Mistakes Were Made(52)

Alone upstairs, Erin stretched out on the couch and cracked the spine of her mystery novel. The murderer was the victim’s sister. The author wanted her to think it was the husband, but it was the sister. There was still a quarter of the book to go, but Erin was pretty sure. She squinted at the small print of the paperback. Maybe she should make a resolution: to get reading glasses.

If she woke up with the book splayed open across her chest, no one had to know she’d taken a nap. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her phone. 11:47 P.M. Perfect timing.

When Parker was little, they would always pop a bottle of champagne in the backyard on New Year’s, see how far they could shoot the cork. Tonight, Erin used a folded dish towel to twist the cork, popping it gently into her hand. She turned the TV on to watch the ball drop, but she would’ve known when it fell anyway thanks to the shouted countdown and all those noisemakers downstairs.

Erin poured herself a glass of champagne. As she took her first sip, she heard someone tromping up the stairs. She had an idea who.

Erin prided herself on her poker face. It was something she’d had to perfect throughout her life. Early on, she learned to keep her face blank rather than roll her eyes at her mother. The skill came in handy dealing with patronizing professors, arrogant attendings, any number of people who doubted, ignored, or underestimated her. She used it when telling patients or their families bad news.

But when Cassie poked her head around the corner, Erin’s face broke open into a smile. Cassie came into the room on her tiptoes, like she was sneaking, even with her heavy steps on her way up from the basement. She was cute as hell.

“What are you doing up here?” Erin asked. “The party’s downstairs.”

Cassie sat so close to Erin on the couch their knees banged together. “Yeah, but I heard the prettiest girl in town was up here.”

It was a ridiculous, obviously tipsy line, but Erin’s chest swelled with warmth anyway. Her laugh was more a giggle than anything.

“How drunk are you?”

“Not as drunk as a lot of those idiots,” Cassie said, taking the champagne glass out of Erin’s hand and setting it on the table.

Erin tsked at her. “I love those idiots, Cassie.”

“Yeah, I mean, they’re great, don’t get me wrong,” Cassie said. She waved her arms in a gesture Erin had no idea how to interpret. “But Haylee and Scout have been making out for, like, an hour, and everyone is just letting them shove their tongues down each other’s throats in the corner?” She smirked. “I mean, I get wanting to do that, no matter who is around, but I hope I’m a little more discreet about it.”

Erin quirked an eyebrow. “The middle of the living room is being discreet?”

“Who said I was talking about you?”

Erin might’ve taken her more seriously if she’d been able to say it with a straight face.

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Erin said.

“I just—” Cassie finally seemed to lose some of that confidence she was always walking around with. She scuffed one foot against the carpet. “I mean, it’s New Year’s,” she said eventually. She was looking at the ground when she said, “You’re supposed to kiss somebody at midnight.”

“God, you’re cute.”

Erin kissed her. She didn’t think about how Cassie was her daughter’s friend; she didn’t think about how anyone could come upstairs at any moment; she just kissed her. It was soft and sweet and absolutely not a bad way to ring in a new year.

When she pulled away, sooner than she’d like—and sooner than Cassie would like, too, if the way she chased Erin’s lips was any indication—Erin asked, “How’d you slip away from the party?”

Cassie blinked like she had to reset her brain after the kiss, and Erin tried not to feel smug.

“I’m gonna FaceTime Acacia from the future. It’s too loud down there.”

She wet her lips with her tongue, and Erin couldn’t look away. She tried to get her pulse under control. She could not make out with Cassie with ten teenagers in her basement. She wouldn’t do that with anyone, but she certainly couldn’t be doing it with someone closer in age to the teenagers than to her.

“You should FaceTime her, then.”

They were still leaned into each other. Cassie jutted her chin out, trying to connect their mouths again, but Erin pushed her backward into the couch. She imagined, for a millisecond, following the push with her body, climbing right into Cassie’s lap, in the middle of the living room.

“Call Acacia,” she said instead, and shifted away.

Cassie’s throat worked as she swallowed. It took her a second before she fished her phone out of her pocket. Erin looked away, like that offered some kind of privacy.

“Hello from the future!” Cassie yelled when Acacia answered.

“How is it?” Acacia asked. “Are you living under water?”

“No, in outer space! You always say I’m gonna be an astronaut but everyone is now!”

Acacia’s laugh was bright, even over the phone.

“Hey, where are you? Where’s Parker? Where’s the party?”

“Parker is downstairs with the party,” Cassie said. “I came upstairs to say happy New Year to Erin and to call you.”

“Cassie.”