“Thanks. I’m very lucky to have her.”
“Come inside for a minute,” Casey said. “I don’t think you’ve met my mom.”
“Not many people have,” Chris said, smiling when he said that, which seemed…off. Was he making fun of her for some reason? Avery generally liked to take her time making up her mind about people, but there was something about Chris that she was discomfited by.
“I don’t think I’ve met your mom,” Avery said, ignoring Chris’ comment. “But I assume I’ve seen her around, especially if my mom knows her. Small towns and all.”
“You’d have to have good timing,” Casey said, leading the way to the front door, with Avery turning to awkwardly wave goodbye to Chris, who’d turned to continue working on the plant whose name Avery had already forgotten.
As they walked inside, Avery was hit by the smell of something baking. She was usually pretty good at identifying aromas, and she took an educated guess. “Is that the cheesecake you lured me over here with?”
“If today’s Saturday, it’s cheesecake.”
“Is that a family tradition…?”
“Nah. My mom does all the baking for my uncle’s restaurant. She bakes cheesecakes all day on Saturdays and doles them out as he needs them. Getting them done in one day lets her get ahead of the game.”
“I had no idea she did that. I’m clearly not up-to-speed on the goings on in the Hudson Valley.”
“She’s been doing the baking since before I was born. I tried to convince her to split off and do some catering on her own, but she’s not interested in the business side, or dealing with clients. She just likes to bake.”
Avery was so distracted that she almost didn’t notice the house. But with a quick glance she could see that it was the nicest family home she’d ever been to. Big rooms, oversized furniture, tall windows flooding the rooms with light. They kept walking across the stone floor, then entered a kitchen big enough to prepare a state dinner.
The woman standing in front of a stand mixer didn’t look much like Casey from the back, being average height and a little doughy, but when she turned, she had Casey’s smile, as well as her dark, kind eyes.
“Hey, Mom,” Casey said. “We’ve got company. Avery Nichols and her daughter came over to hang out with me.”
“Well, well, well,” she said. “It’s old home week for Hudson High.” She took a towel and dusted off her hands. “Casey told me she ran into your mom a while ago. But she didn’t tell me you’d gotten married.”
Avery started to speak, but Casey cut in.
“Avery’s on my team, Mom. The class of 2002 must have been a banner year for lesbians.”
“Oh! I’m sorry for assuming…”
“I don’t mind,” Avery said. “Heterosexuality is the norm, so assuming it is…well, normal.”
She smiled, looking even more like Casey when she did. “So you and your girlfriend decided to have a baby? That must have been…” She trailed off, not seeming very adept with small talk.
“I don’t have one of those either,” Avery said, watching the woman’s face fall. Avery still hadn’t heard her name, and now it was a little late to ask. “Um, I didn’t want to run out of time, so I decided to get started. I assumed I’d have trouble getting pregnant, but I surprised the heck out of myself.”
“Well, I can’t say I envy you doing this on your own, but I’m sure you’ll manage. Women have been doing most of the child-rearing since Adam and Eve.” She turned and washed her hands properly. “Have you and Casey been friends all this time?”
Avery was stuck mute. How was she supposed to answer that?
Casey jumped in again. “We ran into each other a year or two ago, but other than that…”
“How’d you get in touch?” She took a look at the infant carrier, having not made any move to take a peek at the human inside. “Oh, I get it. Casey found out you had a baby.”
“Well…”
“Good luck,” she said, laughing a little. “She’ll take her as often as you’ll let her. I don’t know why she didn’t have one of her own, but…” She picked up a mixing bowl and started to load it into the dishwasher. “Casey doesn’t tell me much.”
“I tell you a lot,” she said, not trying to press the point. “I just don’t have much to say.”
“Mmm.” She turned back to Avery. “Are you going to swim? Casey’s out there enough to get her lifeguard certification again.”
Avery gave Casey a quick look. “I didn’t know you’d been a lifeguard, but now I feel ever more secure.”
