“She was always sorting stuff into piles,” Liz explained to me. “Blue was keep; green, give; yellow, trash.”
“You couldn’t even leave a sweater out without it getting stickered. If not outright disposed of.” Kasey clipped some roses, setting the blooms aside. “Let’s be real, though. It’s not like Cat’s actually going to want any of this stuff.”
“She’ll wantsomething,” Liz said.
I looked at my mom, who just took a sip of her coffee, saying nothing.
Kasey clipped another stalk. “Well, for what it’s worth, I can’t imagine I’ll take much. It’s not like my place over the Egg is that big.”
“There’s room for some things,” Liz said. “I mean, you’ll want Mom’s breakfront.”
“Why? I don’t even know what a breakfront is.” Kasey looked at me. “Do you?”
“A cabinet?” I offered.
“Basically,” my mom said, her voice flat. “Traditionally holds dishes.”
“I have dishes, though.” Clip.
“Not Mom’s dishes. They’re heirlooms.” Liz pulled out a folder. “I made a list of what I’d like. I know I can’t have it all. But I just wanted to put it out there.”
My mom took the sheet, scanning it. “You want that heavy oak furniture Dad moved here from his office after he retired? Why?”
“I just do,” Liz replied. Then she added, “The court was so much of who he was, you know?”
My mom pushed out her chair, picking up her mug and disappearing into the kitchen. Apparently, that was her reply, though to me the question had sounded rhetorical.
“Hello?” A voice came down the hallway, followed by a light knock. “Anyone home?”
“That’s Angela,” Liz said. As she left, heading to the door, Kasey put down the clippers, surveying the blooms—sunflower, red rose, some kind of puffy pink flower—before beginning to put them in small bundles.
“… you fitting us in,” Liz said, coming down the hallway. “I know it’s last minute.”
“Oh, stop,” said a woman in jeans, her hair in a neat bob, who was behind her. Her blue button-down hadNORTH LAKE ESTATE SALESstitched on it. “You know how long I’ve been waiting to get in here and do this. Oh, hey, Cat!”
My mom nodded in response.
“So crazy to see you back here! It’s been a million years.” Angela put her hands on her hips. “So, kitchen appliances. You’re selling those?”
Clearly, she didn’t waste time. Liz seemed startled also as she said, “Well, I think yes. Unless…” She glanced at Kasey. “Yes.”
“Does that include what’s in the laundry room?”
“Um, sure. But the washer’s pretty ancient.” Liz got to her feet. “Let me show you.”
Kasey, now binding the bouquets with some wire she’d had in another pocket, raised her eyebrows. “Moving fast.”
“Better than slow.” My mom took a sip of her coffee. “So what’s the Tides planning to do with this place?”
“Raze it,” her sister told her. “The cabin, too.”
“Really?”
“They just want the land. Everything else is going.” Kasey picked up the clippers again. “You knew that, though. Right?”
“Of course,” my mom said. But the look on her face made me wonder.
Liz and Angela were headed to the second floor now, their voices bouncing up the stairs. In the kitchen, I saw green dots were now on the fridge and dishwasher, a blue on a glassware cabinet. Breakfront?
