Cassie stayed distracted for the rest of the day with the Webbs, for the rest of her last week at Keckley. She was still trying not to daydream about it as Acacia hugged her tightly at 6 A.M. in the parking lot in front of her dorm, Parker’s car loaded up with all their stuff.
“Take care of yourself, okay?” Kaysh said.
Cassie hugged her again.
“Stop getting all sappy,” Parker said, adjusting the suitcases in the trunk. “You’re gonna come visit us in July.”
“Shut it, Bennett,” Acacia said and hugged her, too.
A ten-hour road trip with your best friend was a damn good time, even if you were sleeping with that friend’s mom on the side. They took shifts driving, rocked out to music, and stopped for lunch at this diner with the best pie Cassie had ever had. After, Parker slept off her food coma while Cassie drove, and they made it to Nashua in time for a late dinner.
The bike was in the garage, and Cassie swore she got wet just looking at it.
She had to wait a whole twenty minutes before she got a chance to kiss Erin. It wasn’t near as long a kiss as she’d like, but Parker was only taking their suitcases upstairs. Cassie was staying a couple nights until the weekend, when they’d help her move into her apartment.
Parker came back downstairs, and Erin served them dinner and grinned at Cassie over her wineglass.
This was gonna be the best summer ever.
Twenty-Two
ERIN
When Erin heard the front door open, she turned down the corner of the page she was on, her face already breaking into a smile.
“Parker?” she called, though it was much too early for her daughter to be home from Adam’s. “Is that you?”
There was no response. Erin could picture the scene in the foyer: Cassie toeing out of her sneakers, hanging her motorcycle jacket over the coat rack and her keys on the hook next to the spare key to her apartment. Cassie didn’t always arrive this early on Saturday mornings, but after the Fridays that Parker spent at Adam’s? Yeah, she was always here before ten.
“Is she not home yet?” Cassie’s voice came into the living room before she did.
She stood at the edge of the room, hands on her hips. Erin had imagined her entry wrong—she still had her jacket on. It made her look bigger. Tough. Erin’s smile grew.
“You know she won’t be here before noon.”
“Hmm,” Cassie said, coming closer. “Whatever will we do with ourselves with all this time we have?”
“I don’t know what I’ll do with myself.” Erin got up off the couch and met Cassie halfway. She slid her hands under that jacket. “I’ve got some ideas about what to do with you, though.”
She and Cassie were dressed and in the kitchen by the time Parker arrived.
“Cassie’s here!” Parker shouted as soon as she opened the front door.
“Yeah, ’cause you slept so late, princess,” Cassie said. “It’s almost one!”
Parker barreled into the kitchen and hugged her, paying no mind to her teasing.
Erin didn’t look up from the wraps she was making.
Seeing Cassie and Parker together was always—“bittersweet” wasn’t quite the right word, but something like that. Erin loved seeing two of her favorite people happy, but being reminded that her daughter’s friend was one of those people—for decidedly not friendship-based reasons—bitter was definitely the right word for that. Acacia was coming to visit for the Fourth, and Erin was absolutely not looking forward to it. She didn’t know how much Acacia knew—she and Cassie had never discussed it after the New Year’s Eve mishap. The idea of someone who knew, someone who might notice the way Cassie looked at her sometimes, the sly smiles and knowing glances they sent each other—it grated on Erin’s nerves.
She did have to admit there was a thrill in being near Cassie with people around, though. After lunch, some of Parker’s hometown friends arrived, saying hello on their way to Erin’s pool. It was how they spent most weekends, and sometimes weekdays, too.
Cassie was on her back on a pool float when Erin came out of the house in the suit Rachel had made her buy when they went to the Bahamas together. It wasn’t inappropriate, but she could feel Cassie’s eyes on her, even though they were hidden behind sunglasses. The bottoms were black, plain, full coverage. The mismatched top was white, triangles and string ties and admittedly some side boob.
“I hope you don’t mind if I share some of the sunshine with you guys,” Erin said.
“Of course, Dr. Bennett,” Caleb said.
“Caleb, I’m kicking you out of my backyard if you call me Dr. Bennett one more time.”
“Aren’t you used to how chronically over-polite he is yet?” Parker asked. “Anyway, that lounge is open.” She gestured to the chair next to the one where Cassie’s stuff was.
It wasn’t the lounge chair Erin had planned to take. There were three open—Lila’s stuff on one while Parker, Caleb, and Madison sat at the table playing a complicated card game Erin had never had the patience to learn. Walking past an open lounge chair to take the one next to Cassie’s would’ve been too obvious had Parker not suggested it. But given the excuse, Erin was glad to stretch out beside Cassie’s chair. Unsurprisingly, Cassie was soon out of the pool.
She “accidentally” dripped water on Erin’s bare legs before flopping down next to her. Cassie’s sunglasses were still on, but she couldn’t hide the way her tongue darted out to lick her lips.
“What’s up, doc?”
Erin rolled her eyes. Hard. “Never say that again, Cassie.”
Cassie laughed and relaxed on her chair.
Erin wished she’d worn sunglasses herself, so she could drink her fill of Cassie. Her high-waisted bottoms and bandeau top matched, both bright red with white polka dots. She looked so … wholesome, and yet Erin couldn’t stop thinking about riding her face.
Caleb, Lila, and Madison filtered out eventually, sun kissed and damp from the pool as they made their way home for dinner. Erin sat up, swung her legs to the side of her lounge chair, and stretched. She did not look at Cassie, who was being too obvious now that her sunglasses were sitting on top of her head.
“What do you want for dinner?” she asked.
“Burgers,” Parker said without lifting her head from the next lounge chair.
“I’ll have to go to the store and get buns,” Erin said. “Do you want anything else?”
At that, Parker sat up. “I can go.”
“You don’t have to.”
“No, I will,” Parker said. “You’re cooking. I can pick up buns.”
Erin eyed her. “Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?”
“I’m growing up,” Parker said. “You raised me well. Good job.”
“I suppose I won’t argue with that. You can grab a twenty from my wallet.”
Parker got up and pulled her cover-up over her head. Erin and Cassie stayed put.
“We need anything other than buns?”
“Sweet tea,” Cassie said.
“Pretty sure they don’t sell the good stuff in New Hampshire, babe,” Parker said.
“Ugh. This state is useless.”
Erin pushed at Cassie’s chair with her bare foot. “I’ll see if I can’t scrounge up some homemade stuff for the next time you come.”
“Parker, your mom is better than you. She offers solutions.”
Erin didn’t have to look at Parker to know she was rolling her eyes.