Page 31 of Saving Graces
They walked down the sidewalk together, Cassidy pulling her coat close like it was the arctic as the first winter winds whipped down the street.
“You would die in New York,” Kinsey informed her, rolling her eyes. “Or Chicago. Have you ever even seen snow?”
“Yes,” Cassidy said defensively. “It can snow in the South too, you know.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “But look at this,” she said, “Lane sent me this this morning.”
She showed Kinsey a picture of Lane looking frankly adorable in a puffer jacket and beanie, lying in the snow, clearly a curated selfie for their girlfriend judging by the cute quirk of their lower lip and the warmth in their eyes.
“Lane’s skiing?” she asked.
“No,” Cassidy said, scrunching up her pretty nose. “Savannah and Brynn flew to their place in Vermont on Friday. Lane went with them, obviously.”
“For how long?”
“The rest of winter,” Cassidy’s face fell. “They go every year. They’ll be back in time for Brynn’s tour to start.”
“Wait,” Kinsey said. “How is that going to work? Do Savannah and the kids stay here?”
“It looks like she’s going to join for at least part of the tour,” Cassidy said glumly. “Not as a performer, just as the wife and mom.” She rolled her eyes. “First time in a long time that she’s the support act.” She tried to smile but it wasn’t convincing.
“So Lane will go away for the tour with them too. That’s rough, Cass.”
“Yeah,” Cassidy said, her eyes distant. They walked up Kinsey’s front stairs together. Should it feel weird having Cassidy here, knowing tonight there was no boyfriend to go home to? That there wouldn’t be one for months? A thought crossed her mind.
“You stayed, though” Kinsey said as she fit her keys in the lock. “You could have gone with them, but you stayed.”
“Well, yeah.” Cassidy followed her in. “We’re just starting to take off. There’s the whole of Hailey’s plan. I can’t just walk out on that.”
Kinsey unzipped her jacket. “And Lane?”
“They’re sad,” Cassidy said, following suit and kicking off her shoes. “And I’m sad. And everything sucks!” she said, her tone faux-cheerful as she collapsed down on Kinsey’s sofa.
Kinsey thought about getting them both a beer. Then she thought of the two of them, slightly trauma bonded, getting loose and hazy with alcohol, alone in her apartment, Lane all the way in Vermont.
“Hot chocolate?” she offered instead. Cassidy nodded. Kinsey went into the kitchen and kept herself busy. She thought long and hard about herself. About what she wanted. What kind of person she wanted to be. When she came out, she handed Cassidy her drink and went and sat over on the floor. “You should go,” she said. “To Vermont.”
“What?” Cassidy looked up. “Why?”
Kinsey waved her hand around vaguely and Cassidy raised her eyebrows. “Because, you know… love, and all that.”
“Huh?”
“You and Lane. You have something special,” Kinsey said. “The band will keep. And if we take off the way I think we’re going to take off then we’ll be touring soon too. It’s going to be hard enough by then, no need to make it hard now.”
“I know,” Cassidy said quietly. She looked at Kinsey, her eyes gleaming with tears. “I’m going to lose them.”
“What?” Kinsey gaped at her. “No, you’re not. What’s wrong with you?” Cassidy’s head jerked back at the ferocity of Kinsey’s tone. “Don’t you want it to work?”
“Of course I do! I’m insanely in love with them. Even though we haven’t really used that word yet-”
“You haven’t told Lane you love them?” Kinsey’s brow furrowed. “How long have you been together?”
“Six months,” Cassidy said. “They haven’t said it either.” Tears sparkled in her eyes.
“Cassie.” Kinsey felt lost for words. Oh shit, Cassidy was pretty when she cried. Kinsey knew, quite clearly, that this would be the moment, that if she got up off the floor and held Cassidy in her arms, there was every chance she might kiss her and every chance that in this one moment, Cassidy actually might kiss her back. “Lane,” she said instead, “fucking loves you. I have never seen anything more clearly in my life. And I think you need to go and tell them that.”
“Oh shit,” Cassidy said, the tears spilling. “Maybe… maybe you’re right.”
They sat there in the living room as the afternoon began to darken. Suddenly Cassidy sat up so fast, Kinsey nearly spilled the remains of her hot chocolate.
