Mistakes Were Made(10)

Her eyes flicked to Erin’s chest. Erin wore a V-neck that showed a hint of cleavage, but it was still just a T-shirt—she was hardly dolled up. The attention made her bold. She dragged her eyes up Cassie’s body.

“You are a little dirty, aren’t you?”

Honest to God, Cassie’s jaw dropped.

Erin turned back to the stage instead of giggling. She felt like a schoolgirl. Like she was flirting with someone for the first time, giddy and fluttery.

Cassie didn’t reply, but she relaxed in her seat, her foot shifting a little closer to Erin’s. Close enough for Erin to have noticed, but not close enough to be an explicit move. They both had plausible deniability.

They stayed not quite touching for the rest of the first performance. The second group to the stage was Parker’s—the Sky High Notes. Cassie sat up straight, put two fingers in her mouth, and wolf whistled. It was loud enough that Erin laughed, delighted. Cassie slid her a grin, and Erin made a decision.

As Sky High Notes started their first song—a Disney medley Parker had gushed about on their past three Sunday phone calls—Erin adjusted in her seat, her thigh pressing against Cassie’s.

There went plausible deniability.

They should have done this during the previous group’s performance. It probably made it worse to touch Cassie while Parker was onstage. But it gave Erin an extra little thrill. Her whole life, she’d followed the rules. Maybe she would’ve been more of a rebel if she’d realized breaking them would feel this good.

In the break between songs, Cassie interlaced her fingers and stretched her arms in front of herself, palms out. She cracked her neck.

“Ouch,” Erin said. “Is that normal?”

“Long day in the shop. Just a little sore. Do you mind?” Cassie settled her arm around Erin’s chair.

“Not at all.”

By the end of the next song, Erin’s back was pressed into the curve of Cassie’s arm.

“Parker says she’s got a mini solo in this next one,” Erin said.

Cassie nodded. “That’s a big deal for a freshman in her first concert.”

Parker was good at everything she’d ever done. Erin was so proud of her, even while she also wished Parker would slow down. Not grow up so quickly, not push herself so hard. Erin knew her daughter could do anything, but she wanted her to just be for a while.

She couldn’t say any of that to Cassie, obviously, so she said nothing.

When Sky High Notes finished, Cassie and Erin cheered so loudly that Parker noticed, laughing and blowing a kiss their way. Erin pretended to catch it in the air, determined to be the embarrassing mom. She couldn’t tell from where she was sitting if Parker rolled her eyes, but she hoped so.

Before the next group came on, Cassie brushed her hand over Erin’s leg. Erin started in surprise.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” Cassie said, voice low.

Erin swallowed. Nodded. She didn’t watch Cassie go. Ten seconds ago, she was being Parker’s embarrassing mom, and now she was pressing her lips together and trying to keep her breath steady.

Last night, it had been easy to join Cassie at the bar, easy to be suggestive as she went to the bathroom. Cassie had wanted it, obviously, and Erin had, too. She’d needed the distraction, hadn’t wanted to think about her ex-husband and wonder who her daughter loved more. Cassie looked hot, and she didn’t hide her interest. Erin hadn’t thought very hard before leading her to the rental car.

But today was different.

Today, Erin knew Cassie was in college. She knew she was her daughter’s friend. She knew exactly what a bad idea it would be to follow her.

She followed her anyway.

Erin didn’t even know where the bathrooms were. Keckley was not a big school; this wasn’t a big building. The noises fell away behind her as she ducked out of the auditorium, finding the doors she’d come in earlier to her left. The right led to a hallway, but it’d been blocked off for performers only. Erin’s eyes darted around. She was taking too long. Cassie was going to think she wasn’t coming.

Finally, she caught sight of a sign that said RESTROOMS with an arrow pointing down a set of stairs she hadn’t noticed earlier. Erin’s feet carried her quickly down.

Cassie loitered at the end of the hallway on the lower level. She disappeared through a door before Erin finished descending the stairs.

There was no one else to be seen, so no one could prove if Erin’s pace ended up somewhere between a power walk and a run.

The door Cassie had gone through was to an accessible, single occupancy, all gender restroom. Erin took a moment to be glad her kid was going to such an inclusive school before remembering she really didn’t want to be thinking about Parker right now.

She slipped inside the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

Cassie was already against the counter, like she expected Erin to lift her onto it for a second night in a row. Erin just looked at her. She was gorgeous, that golden hair against her tanned skin, long lashes framing her dark blue eyes. There was not a single wrinkle on her face.

“We shouldn’t,” Erin said, because it was true.

Cassie nodded, but she didn’t blink. “I know. It’s wrong, and we shouldn’t, and—”

Erin kissed her.

Erin kissed her because it was wrong and they shouldn’t but she wanted to. Lately she’d been trying to do the things she wanted, to make up for lost time.