“Pammy,” Ada said, referring to the new girl they’d just hired. Even when Caro wasn’t working, she was working; the bakery was her baby. It had the Plum name on the front, but it may as well have been called Caroline’s.
After Ada’s parents basically gave the restaurant to her five years ago to rebrand and run while her mom took over their interior design and floral businesses, having Caro stay in charge of Plum Bakery made the most sense. The bakery belonged to Caroline in every way except paperwork and name, and sometimes Ada convinced herself that was good enough.
“Are y’all still fighting?” Ada asked.
Yesterday she’d overheard Caro talking to Rosemarie about a big fight with Trey, but she’d been too busy with everything else to get the full story. Plus, Caro and Trey were always fighting and making up. Ada went back to the bag to get the box of pancakes, started putting them on the big wooden board next to the fruit and eggs.
The huge house was empty except for them. Ada asked Caro once if she wanted to adopt a cat or a dog to keep her company, and Caro scoffed. Told her no since neither she nor Trey were home enough to take care of anything. Even though the house wasn’t exactly Ada’s taste, it did earn its beauty by simply existing, and Caro looked stunning in it. She was barefoot, wearing a white button-down and cutoff jean shorts. Her long, milky red hair was pulled back off her face in a high ponytail, her gold hoop earrings swinging. Perfect, right? Not quite. The house felt like it was missing something even if Ada didn’t know what that something was.
“He was sleeping when I got home last night, and this morning he had to leave early to go back down to Jesse County for something at the distillery. He told me what for, but my brain couldn’t hold on to it. I was too hungover. He woke me up to say he was leaving and left this on the nightstand with a note that said, I think you’ll like this, Caroline. Actually, I know you will.”
“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.