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“You’re not sleeping on the couch. I’ll get the blowup mattress. You can sleep on the floor in Laura’s room for tonight. Then we’ll figure something else out.” Judy walked back down the hall and pulled the mattress bag out of the closet. “How long will you be staying?”
“Oh, um—”
“We never actually discussed that.” Laura chuckled. “At least a few days, if that’s all right?”
“Of course.” Her tone didn’t betray her thoughts. “You can stay as long as you want. You both are always welcome.”
The words sounded nice to Cassie’s ears, but she couldn’t help noticing something beneath the surface. Was she overthinking the whole thing, or was her mom apprehensive about Cassie staying?
Cassie didn’t blame her. All four of them knew there was a tough conversation ahead of them, but for right now, it felt nice to pretend everything was normal.
It’d only be a matter of time before reality crashed in.
4
Laura sat cross-legged on the bed while Cassie paced up and down the tiny bedroom. They’d put away their clothes and shoved the suitcases in the corner along with the blowup bed, and now there was nothing to do but wait. A nap sounded nice, but Cassie was too wired.
The house smelled familiar. Lavender wafted up from the bowl of potpourri on the windowsill. She smelled the dryer sheets her mother had used when she’d washed Laura’s sweatshirt, now haphazardly draped over the back of the desk chair.
Smell was the sense most tied to memory, and Cassie had no reason to dispute that. Their house in Savannah had always smelled vaguely of lavender, and her mother hadn’t changed her brand of laundry detergent in over twenty years.
But if everything felt so familiar, why did she feel so out of place?
Laura had been watching her the whole time. “Worrying about it won’t make it go away.”
“Is that what you tell your clients?” Cassie didn’t stop pacing. “Don’t worry about it? Then it’ll just go away?”
“That’s not at all what I said.” Laura’s tone was even, but there was a bite to her words. “You can worry or not worry, that’s entirely up to you. But worrying won’t make your fear go away. It’ll amplify it. You know what will make the fear go away?”
Cassie stopped and rolle
d her eyes. “Confronting it?”
Laura had a shit-eating grin on her face now. “Yeah. It doesn’t always work. But it’s necessary.”
Cassie flopped down on the bed and buried her face in the blankets. They still smelled fresh. Her reply was muffled.
“What was that?”
Cassie lifted her head. “I said, it’s like you do this for a living or something.”
“You didn’t need me to tell you that, though.”
“I still need to hear it.”
Before Laura responded, there was a soft knock on the door. Cassie sat up, and the girls called out in unison.
Their dad peeked his head inside. He caught sight of the pile in the corner and smiled. “Ah, just like old times.”
“We’ll clean it up,” Cassie said. “I just need a room first.”
“Your mother is working on the sewing room right now. Unfortunately, you won’t have a real bed, but at least you’ll have your own space.”
“And a lot of yarn to play with if you get bored,” Laura chimed in.
“Does she need help?” Cassie wasn’t sure which answer she’d prefer.
“No, she doesn’t even let me go in there. But I’ll tell you what, I need some help with dinner. And your wine is still down there.”
