But she kept her own stories of Cass hoarded like pearls. In some ways, she’d been just another of Cass’s collected souls; in others, she’d known a Cass no one else saw. The grouchy, misanthropic introvert as well as the cutting wit and the larger-than-life performer. The Cass who snuck downstairs in a silk caftan in the middle of the night to steal snacks from Mrs. Matthews’s refrigerator while smoking a forbidden cigarette out the back door of the kitchen. The Cass who refused to talk about money for farm expenses because it was “simply too boring, and anyway, that’s why I pay you!” The Cass who hid out for months in the off-season, refusing to speak even to her or the Matthewses because she needed to “rejuvenate.”

That Cass was hers. She’d been a real pain in the ass, and Noelle treasured that secret truth.

Shiva marched on. They ate casseroles, cried, and gave themselves space. Hannah kept the guests busy with the help of Cole, whose presence was still a mystery, but who proved surprisingly useful. Miriam spent time with the Matthewses. Noelle walked past her telling an animated story that involved an island off the Washington coast, a sledgehammer, and a bottle of epoxy. Mr. Matthews had his head thrown back in laughter, and Noelle grimaced. What the hell did Miriam do that was more important than being here? Miriam caught her eye and smiled, a flush on her cheeks, and Noelle turned away. She spent a lot of time with her trees after that.

When the week ended, Cole went back to Charleston, the family all left, and only the Carrigan’s crew stayed—except for Miriam, who was scheduled to fly out of the city the next day.

But before she could leave for the airport, Cass’s lawyer arrived. Mr. Elijah Green, Esquire, was a tall, thin Black man with a short afro and frameless glasses. He was one of Noelle’s favorite people in all of upstate New York, or maybe the world. He was dryly hilarious, endlessly welcoming, and the driving force behind whatever queer community she’d managed to find in these mountains. She pounced on him, and he squeezed her tightly.

“How is Jason? How are the twins? Is your mom feeling better?” Noelle was ecstatic to see her friend—and also talk to someone she hadn’t spent the week with.

“Jason is currently negotiating a truce between the twins because one wants to have a twin Halloween costume, and the other does not. My mom’s hip is healing really well, probably because my sister is on her every day to do her exercises.”