in for the hug she denied Caroline a moment before. “I don’t want to leave you either.”
They’d been through so much, the three of them. Kathleen and Jen knew her better than she knew herself. And Caroline loved them desperately. Knowing that they would soon be gone made her feel like she’d been stabbed in the gut.
“We’ll see each other soon,” she said, her voice a bit too emphatic.
“Of course we will.” Kathleen hugged Caroline tighter. “I really love you,” she whispered.
Her chief of staff was never one for serious declarations, and the sincerity in her voice was too much for Caroline to handle. “Let’s not do this quite yet.”
Kathleen wiped her eyes. “Yeah, let’s wait until we can get Jen involved in the waterworks.”
“I don’t have enough Kleenex for that.”
Kathleen winked at her. “Is now the time to tell you that you’re my soulmate?”
Jokester Katie was the one she loved best. Much better. Caroline smiled. “Seems as good a time as any.”
“And it’s totally not about being attracted to you, either. Because I’m really not.”
Caroline made a sad face. “You don’t think I’m maybe just a little hot?”
“Objectively, yes. Subjectively, the fact that you aren’t attracted to women kind of knocks you out of the running. Sorry.”
“I am devastated,” Caroline said. “If I was ever going to have an affair with another woman, it would have totally been you.”
Kathleen started to laugh. “You can’t say that. Not when I’m about to leave.”
“It’s true.”
“Bullshit. You would have slept with Christine first. She’s gorgeous.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous.”
Kathleen stared down at the floor, gnawing on her lip. “I’m going to miss you. A lot. More than I can express.”
They were both going to be a disaster before Jen even walked through the door. “Don’t do that,” Caroline said.
“Do what?”
“Get all serious on me.” She threw her arms around Kathleen again. “That’s my job. You’re supposed to make fun of me for it.”
Kathleen let out a tiny sob. “Keep doing good. Then get your ass out of here.”
As if she had any idea when that might be. “I’ll keep fighting the good fight, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot easier if I know you’re someplace safe.”
The knock at the door made them both jump. Caroline recovered first. “I think that’s your ride,” she said. “I’ll go get Jack and the girls. I know they want to say goodbye.”
“See you later,” Kathleen corrected.
“What?”
“It’s not goodbye. It’s see you later.”
Caroline patted her shoulder. “Go get Jen and Eric. I’ll get everyone else.”
Tearful goodbyes were had. Jack, Marguerite, and Sophie tactfully excused themselves after doling out hugs and well wishes. The girls looked a little shell shocked; they had been hoping that Kathleen would stick around. And Jack…he was still a rock, but held on to Kathleen for a very long time before following the girls upstairs.
Caroline tried to smile at Jen and Kathleen. “Guess you better get going, huh?”
Jen held her husband’s hand so tightly that it turned white. “Guess so.”
“I’ll go start the car,” Eric said.
“Do I have to talk to him?” Kathleen asked, after Caroline gave him one final hug.
Jen sighed. “Please be nice, Katie. It’s going to be a long drive regardless.”
Kathleen shook her head. “Don’t wanna. I don’t want to leave, either.”
Caroline crossed her arms. “You no longer have a say in the matter.”
“Are you trying to make me angry as a defense mechanism, so that leaving isn’t so hard?”
Caroline would worry less if she knew Katie had a chip on her shoulder the entire way to Canada. She’d keep her wits about her that way. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”
Kathleen hugged her. “Stop. We’ll see each other soon.”
The waterworks were about to begin. “Of course we will.”
Jen put her arms around them both. “I’m not missing out on a group hug.”
They needed to get this over with. Like ripping off a bandage. Let it sting for a second before the pain receded. “I love you both,” Caroline said. “So much.”
“We know,” Kathleen said. “Or, I know. Not sure if Jen figured it out.”
“I have,” Jen said. “Go get in the car. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Kathleen squeezed Caroline tighter. “I love you.”
Caroline smiled through her tears. “See you later.”
Kathleen pulled back and saluted her. “Right on,” she said, then whirled around and walked out the door.
Caroline pulled a small black backpack from under the kitchen table. She and Jack had several of them. They were turning into hoarders, but they fully intended to