Page 6 of Big Island Sunset
Tara rose to follow him as he opened the front door. JuniperandEmma stood on their doorstep. One look at their faces told her that something was very wrong. Jun’s eyes were pink from crying, and she looked as though she might burst into tears again at any minute.
Cody must have noticed the same thing, because he didn’t say a word – he just reached out and took Juniper’s hand.
Tara stepped back and gestured for them to come inside.
“Hi Juniper!” Paige called out. “Want to play with us?”
“She can’t play,” Piper said. “We already started.”
“We can start again.”
“It’s a four-player game!”
“We could play Seafarers.”
Piper frowned thoughtfully. “I do like Seafarers.”
Juniper sank onto the couch, wringing her hands. Despite the heat, she wore an oversized hoodie that Tara recognized as one of Cody’s. A prickling sense of unease crawled down her arms, more intuition than idea.
“Girls,” she said, turning to the twins, “I need you to give us the room.”
“But we just started playing!” Piper exclaimed, gesturing towards their game. Paige was quiet, looking from person to person with wide green eyes.
“We’ll finish it later.”
“Yeah right,” Piper fumed, pushing herself away from the table.
“You can leave it out,” Tara said with deliberate calm, “and we’ll play in a little while.”
“You’re always too busy for us!” She stomped off down the hall.
Paige gave them a quick, apologetic look and then followed her twin.
Tara dragged in a deep breath, absorbing the sting of that parting blow. She wasn’t wrong. Ever since Mitch left, she had less time for her girls than ever. And she hated that.
But that was a dilemma for another day.
Steeling herself, she turned to look at Emma.
The look in her friend’s eyes hit her like another blow. Deep in the pit of her stomach, she already knew what they were there to say. She absorbed the information even as she refused to voice it, even in her own mind.
Meanwhile Cody – her sweet, kind, man-sized boy – was looking between the women with an expression of complete and utter incomprehension.
Until Juniper reached into her pocket and pulled out a pregnancy test.
His confusion deepened for a second, and then his face cleared.
Surprise overwrote the confusion, and his jaw went slack. He looked into Juniper’s eyes for confirmation, and she nodded. He covered his open mouth with one hand, still looking between Jun and the test in a state of shock.
Tara sank into an armchair. Suddenly, she felt deeply tired. She was as stupified as Cody, too shocked to fully process the news and all that it implied.
Juniper was pale. Her freckles stood out in sharp contrast to her pallid face. Like Cody, she was bright and mature and wise beyond her years… but in that moment, she lookedsoyoung. And terrified.
“I don’t understand.” Cody’s voice cracked. “When did– how long have you…”
“A month or so?” Juniper’s voice was barely audible. “I haven’t known that long. I just… I mean, I think that’s how far along I am.”
“How did– we used…” His face turned beet red as he gave Emma and Tara a glancing look and turned back to Juniper. He sat beside her on the couch, giving her his full attention like she was the only person in the room. “We were careful.”
