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It took a second for Cassie to find her voice again. “We thought we’d surprise you. I know it’s been a while. I was hoping we could all talk and catch up.”
His eyebrows knit together. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. I just thought it was time, you know?”
He took a minute to respond, but when he did, his words were heavy with meaning. “I know.”
Their father led them through the front door and into the little entrance off the kitchen where they could kick off their shoes. He looked back and forth between them with an astonished smile on his face. “It’s nice to see you both in the same place.”
Laura shot Cassie a look that screamed I told you so, to which Cassie promptly rolled her eyes. She smiled back at her father. “Thanks. It’s nice to be here.”
Laura finished pulling off her shoes and stood up. “Where’s Mom?”
“Upstairs.” He leaned his head back and projected his voice. “Hey, Judy?”
A muffled voice answered from upstairs.
“We have guests.”
There was rustling from upstairs, and the sound of her mother’s footsteps made Cassie’s palms sweat. Growing up, her father was the disciplinarian, but he was fair and just. He never yelled, and somehow that made everything worse. As an adult, Cassie could see how even-tempered he was. That made seeing him again after all these years much easier.
Her mom, on the other hand, had a bit of that Irish temper. She was a kind, giving woman, but she was also passionate and emotional. Cassie had seen her mom take more than one teacher down a peg or two in one breath and then invite them over for dinner in the next. She and Cassie had gotten into a few shouting matches when she was a teenager, but her mom could never stay mad for long. And neither could Cassie, especially when there was food on the table or ice cream in the freezer.
“Hey, Dad?” Laura whispered.
“Yeah?”
“I told Cassie.”
Their father frowned. “Told her wha—” His eyes got wide. “I thought you weren’t going to say anything.”
“She has a right to know Mom’s sick.”
“I know that.” He leaned forward. “But your mother is still going to kill me.”
Cassie’s mouth went dry. “Time to say your goodbyes, then.”
Judy and Cassie’s eyes met the moment her mom entered the room. A little gasp escaped Judy’s mouth, and Cassie saw confusion, excitement, and apprehension cross her face in quick succession.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi.” She looked from Laura to her husband and back to Cassie, like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “It’s nice to see you.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.” Cassie stepped forward and hugged her mom, breathing in the scent of cherry blossoms and hairspray. Judy Quinn looked exactly the same as she had ten years ago. She was a short, round woman, with bright red hair, deep green eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. “Hope you don’t mind us dropping in on you.”
Judy hugged Laura and then turned to her husband. “Did you know about this?”
“Not at all. It seems like they conspired against us.”
“Oh?” Judy turned to Laura. She couldn’t quite look Cassie in the eye. “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion.” Laura led the group into the kitchen and started rummaging through the refrigerator. “We just thought it was a good time to catch up.”
Judy’s face turned red, and she smacked her husband’s arm. “You to
ld them, didn’t you?”
He had the wherewithal to look abashed. “Technically, I only told Laura. Then Laura told Cassie.”