“It’s been a while, but my skills are sharp enough,” she said, distractedly glancing at the counters. “Any cookies, Mom?”
“Always. I just made some lemon knots. I think they’re cool by now. Check the rack.”
Casey went to a tall metal rack sitting by the back door. After pulling out a tray, she looked at the cookies carefully. “You’ve only got about two dozen. Sure you don’t mind if I take a few?”
“Go right ahead. Mark never sells many on a Saturday, since Tiramisu seems to be the date night choice. I’ve just never taken the time to cut the recipe down.”
“These are my favorites,” Casey said, taking three and handing two to Avery. “I took a whole batch of these to school once when we were supposed to bring in food, and by the time I got there I only had about five left.”
Avery took a bite, and her instinct was to let out a moan. She almost stopped herself, then realized a baker wouldn’t mind hearing that her cookie made a person lose control for a moment. “So good,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had room for dessert when I’ve been to your brother’s restaurant, but I’m going to have to push the bread basket away next time.”
“Oh, the bread’s good, too,” she admitted. “I don’t bake that, of course. I could, but I don’t want the argument I’d have if I tried to get Chris to put in a brick oven.”
“She’s a perfectionist,” Casey said, smiling at her mom. The baby had dozed off, and she started fuss a little when she woke, with Casey shooting Avery a look. “Do you need to feed her?”
“She’s not due for a while. She’ll let you know when she’s hungry. It’s the difference between mild fussiness and screaming like she’s being chased by Godzilla.” She leaned over and touched Lisbet’s face, soothing her. “I think she’s just a little disoriented. She’ll be fine.”
“Are you leaving the baby here…?”
Casey turned back to her mom. “Avery’s got a cold, so I convinced her to a long nap while I take the baby swimming. She’ll join us after she’s rested up.”
“Where were you when I was wrestling with the three of you kids? I could have used a babysitter back then.”
“I was the one causing the trouble,” Casey said. “We’ll be outside.”
“Thanks so much for the treat,” Avery said. “It was divine.”
“Is the baby old enough to have one?”
Casey gave her a puzzled look. “She’s just six months, Mom. I don’t think that’s cookie age.”
She laughed, shaking her head at her own comment. “I can never tell how old babies are.”
That was kind of odd for a woman who’d had three of her own, but Avery decided some people must not sweat the small stuff. “See you later,” she said, following along behind Casey.
They went out via the front door, with Casey chatting to the baby as they walked. “One of these days you’re going to be able to eat one of those lemon cookies. Then you’re going to know why your mom looked so happy a few minutes ago.”
“How do you stay so thin?” Avery asked. “I almost walked over there and swiped another two or three, and that’s after learning your mother baked those specifically for the restaurant.”
“I only have one or two a day. Most days,” she admitted. “I’m on my feet constantly, and that must burn a lot of calories.”
They went around to the front of Casey’s wing, and she put her key into a hidden slot. The doors opened w
ide, revealing a very cute miniature house. It was like seeing a model room at a department store, and Avery found herself kind of delighted at having it unveiled that way.
“Now this is the Brooklyn apartment I’ve longed for.” There was a clearly demarcated bedroom, with a large bed with big, fluffy pillows propped against the wooden headboard, then a TV area, with a full-sized leather sofa and a big screen sitting atop a short bookcase that was filled with DVDs and some old textbooks. A closed door must have led to a bathroom. “What a setup,” Avery added, gobsmacked.
“Here’s your bed, just waiting for you to jump in. Do you want fresh air or air conditioning.”
“Fresh, I think.”
“Come on, then. Lie down and make sure you’re comfortable. I can add pillows, a comforter, whatever you like.”
Avery was wearing sandals, and she slid out of them and approached the bed. “I’m afraid if I get into this, I’ll never get up again.”
“Oh, sure you will. You’ll have to get up to pee at some point.”
“Well, that’s true. Is that the bathroom over there?”
“Uh-huh. There’s a shower too if you want to get in and steam some of the gunk out of your nose.”
“Oh. Tissues? My nose is about to run down my face.”
