Chapter 9
Juniper
Juniper brushed the hair back from her forehead with the back of her hand. She had wet clay all over her hands and an errant curl causing trouble. Seeing her, Mikayla came over and tucked it under the multi-colored scarf she had wrapped around her head. “Thanks.”
“Then what did he say?”
Juniper’s eyes got misty as she worked the clay around the wheel. “He said that you couldn’t look at Billy and think he was a mistake.”
“God, that is so hot,” Leah said with a smile. “He’s not wrong though,” she quietly added from her seat at the wide workbench.
“Thank you,” Juniper said, smiling at her.
She took her foot off the pedal of the wheel to watch Leah for a moment, with a thoughtful frown on her face.
Leah was intensely focused as she bent over a pale blue vase, tracing an outline of a poppy in delicate gold paint.
She was extremely talented and watching her, Juniper’s mind started to turn.
She glanced at Mikayla who was looking from her to Leah and back again, her brow quirked in inquiry.
Juniper sent her a small smile before pressing down on the pedal of the wheel again.
“When are you going to bang him?”
Juniper rolled her eyes. “Mikayla Sinclair, you have a one-track mind.”
“I sure do and right now, that track is leading right to you having a night of unbridled passion.” Her brown eyes glinting with mischief, Mikayla moved to the fridge and took out a can of coke, shooting a questioning look at Juniper, seeing her nod and grabbing one for her. “Coke, Leah?”
As she didn’t answer, they both looked over.
She was absolutely absorbed in her work now, oblivious to her surroundings.
Mikayla grabbed a coke for her and took it over, sitting down to watch her as she worked.
She glanced up at Juniper, who nodded in response.
She had a plan brewing for Leah, she just needed the right moment to pull it together.
Leah held the vase away from herself for a moment, studying it closely then nodding to herself.
As she placed it gently on the table, she looked surprised when Mikayla pushed the coke towards her.
She had been someplace else entirely. “Sorry, what was that?”
“Oh nothing, I was just wondering when our little Junebug was going to bang William.”
Now it was Leah’s turn to roll her eyes. “You have sex on the brain.”
“Ha!” Juniper exclaimed. “See!”
“I’m not ashamed to admit it. You’re the only one of us with a chance of getting any, so we gotta live vicariously through you.”
Leah took a sip of coke. “I don’t get what the fuss is about.”
Mikayla stared at her wide eyed. “Get out of town.”
Leah shrugged but a shadow passed over her face as she reached for the paintbrush and idly swirled it through the gold paint on her palette. Mikayla and Juniper exchanged glances before wordlessly agreeing to leave it.
“Mikky, can you check on Billy for me?”
“Sure.” Mikayla walked to the back door. “He’s in the sandpit.”
“Great, thanks.”
“Don’t go thinking that gets you off the hook, though. I want a schedule.”
Juniper looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“A banging schedule,” Mikayla clarified.
Juniper laughed. “I don’t know. I’ve got Billy to account for and William’s back and forth to Sydney and wherever else he goes off to. I’ll know when the time is right, and you’ll be the first to know. Or maybe the second. I should probably let William know.”
Obviously realizing that was all she was going to get out of Juniper, Mikayla, glancing at her watch, said, “I’d better get going. I gotta be at work in an hour.”
“Okay.”
Mikayla grabbed her bag and as she walked past Leah, stopped and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Juniper smiled. Leah seemed to need it and Mikayla, ever affectionate, was just the one to give it to her.
Juniper took the bowl she’d just thrown and placed it carefully on the shelf behind her. Then washing her hands in the basin, she grabbed her coke and moved to sit at the workbench with Leah.
“I want to talk to you.”
Leah looked up nervously.
“I hope you’ll like what I have to say,” Juniper said reassuringly.
“Alright.”
“I’m not quite sure how to say it so I’ll just be blunt. I want you to work with me.”
“Oh.”
“I mean, what are you doing with all the pots, plates, vases and mugs you’ve painted?”
Leah smiled. “They’re on the floor in my loungeroom because I have nowhere to keep them.”
“Right, so at the moment you’re paying me for the privilege of painting my stuff, plus, you’re looking for work.
It just doesn’t make sense.” Juniper paused, trying to get her thoughts in line.
Suddenly, this felt very important, and she didn’t want to mess it up.
“I’ve been toying with the idea of developing my online shop for a while now, but I keep getting blocked by the idea that I can’t produce the volume I’d want to for it to be worth it.
I know it’s a hobby for you and if you think doing it more professionally would spoil the pleasure of it, then don’t do it.
But honestly, Leah, I’ve never seen anyone who can paint pottery like you can.
” She tilted her head to one side as Leah’s eyes welled with tears. “You don’t like the idea?”
“I love it,” Leah whispered around the lump in her throat.
“Oh, I’m so pleased!” Juniper threw her arms around her, giving her a tight hug. When she pulled back, they smiled at each other. “So, you’re going to have to haul all those pots, plates, vases and mugs back here so we can sell them.”
Leah laughed. “Alright!”
Juniper turned as she heard Billy reaching up to open the door. “Hey, what’s up baby?” She went to him immediately.
“My head hurts,” he said miserably.
She lifted him up, pressing her lips to his forehead. “Hmm, you’ve got a temperature.” She looked over at Leah. “I need to take him inside and put him to bed.”
“Of course. I can watch the shop if you like.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s only just over an hour til closing time anyway.”
“Great, thank you so much.” Juniper stroked Billy’s head as he rested it on her shoulder. She had a feeling she was going to be in for a hard couple of days.