He’d raised his voice since starting, bit by bit. Sure enough, now Kasey was looking over, then my mom. Listening as he continued with this tale, every beat of which I knew by heart. It was so easy to get sucked in.
What’s the problem?Lana had asked. There were several. But this one I knew how to solve. I just had to do it.
“Colin,” I said, interrupting him. “We have to talk.”
An hour later, I was standing on the steps of the Woods, watching his taillights disappear down the driveway. Turned out you could step out of a tornado. I would let this one spin on without me.
I pulled out my phone, glancing at the screen. I had a text from Lana:Come to the pavilion we’re all here, time stamped twenty minutes earlier. When I’d last seen her, she was happily tipsy, riding off with Clark, Anne, and Jonathan.
I kicked off my shoes—heels borrowed from Anne, they pinched my toes something fierce—then picked them up by the straps and started up the stairs. It wasn’t until I got closer that I heard voices on the porch.
“The dinner was beautiful,” Kasey was saying. “I know we don’t like Kathy, but she did a good job.”
“We don’t not like her,” Liz told her. “She’s just stubborn and opinionated. It’s not a deal breaker.”
“Lucky for you,” my mom said. Kasey chuckled.
“And you,” Liz replied. It was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “I mean, a month ago you weren’t even really speaking to us.”
I dropped my hand from the door, knowing now was not the time to announce myself. Then my mom spoke.
“You’re right.” I tried to imagine her face as she said this. Before this summer, I’d seen only a couple of expressions, but now I had my pick. “It was a mistake. I regret it.”
A beat. Then Kasey: “Whoa. That was not the response I was expecting.”
“Me neither.” Liz sounded a bit stunned. She added, “I thought you hated me.”
“Of course not,” my mom told her. “It was just…”
I waited for this moment too to fizzle out or go any of the other ways it had since we’d been here.Something, everything, all our fault. The end,as Liz had said. But this time, my mom continued.
“There was some stuff that happened. With Dad.”
Another silence. Kasey said, “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t want to get into it now,” she replied. “Anne’s getting married. It’s a celebration. There’s no need to go dig up old dirt.”
“Cat.” That was Liz. “Tell us.”
A pause. Now I wished I was closer, if only to be there for her.
“He cheated on Mom,” she said finally. “The summer of their vow renewal. And other times too.”
No response from my aunts. I could only imagine their faces. Then Liz said, “That’s it?”
A beat. “That’s it?” my mom repeated.
“That’sthe reason you left and cut ties with us for all these years?” Kasey sounded incredulous. “Because the Judge was unfaithful? Seriously?”
“We knewthat,” Liz said. “So did half the town. Kate Bigby still gives me the stink eye every time she delivers a pizza.”
“H-h-old on.” My mom was literally stammering. “Did Mom know?”
“Well, I never asked her,” Liz replied. “But I can’t imagine how she could have been oblivious.”
“But that big anniversary party here, with the speeches…” My mom trailed off. “All the summers. I thought… I thought I had this piece of information that would destroy you if you knew.”
“So it was better to just drop your own sisters completely?” Kasey asked.