“Very attractive image.” She produced the box, placing it on the bedside table. “I’ll get Lisbet changed outside, under the pergola.”
Avery blew her nose, then lay down, feeling like she was atop a cloud. “Oh, my God,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “Did you pay a million dollars for this mattress?”
“Uh-huh. It seemed a little expensive, but I’m worth it.”
“This is fantastic, Casey. I don’t have words to express how thankful I am to you for taking over like this.” She took another look around the room, finding it fit Casey perfectly—spare, and clean, with a touch of luxury. “I love your room.”
“I did most of the work myself,” she said, moving over to the door. “We were thinking my grandmother would use it one day.” She let out a short laugh. “That’s the only reason my dad let me do the renovations. But she passed away a while ago, still perfectly able to stay in her own home. She was lucky,” she added quietly. “Dying in your sleep after eating a big piece of cake and drinking a glass of milk is the way to go.”
“How do you…?”
“She was in her recliner, with a few chocolate crumbs on the plate, and “Murder, She Wrote” on TV. Again, not a bad way to go.”
“I’m sorry she’s gone,” Avery said. “My grandparents are all dead now, too. It’s hard,” she added, able to cry at the drop of a hat that her little sweet pea would never meet the people who’d made Avery feel so very, very special as a child.
“Yeah, me too. She was pretty cantankerous, but she always had my back.”
“That’s a grandparent’s main role. Being on their grandchild’s side.”
“Well, I’m going to be on Lisbet’s side,” she said, having settled that matter on her own. “I’m going to spoil this little pumpkin as much as you’ll let me.”
“I’m going to have to make an appointment to see that child, aren’t I,” Avery asked.
“I’ll give you generous visitation rights.” Casey picked Lisbet’s hand up and moved it up and down in a facsimile of a wave, keeping it up until Avery peacefully closed her eyes, feeling cared for for the first time in two weeks—the last time she’d been home.
***
It had taken Casey a little while to wrestle Lisbet into her swim diaper, then cover every other inch of her body with fabric. The things Avery had packed must have been for a newborn, since they fit like a second skin. But Lisbet was unbelievably easy-going while Casey stretched the fabric over her chubby arms and legs, watching with those deep-blue eyes, more interested than alarmed to have a stranger dressing her. She babbled a little, sounding out vowels mostly, but she was clearly glad to go along for the ride, even though she didn’t know where they were going.
Even though she’d taken the cover off the pool before she’d left the house that afternoon, Casey was certain that the eighty-five degree day had kept it toasty. But before even attempting to get in, she checked the thermometer, nodding with satisfaction when it read 87 degrees.
She was wearing some board shorts, her usual summer uniform, and she whipped off her shirt and bra to slip into a rash-guard she’d left in the sun to dry. “Sorry to flash you,” she said to the baby. “But I forgot to get anything for myself, and I don’t want to wake your mommy up.”
Lisbet didn’t pay much attention to Casey now that they were slowly entering the pool. Her dad had gone all out, having the pool contractor create a very gentle slope to enter the water. It was almost like a sandy beach, with the grippy surface the right color to imitate a Bermuda beach. She’d had a float out earlier, and she sat the baby right in the middle of it, watching her react with suspicion when a little water spilled over the edge. She was sitting in only about an inch of liquid, and it was as warm as bathwater, but it was definitely an experience she wasn’t used to.
“Do you like this, Lisbet? I sure do,” she said, pushing the float out into deeper water. She used her legs to propel them now, quickly pushing the raft over to the shady side of the pool.
Casey was warm even in the shade, but she was sure the water was refreshing for Lisbet. “Next year, I’ll teach you how to put your face underwater. That’ll be fun, won’t it?”
Her little head was swiveling around, trying to get her bearings. But she still didn’t cry a single tear, too engaged to worry. This was a very secure baby. Either Avery was doing a lot of things right, or that’s just how Lisbet had entered the world.
“Wanna play peek-a-boo?” Casey dunked her head, coming back up after a second. “Peek-a-boo!”
