“Since Fred was born, Id rather hit myself in the head with a jackhammer than have sex. ”
“Maybe thats your problem. I try to have sex at least twice a week-sometimes even with someone else. ”
Caro laughed. “Oh, Ruby . . . God, I missed you . . . ” She sounded normal now.
“I missed you, too. ”
“So,” Caro said, leaning back now. “What brought you racing to my door?”
“What makes you think I raced?”
Caro gave her “the look. ” “Nice outfit. I havent seen so much black since Jenny went to the Halloween party as a licorice whip. ”
“Good point. ” They both knew that Ruby usually dressed defensively for Ca ro. It was easier that way.
“So what is it? You left Mom strapped to the wheel chair and ran screaming out of the house. ” Caro grinned at her own black humor. “Or maybe you left her at a rest area a few miles back and now shes thumbing it. ”
Ruby couldnt even smile. “I went to Dads house this morning. ”
“Yeah, so?”
She had no idea how to put a pretty spin on such ugliness, so she just said it. “When Nora left . . . Dad was having an affair. ”
Caroline sat back. “Oh, that. ”
“You knew?”
“Everyone on the island knew. ”
“Not me. ”
Carolines smile was soft and tender. “You didnt want to know. ”
Ruby had trouble finding her voice. “Shes not who I thought she was, Caro. Were trapped in that house together, and whether I like it or not, Im getting to know her. We . . . talk. ”
“Youre getting to know her?” Something passed through Carolines eyes at that. If Ruby hadnt known better, she would have called it envy. Suddenly Caro walked out of the room. A few minutes later, she returned with two glasses of wine and a pack of cigarettes.
Ruby laughed. “Smoking-youre kidding, right? A cig in your hand would be like-”
“No jokes, Ruby. Please. ”
Ruby saw how fragile her sister looked. “Point the way to cancer. That doesnt count-it wasnt funny. ”
Caro opened the French doors and led Ruby to a seat at an umbrellaed table. The golf course stretched alongside the flowered yard, dipped to a valley, and rose on the other side to a row of houses remarkably similar to this one.
Caroline pulled a cigarette from the pack and lit up.
Ruby followed suit. She hadnt smoked in years, and she had to admit, the novelty of it was fun.
Her sister took a drag, exhaled, and stared out across the green. A stream of smoke clouded her face. “Ive been talking to Mom for years, meeting her now and then for lunch, calling her on Sunday mornings, being the daughter she expects, and were polite strangers. And you-” She shot Ruby a narrowed gaze. “You, who treats her like Typhoid Mary, she talks to. ”
An awkward silence fell between them, and Ruby couldnt think of how to step over it. “Were stuck together. ”
Caroline took a drag and exhaled slowly, Staring out at the green lawn. “Thats not it. Whats she like?”
“The worst part is, shes smarter than I am. She keeps making me remember who she used to be. Who we used to be. And you know, it hurts. When I was on the ferry this morning, before Dad dropped his A-bomb, I was thinking about our visits to the county fair. How we used to walk through the midway with her, eating cotton candy, tossing pennies at ugly china dishes, and I . . . missed her. ”
“I know how that feels. ”