santana.

“Do you, girl?” Santana cooed, patting her hair with a soft hand. “Josiah likes it, too, at least I think he does the way he constantly sinks his fingers into it and—”

“Eww, too much information!” Jasmine shrieked. Josiah was the youngest brother of the Rose men and had fallen madly in love with Santana over the course of the summer, and they had gotten married.

“My bad,” Santana said, “I get a little carried away. My life is like a dream now, so I can’t help but spread the love.”

“No need in spreading any of that love over here,” Jasmine said, her sisters nodding in agreement.

Samiyah, Claudia, and Desiree snickered.

“So tell me about your pregnancy, how’s it going?” Eden asked.

“Honestly,” Samiyah said, “I’ve never been more uncomfortable and in love at the same time. It’s pretty weird. On the one hand, my body has a mind of its own as it makes way for the little life inside of me, but on the other hand, to feel kicks and tumbles in my belly is life altering altogether.”

The ladies swooned as they nodded.

“One day,” Phoebe cooed.

Everyone turned their attention to her.

“One day what?” Jasmine asked. Neither Jasmine nor Eden had known their doppelganger to want children. As a matter a fact, Phoebe used to twist her nose in mock horror when she would encounter kids at the grocery store before she swore off going on her own and opted to send someone for her.

“What do you think?” Phoebe said.

“You want kids now?” Jasmine asked.

“With someone special.”

“Wow, sis, you’re really into Quentin, huh?” Jasmine retorted.

“You know he is the biggest playboy of all of our brothers combined. I thought you guys were just flirting with each other, but I don’t think you should invest in a life with him,” Eden said.

The table became quiet as Phoebe cut her eyes to Eden. “Well it’s a good thing I don’t pay you to think, now isn’t it?”

“Time out,” Jasmine intervened. “Before this turns into a battle of the witches, I’d like to point out that people change all the time. Just because Quentin is a flirt—”

“With everybody in town,” Eden mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Jasmine spoke over her, “THAT doesn’t mean he can’t be with one person. Just look at Josiah. Our brother ran a close second with Quentin and look at him now.”

“Besides, that, Eden should just mind her own business,” Phoebe said.

Eden went to respond, and Jasmine held up a finger to her lips. “Cut it,” Jasmine said.

Eden exhaled and swatted Jasmine’s hand before sitting back against her chair.

“In other news,” Jasmine stated as an attempt to move the subject.

“I believe our mothers are fighting over who will win Christopher’s heart,” Claudia blurted.

Samiyah shook her head. “Yes, they are. I can’t quite figure out why all of a sudden Martha Jean wants a man.”

Desiree spoke up. “Oh, I can answer that question for you. It because Christopher’s not just any man. He’s a Rose and let’s face it, all the Rose men have that swagger that makes you melt where you stand. Nobody’s immune, even Martha Jean,” Desiree finished.

“Oh God,” Eden moaned. “We are not talking about my father right now.”

The ladies chuckled.

“Sorry, sis, but your dad is hot as hell,” Desiree chimed. “Don’t tell Julian I said that.”

They all laughed.

“I’m telling,” Claudia said.

“Shut up,” Desiree returned.

“I’m just saying be for real, Christopher is a direct replica of his sons combined. Fifty-seven years old or not, if you walked past him on the streets, you’d have to do a doubletake thinking he was also a Rose brother,” Desiree said.

“I’ll have to agree,” Santana added. “Christopher is knockout gorgeous. If my mom wasn’t married to my father, she would’ve thrown her hat into the ring, too.”

“Oh God,” Jasmine moaned. “Honestly, I don’t think my father wants a relationship. He’s been single ever since…”

The table grew quiet as they all knew how that sentence ended.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not interested. Maybe he just hasn’t met the right one,” Santana added.

“Or maybe, he enjoys being alone,” Eden added, unable to imagine her father with anyone.

“Regardless, Martha Jean and Adeline seem hell-bent on winning his affection,” Samiyah said, “and I’ve told my mother more than once not to get her hopes up. You know what she told me?” Samiyah imitated Martha Jean: “‘I’m trying to make him your real daddy’.” The ladies chuckled. “As if her marrying into the family is more authentic than my marriage into the family.” Samiyah shook her head as the ladies continued to laugh.

“Girl, I’m hungry,” Desiree said, “Where is Octavia, Selena, and Carla?” she asked, posing the question in Santana’s direction.

“I spoke to Carla on the way over here, and she’s been called into work. Selena and Octavia were supposed to be on their way.”

“Call them again please, I’m starving,” Desiree said.

Samiyah’s phone rang at the same time Claudia’s and Octavia’s phones rang.

“Hello,” they said simultaneously before listening carefully.

A sudden blush fell over Claudia’s face while the rest of the girls smiled and exchanged glances.

“Okay, see you soon,” Samiyah said, hanging up.

One by one, they all ended their calls.

“What was that about?” Jasmine asked.

“Our husbands have confiscated Octavia and Selena. They’re at Charlie’s on Fifth and Grand,” Samiyah said. “They have a room in the back and want us to meet them over there.”

“We didn’t get a call,” Jasmine said. “Does that mean we’re not invited?”

Santana chuckled and took a sip of her water as she stood.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Claudia said.

“Right,” Desiree agreed, also standing, “as if you girls need an invitation.”

Eden shrugged. “You’re right.” She stood and whistled for the waitress. “Can you bring us the ticket please? It looks like we’ll be dining somewhere else.”

Immediately, the waitress looked nervous as if her earlier comments had caused the ladies to leave.

“It has nothing to do with you,” Eden reassured.

“Not that it shouldn’t,” Jasmine mumbled.

Eden pinned Jasmine with a look. “I swear to God,” she warned.

Jasmine pursed her lips and slipped the strap of her purse on her shoulder. “Whatever, don’t mind me,” she said.

“Is Quentin going to be there?” Phoebe asked.

All eyes turned to Phoebe. “I’m not sure, Jonas didn’t say,” Samiyah said. “Do you want him to be there?”

Phoebe huffed and pushed back from the table to stand. “No, I don’t.”

The ladies all glanced around at each other.

“Okay, what has he done to you?” Jasmine said.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just go,” Phoebe said, walking away from the table.

“Should we be worried about her?” Eden asked Jasmine.

“We’re triplets. That’s all we do is worry about each other.”

“I know this is not the opportune moment to say this, but it’s been on my mind the last couple of times I’ve seen you three,” Santana said. “I’m so glad you guys started dressing differently. I can now honestly say I can tell you apart.” She eyed Eden and Jasmine. “Sometimes.”

The ladies chuckled as Eden and Jasmine rolled their eyes. The waitress strolled back to the table with the check, and Eden handed her two twenty-dollar bills. The check was made up of water and appetizers and wasn’t over fifteen dollars.

“Keep the change,” Eden said.

“Thank you,” the waitress chimed.

“Not that you deserve a tip,” Jasmine reiterated.

Eden grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her from the restaurant with Samiyah, Claudia, Desiree, and Santana laughing in tow.