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ChapterNineteen
“Looks like the party started without us,” Jo remarked the moment the house came into view.
A number of people could be seen under the patio. She could smell the faint scent of grilled meat which became even more apparent the closer they got to the house. She could also make out the group of people out on the patio. Cora and Jamie stood by the charcoal barrel grill. Jamie appeared to be flipping whatever meat he had on the grill while being entertained by whatever Cora was whispering to him as he threw his head back to laugh.
Andrea stood to the far corner with the firefighter, Donny, that seemed to be frequenting these family get-togethers as much as Jamie. She was happy that her sisters were both taking a chance at love again. No one deserved it as much as them, especially Andrea. She also saw Uncle Luke, her mom, and Aunt Maria sitting in wicker chairs, conversing among themselves, and laughing.
Cora, who was the first to notice their approach whispered something to Jamie before walking a few steps down the path.
“Hey,” she greeted. “I was starting to worry about you guys. Where were you?” Even though the question was thrown out to them both, she noted how intensely Cora was staring at her daughter.
“I thought we needed a little aunt and niece time away from everything to just bond, so I took her out on the water,” Jo jumped in.
“Okay. That’s… that’s great,” Cora replied, her tone unsure. “Did you enjoy the trip, Jules,” she asked, a small smile on her lips as she waited for a response.
“I did. It was a wonderful experience,” Jules replied simply.
After a minute of the trio standing awkwardly, Jules finally spoke. “I’m going to take a shower, and then I’ll head back to this shindig.” Jo needed to go take a shower, too, after spending the whole day out at sea and having only done a quick rinse off with the jug of water she’d brought, but she decided she’d greet the others before doing so.
“Okay, sweetie. We’ll talk later.” Jules gave her mother a small smile before heading for the house. Cora watched her until she was out of sight before turning back to her little sister.
Jo looked at her sister and knew that she was in turmoil. Her eyes were filled with anguish, and her lips were folded in on each other. “I blew it, Jo. My daughter can’t even bear to look me in the eyes when we’re talking because instead of listening to her and trying to support her decision, I decided to play hardball. Now I don’t know what’s going on in her head because she just won’t talk to me about it.”
Jo reached out and ran a hand over her sister’s arm. “You have to give her time and space, but you also have to demonstrate that you’re here for her, Cora,” Jo encouraged her sister. “I think her greatest fear in this whole ordeal is that her decision to keep the baby will be something that you hold over her head for the rest of her life.”
Cora’s gray-blue eyes widened in surprise. “Is that what she thought I meant by time is running out for her to make a choice?” she asked incredulously before her face crumpled into hurt and trepidation. “Oh my god, Jo. I would never ask her to…” She sighed in frustration.
Cora ran her fingers through her brown hair as the implication of her words and how much it had hurt her daughter hit her full force. “I only meant that she needed to decide if she wanted to start college this year or defer for a year, but time was running out to make the decision,” she turned, trying to clarify to Jo.
Jo gave her a sympathetic look. She knew how words could be misconstrued in the heat of the moment and the damage it was able to cause if the light wasn’t shed on the misunderstanding.
“I have to go talk to her,” Cora spoke with urgency. Jo simply nodded in understanding. At that, Cora turned on her heels and made her way inside the house.
“Hey, what was that about?”
Jo looked around to see Andrea coming over to where she stood. “Just something Cora needs to clear up with her daughter so that their relationship can mend,” she informed her.
“Oh, well, I hope it works out,” Andrea spoke with hope. “Jules is going to need her mother for this pregnancy, and Cora won’t be able to focus on her budding romance with Jamie if she’s at loggerheads with her daughter.”
“Speaking of romance,” Jo injected, a gleam forming in her eyes. “What’s up with you and Mr. Firefighter lately?”
She noted the sudden tint to her sister’s cheeks as she quickly ducked her head. “Donny’s great,” she said shyly. “He’s a gentleman, kind, sweet, and fiercely loyal.”
“Those are all good qualities to want in a man,” Jo noted. “So why does there seem to be hesitation on your part?”
“He is all of the above and more,” Andrea confirmed before sighing. “It’s just that I don’t know, his son, well, one of them doesn’t like me very much or the idea of us getting into a relationship, and as much as I like him, I just don’t want to get into the way of his bond with his son,” she expressed her fear.
Jo looked pointedly at her sister. “Does he make you happy?”
Andrea took a little time to think about it before a big smile broke on her lips. “He does,” she said. “He’s always finding ways to make me feel special.”
“Then that’s all that matters,” Jo affirmed. “Our children have their own lives to live. It’s only natural that we should be given the same freedom to make our own choices. Don’t worry. He’ll come around. Just focus on what you have with Donny and block out the chatter.”
“When did you get so wise?” Andrea joked as she bumped her sister’s shoulder.
Jo laughed. “It’s from watching countless Kung Fu movies with Charles. They made me very sage,” she said in the gravest voice she could muster.
“Seems like I’ll have to start watching more of those then,” Andrea returned. The two continued talking as they made their way over to the others.
