“How old is she?” I ask politely, knowing that mums love talking about how many months their little bundles of joy are. Predictably, she opens up and starts detailing all of the milestones her little angel hit recently.
Does Junie want kids? That I don’t know the definitive answer suddenly seems like a huge oversight.
You’re still getting to know each other, I remind myself.Until a few days ago, you thought your relationship would only last a few weeks.
With Mum’s permission, I hold out my finger to Baby Luna and my heart nearly stops when she wraps her tiny hand around my digit. She’s so small. I can see the resemblance between sisters, and there are some traces of Junie in the baby’s face too.
Jesus, am I really thinking about a baby with both of our genes? Junie’s pretty, curled eyelashes, my ruddy cheeks and yellow hair.
When I look up, she’s watching me, holding two glasses of wine. The look in her eyes says she likes what she sees and it makes my heart stutter. I reluctantly move my hand away, impressed by the tiny creature’s firm grip, and take my drink.
“Cheers,” she says, clinking against my glass. I’m feeling weirdly fragile after touching something so small. I want to pull her into my lap, but her mum announces dinner is ready and we all shuffle into the dining room.
“So, Steven, tell us about yourself.” Scott grins as he digs into his fish and potatoes. “Are you enjoying your visit to America so far?”
“We haven’t really done much.” Junie sounds embarrassed. “Jet lag, dealing with house stuff.”
“It was nice of David to watch the house for you,” her mother says, then her eyes widen as if realizing she might’ve said something uncomfortable.
“He wasn’t watching the house for me, he was squatting.” Junie frowns. “I told him to move out when we broke up.”
Rachel’s eyes dance between the two of us, clearly wanting to push back but unsure how much she should say in front of me.
“Well, sweetie. It was very sudden. He probably just thought you’d change your mind. I don’t think anyone expected…”
It’s clear that she means me. No one expected me. While it stings a little, the statement seems fair, so I shovel a bite of mashed potatoes into my mouth to avoid the need to speak. Her mum is a fantastic cook.
“I know it might seem sudden to you, but it was long overdue. I ignored a lot of red flags for too long. You know I’ve always wanted to travel.”
Her mother’s eyes soften at that. “That’s true, sweetheart. You always had an adventurous spirit.”
“That’s where you two met, in Bali?” Scott asks, trying to steer the conversation to more neutral waters.
Junie is sipping her wine so I take the opportunity to speak in more than monosyllables. “Yes, I live on Gili Telu. It’s a little island right off the coast, near Lombok.”
“What brought you there?”
“Ah, the tides, the current, probably a little bit of fate. But what kept me there were the sea turtles. I work in conservation through a dive shop attached to a turtle sanctuary.”
“And that’s what you were doing there, Junebug? Why you extended your trip?”
Junie glows as she describes her time at the sanctuary. I sit back and listen to her talk, enjoying her mother’s great cooking, and noticing how her sister seems silent and brooding. She watchesJunie carefully, one hand mindlessly rocking the bassinet where the baby sleeps beside her.
“But you’re back now, so what are you going to do? I heard that you lost your job at Harper Realty.” Her words seem intended to strike to the heart of any insecurity.
“I didn’t really lose it so much as I left it.” Junie shrugs, not taking the bait. But her mother gasps softly.
“What will you do, then? You loved working there!”
“I did not love working there,” Junie says firmly. The change in her body language between talking about the sanctuary and the real estate office should’ve been obvious enough, but her family seems surprised. “It was just a stopgap until David and I moved to the city, which we obviously won’t be doing now.”
“Have you started looking for a new position?” Scott asks neutrally.
“What’s your end goal here? No offense, Steven, but why would you come all the way to America? Are you moving here?” Lisa cuts straight to the heart of it.
“No.” That is definitely not in the cards for me. “I’m just here for Junie.” I leave it intentionally vague. Whatever she does or doesn’t want them to know should come directly from. Under the table, I rest my hand on her thigh to let her know I’m here for her.
“Do you have to be such a bitch?” Junie asks, her face pinched in frustration.
