Page 41 of Big Island Moonlight
“Ethan, that’s lovely.”
He shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t want her to have to worry about money, and she’s lived through too many tough days in hospitals with her mom to ever feel comfortable in one. It’s no big deal.”
It was an expense of thousands and thousands of dollars that Juniper had been working hard to be able to afford. Now, with that weight off of her shoulders, she had a sizeable nest egg and room to breathe. Itwasa big deal. But Ethan looked uncomfortable enough already, so Emma just squeezed his shoulder and turned her attention back to Jun.
The expectant mother had staunched her tears and was unwrapping another present, a hand-knitted cotton romper sent by a friend in California. That friend and much of their family on the mainland had been looped into the baby shower through a video chat, and now Juniper was talking animatedly to the people on screen.
After the gifts had all been opened and the crowd had dispersed, Tara stayed behind to help with cleanup. The parents-to-be were still in the orchard, with Jun on her makeshift throne and Cody sitting in the grass at her feet.
The wind had picked up, and the greenery all around them was alive with movement. Juniper’s shoulder-length curls danced along with the grass and the leaves.
“Do you have any broth?” Tara asked as they carried another load of dishes into the kitchen. “Jun looks exhausted.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some chicken stock in the freezer.”
“Perfect. Let’s warm that up for her.”
“Good idea.”
Emma started the stock warming, and for a while they worked quietly side by side, washing and drying a pile of plastic plates that they had used for the party.
“Am I forgiven?” Tara asked quietly, out of the blue.
“For what?”
“For disappearing. For adding to Juniper’s emotional load instead of helping her carry it.”
“You’re forgiven,” Emma said, handing her another plate.
Tara swallowed. “Thank you.”
“It was a shock. And you had a lot going on.”
“Maybe. But the two teenagers handled the whole thing a lot better than I did, and that’s embarrassing.”
“It’s easier to stay positive when you don’t quite know what you’re in for.”
She let out a tired huff of a laugh. “I guess that’s true.”
“I’m glad you came today.”
“So am I. Thank you for staying steady through all of this.”
“It wasn’t hard.”
“It was for me. I mean, obviously. And I don’t think Jun’s dad had an easy time with it either.”
“No,” Emma admitted. “He didn’t.”
“You’ve been her rock when we were too weak to support her. I’m embarrassed that it’s taken me this long to catch up, but I’m grateful she had you. Has you.”
Emma nodded thoughtfully.
“How did you stay so steady through all of this?”
“I fell apart when my husband died,” she said, slowly soaping a plate. “Next to that, everything else seems… small. Manageable. It’s one thing to fall apart when the person you love most is gone. Butaddinga person? One more little human to love? That never seemed like a catastrophe to me.”
“No,” Tara said quietly. “I suppose not.”