The baby’s eyes had gone round, and after a couple of seconds to decide if she was frightened or not, she began to laugh. Casey kept it up, dunking herself so many times she was out of breath. But the kid kept laughing, and one thing Ben and Julie had taught her was to never stop doing something that kept a baby entertained. Of course, they weren’t the ones gasping for breath right now.
The game lasted for much longer than Casey thought it would, and it only stopped because some signal went off in Lisbet’s brain, and she realized she was hungry. She literally went from laughing like she was watching the funniest thing she’d ever seen to shrieking like Godzilla had just appeared. Wow. Avery had been right about the kid’s signals.
Casey pushed Lisbet back across the pool, regretting she hadn’t thought to bring ear plugs. This baby must have had a pair of extra large lungs on her, because the volume was amazing!
After wrapping her in a beach towel, Casey grabbed the bottle, which Avery had assured her didn’t need to be warmed up, and went over to the hammock. It was in deep shade, and Casey was relieved to sit on it and feel a little breeze. She got Lisbet settled in the crook of her arm, and the moment the nipple entered her mouth the tears stopped. It was such a dramatic change that Casey stared at her for a moment, truly puzzled. But the baby was perfectly happy now, sucking lustily as she rushed to get the milk into her belly.
“You eat like I do when I’ve missed lunch.”
Lisbet was an all-pro at snarfing down her late lunch, barely looking around, her wide eyes making her seem frantic. Casey had very clear memories of feeding Benji when he was an infant, and she recalled him getting distracted by the smallest noise, or from the family cat walking by. Not Lisbet. If she continued at this pace, the bottle would be gone in a minute! The last thing Casey wanted to have to do was wake Avery, but there had only been one bottle in the fridge.
Just when she thought they’d run out, Lisbet let out a sigh, then her eyes shifted from their locked-in view of the bottle to move around, seeing she was somewhere different. Her barely-visible eyebrows lifted, but she kept sucking. Less frantically, but steadily. Since she’d gulped down over half of the bottle so quickly, Casey eased the nipple from
her mouth, and those tiny brows drew together, like she wasn’t going to accept having her meal cut short without a fight.
She seemed small for her age, light as a feather when Casey put her up to her shoulder and began to burp her. Lisbet didn’t seem to mind being soundly patted on the back, and after she let out a loud burp Casey cradled her again to let her finish.
Looking up when she heard a sound, she saw her mom exit through the kitchen door. “Well look at this,” she said. “The lifeguard runs the snack bar.”
“Obviously you didn’t hear her start to scream when she got hungry. She’s not shy when it comes to making her needs known.”
Her mom reached down and ran her fingers over Lisbet’s peach fuzz. “What’s the connection between you two? You and Avery, I mean. You’ve never mentioned her.” Her hand stilled, then she said, “Wait… Now I remember her. Kathy Crane’s kid was one of the girls that teased you in high school.”
“Yeah—”
Her mom’s cheeks had flushed and her dark eyes flashed with anger. “I didn’t know Kathy well, but I knew her well enough to go over to her house and give her a piece of my mind.”
“I thought I was going to have to wrestle you to the ground to stop you from going. I’d never seen you so angry.”
“Of course I was angry,” she said, speaking loud enough for Lisbet to shift around and stare at her. “You were the toughest kid I’ve ever been around, and to find you in your room, crying your eyes out because of those little jerks…”
“I don’t remember Avery ever saying anything specific,” she insisted. “Janelle Perkins was the prime jerk—of the girls, at least. But if Avery ever told them to knock it off, she didn’t do it in public. I can still see her sitting in the cafeteria, acting like she didn’t even hear Janelle taunting me.” She lightly touched the baby’s incredibly soft foot. “Don’t grow up to be a jerk, Lisbet. Your mom seems nice now, but she was kind of an asshole in high school.”
“Language!”
“The baby’s six months old, Mom. I promise I won’t drop the ‘F’ bomb when she can talk.”
Friday Night Flights Page 6