Free Circle in the Sand by Lia Fairchild

got so far.”
    “Okay.”
    We both click off and though I’m now obligated to get more work done this weekend,
     I can’t help but enjoy the excitement building inside me. A weekend alone with Jax
     and Emily—just like old times.
     

CHAPTER 9 - JAX
     
    By the time we get to the Anderson’s house, it’s already seven o’clock and the sun
     has gone down, swallowed up by the ocean. I’m not worried about the time. We still
     have tomorrow, and I’m already sensing that this weekend is going to be special—something
     each of us desperately needs.
    The house is tidy even though they left last minute, but more importantly, the refrigerator
     is full. There are three bedrooms, two baths, and a small patio that faces Mission
     Bay and the marina. A walking path and a large grassy area separate these homes from
     the water. To the right, you can see Sea World in the distance. In the summer, this
     makes for a great viewing spot to watch the fireworks at the park.
    “So how do you know these people?” Sage asks, sitting at the counter on a bar stool.
    I take a glass of water and pour some into each of the four plants that sit in the
     window sill. “I met Jung and Margaret ten years ago when I worked in their t-shirt
     shop on the boardwalk.” I see a weary potato bug in the dirt of one plant and scoop
     him up in my fingernail. I carry him to the patio door, where I step out and deposit
     him in a bush.
    “His name is Jung?” Sage says.
    “Yeah, it’s Korean. It means righteous. As in, it’s pretty righteous of them to let us use this place,” I say.
    “Cute and very true.”
    “They’re two of the most generous people I know. We’ve stayed close over the years,
     and I even babysat their boys way back when.”
    Sage stands up and goes to the fridge. “So they don’t care if we help ourselves?”
    “She practically begged me to make sure we did. Her father had a heart attack, so
     they rushed out of here and flew to Oregon. They don’t want to come back to a bunch
     of rotten food.”
    “Great, then I think I’ll start with a glass of this Chardonnay.”
    After opening and closing five cupboards, Sage locates two wine glasses and fills
     them up. “I hope Emily gets here soon.”
    “Me too,” I say and grab the glass from the counter. I see her lift up her glass to
     me, so I blurt out, “No toasts!”
    “Crap, girl.” She looks startled.
    “Sorry. Not yet. We have to wait for Emily.”
    She shrugs. “Sorry, I forgot. Do you think Ned will stay?”
    I’m not sure of the answer, but I say, “Why, do you want him to?” Our faithful sidekick
     Ned sure did take a beating over the years. To an outsider, we probably came off as
     three little bitches the way we treated him sometimes. But I honestly believe he loved
     it…part of the time. If I’m being honest, maybe I was the worst of us all. He was
     always too nice and an easy target. But he did somehow manage to give back almost
     as much as I gave.
    Sage doesn’t answer right away, only peers out the back patio and takes another sip
     of her wine. Then she says, “I might need a favor from him.”
    That’s not unusual. There was a time when Sage and Emily were in college that I wondered
     if she’d hooked up with Ned. An awkward aura stood in the room whenever we were all
     together. I never asked. It was none of my business and looking back, I probably didn’t
     want to know.
     
    ●●●
     
    Emily arrives a little after seven-thirty, timid and frazzled. I’ve seen that version
     of her before, the glazed-over eyes longing for little arms to wrap around your neck.
     And I’m sure she’d just spent the last hour running over a list, or should I say lists,
     for Eric and kissing and re-kissing each of her darlings. I don’t blame her at all.
     I assume when you almost lose a child, you never want to let go of them again.
    Ned stands behind her in the doorway. As far as twins go, the resemblance is not striking.
     They both