31. Juniper
31
JUNIPER
“ I can’t shake the feeling that whatever is happening isn’t good,” said TJ, looking down at her baby suckling her breast beneath a blanket. She glanced at me. “You might not know this, but in my former life, I was a journalist.”
“You’re right. I didn’t know.”
“But you know what’s happening, don’t you?” she prodded.
I looked out at the horizon. “I do not. At least not what’s being discussed in the meeting.”
“But something else.”
I looked at her and nodded.
“It’s about Buck,” TJ muttered.
“Please don’t ask me,” I whispered.
She cupped her baby’s head with her palm. “Will he be okay?”
“I believe he will be.”
The woman nodded. “The person I’m most worried about is Porter. ”
I thought about her statement for several seconds, then said, “Me too.”
“How’s Cord?”
For the second time, I thought before I spoke. “He’s good.”
TJ reached under the blanket, fiddled with something, then moved the baby so his head rested on her shoulder.
The park was close enough to the attorney’s office that we’d know when the meeting broke up, in the event we hadn’t heard from anyone before that.
I turned my head to check again and saw Cord and Buck walk out of the office and get in one of the SUVs.
“What’s going on?” TJ asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“Should we?—”
“No.”
“All right, girlfriend. You need to start talking.”
I shook my head. “It isn’t my story to tell.”
TJ put the baby, who was now sleeping, back in the stroller. “Tell it anyway. I have a sneaking suspicion Buck is going to need you to.”