Page 35 of Big Island Sunset
Emma took a deep breath of the cool sea air and watched as the sun crested the horizon, casting a dazzling golden light that bounced and shone across the ocean.
It was a tricky thing, depending upon other people. They had their own lives and their own struggles. In spite of that, she felt a quiet certainty that Juniper would be able to depend upon the community they had found in Pualena. Even if Tara was too overwhelmed to do much, even if each of their friends could only show up here and there, that was still an immense amount of support for a new mother.
And Emma would be the backbone of that community for her niece.
Whatever else happened, she told herself, Juniper could count on her.
9
Tara
“Is this enough?” Cody asked, showing her a container of the ‘ulu salad that he was portioning out for meal delivery.
“Go ahead and fill it to the brim,” she told him. “I made plenty.”
“All right.” He went back to filling and packing them, assembly-line style, while Tara portioned out the kabocha squash soup that she had made. Paige and Piper were at New Horizons, and the house was quiet.
It hurt her heart to see Cody so subdued. He was a quiet kid to begin with, but this was different. Her son was so down lately, already bowed beneath the weight of fatherhood.
He towered over everyone, but inside he was still just a seventeen year old boy. Worrying about the family’s business and bills had already been enough of a weight on his heart andmind; she was terrified that the financial burden of a family of his own would crush his spirit.
It was hard enough supporting a family in Hawai’i in her forties. How was a teenager supposed to cope with that level of responsibility?
It didn’t help that the girl next door wasn’t communicating with him at all beyond the single bombshell that she planned to keep the baby.
Cody’s phone buzzed, and he paused his packing to check the message. His whole face lit up.
“Juniper?” Tara asked cautiously.
“Yeah.” He was typing out a reply.
“How’s she feeling?”
“Better. She didn’t puke today, so that’s good.”
“That’s great,” Tara said, but her voice fell flat.
Cody sent his reply and went back to packaging food.
“Are you two… together?” she asked awkwardly.
He frowned at the ‘ulu salad. “We’re still figuring things out.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” she said, keeping her voice soft. But Cody’s hackles rose anyway.
“She’s not seeing anyone else, if that’s what you’re getting at. And she wasn’t this summer, either. She’s not like that.”
“So sheisyour girlfriend?”
“What does ‘girlfriend’ even mean?” he asked, wrinkling his nose. “It’s such a weird word. She’s a girl, and she’s my friend. That’s the best basis for any relationship, right? You told me that.”
“She’s obviously more than a friend.”
Cody’s face turned red. “That’s private.”
“I’m your mother.”
“Exactly. I don’t ask you about Liam.”
