Goodbye Earl(26)

“Romantic?” Ada asked carefully, not quite sure if Caro would agree.

“I mean, I guess,” she said, as she finished putting out the cookies and stood back to admire them on the platter.

There was a knock at the door, then it opened. The alarm system chimed and Rosemarie’s and Kasey’s laughter lifted and fell, announcing their arrival.

*



“I know it makes you uncomfortable to be the center of attention, but I’m so glad to be looking at your face,” Ada said to Kasey after they’d eaten. They were sunning by the pool now, drinking nonalcoholic fruity-spritzy concoctions Caro put together and called “spruitzers.” Pineapples and cherries, ginger ale and peach syrup. It tasted like something Ada would’ve loved when she was a teenager, but she only sipped at it. She ate the sticky, slick cherry and put the glass down on the table.

“I’m so glad to be looking at your face right now and to be able to meet your boys in person. Ada, um, you have four boys,” Kasey said, leaning forward.

“I know, right? Five, including Grayson! It’s five against one in my house! Who let that happen?” Ada shook her head. It’d broken her heart that Kasey hadn’t been in Goldie for the birth of any of her boys, never got to hold them when they were babies. Kasey had “met” the boys via texted photos and FaceTime, but seeing Kasey bend down yesterday to talk to them was so precious and surreal Ada had to blink fast to keep from crying.

“Kase, which one of these will look the best on me?” Caro asked, holding up three pinkish lip glosses she’d taken out of the LunaCrush gift boxes Kasey had brought for them.

“The brightest one. That’s the one you have on now? Electric Raspberry?” Rosemarie went in her pocket for the same one and held it up, although she’d opted to put the pure red matte one on her own lips. Ada looked at the dip of Rosemarie’s pretty Cupid’s bow, watched it move.

“Agreed. I’ve got a couple more of those at the hotel. You can have them all. We’ll change the name from Electric Raspberry to Caroppenheimer or Carofox if you want. It’s lovely on you,” Kasey said. “The red is made for you, Roses.”

“It is. And nope. I’m Caroppenheimer forever, no matter what my married name is,” Caro said.

“Love it. I love this light pink one too,” Ada said, pointing at her own glossy mouth with both index fingers.

“I thought of you as soon as I saw it,” Kasey said.

“Go ahead and name all the pinks Ada Plum!” Rosemarie said to Kasey before switching her attention to Ada. “And, girl, remember how you made us wear the same pink gloss on prom night because you said it was good luck?”

“Oh wow. You did!” Kasey said.

“I have no clue where I came up with that. Y’all know I just like it when we have the same thing. Plus, it matched my dress!”

“Well, it worked, because I did end up having a good night. We all did! I remember being worried we were all gonna start our periods that night like we did for junior prom. Of course my dress had to be white,” Caroline said.

“Don’t forget sophomore homecoming when none of us could go because we all had the same disgusting cough. I caught it from Leo and gave it to y’all. I’m still sorry for that. Forgive me,” Rosemarie said.

“Forgiven,” Kasey said.

“Senior prom night was a dream, though. Time stops at the Castelow lake house, doesn’t it? Feels protected from the rest of the world,” Caroline said, staring at the pool water—lucent and June blue.

“It really does. Grayson is there right now with the boys,” Ada said.

“My mom was so paranoid I was going to get pregnant that night. I think she was worried about all of us,” Kasey said.

“I remember her being like, Y’all look way too good to let any of these Goldie boys talk to you, let alone touch you,” Rosemarie said, doing Angie’s voice perfectly.

They laughed. Ada remembered Kasey’s mom warmly. Her scratchy voice and white Keds. How she wore a bell on a twisted red-and-white cord around her neck every day during December. Ada would hear her jingle around the corner at the grocery store before she got eyes on her.

“Gah, she would’ve loved Devon, though. She loved Silas, but he’s Silas, so that’s a given,” Kasey said.

“I do miss your mom so much, Kase. I miss seeing her around and how she’d say Hey there, Rosiegirl to me when I bumped into her at the store,” Rosemarie said.

Ada was sure they were all sitting there feeling it, but Rosemarie was the first one to say so.

“Me too,” Ada said.

“Me too,” Caro whispered.

They were finally crying at the same time. It was a relief to let it out. Yesterday had been too busy and last night was too wild. In the quiet and sun of that backyard, they could let go.

“Well, since you brought Silas up, do inform us if the two of you are going to stay in touch when you go back to New York, since you’re properly reconnected now,” Caro said after a bit, smirking at Kasey. Rosemarie pointed at her in agreement and clicked her tongue.

“Yeah, I guess so? I wouldn’t have blamed him if he never wanted to speak to me again, though. He doesn’t owe me anything,” Kasey said slowly. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and stretched out, crossed her ankles.