Denial by Jackie Kennedy

Leone a four-year-old boy, Daniel, had come to her attention when treating his mother, who was dying of AIDS. His grandparents were old and, given the crisis, wouldn’t be alive much longer. This meant that Daniel and his four-month-old baby sister were vulnerable.
    Years of experience made Celeste fully aware of how bleak their future was without a family to protect them. She had seen it before, been exposed to similar types of situations over the years. But this time, it affected her. Normally there was some sort of network of extended family for the children, but not in this case. There were no relatives. The orphanages were their only hope, and life there was nearly always grim.
    Daniel was extremely bright. Something about the boy and his vulnerable baby sister touched Celeste. When she made the decision to plan for a future that included them, she was surprised at how certain she felt she was doing the right thing. She thought of Felice, who had told her often it was only a matter of time before a child would reach in and touch her heart. She smiled ruefully. Felice was right.
    Focusing on Amy, Celeste’s fingers tingled when Amy laughed at something Josh said. Her pulse quickened when he reached out and loosened Amy’s dark blond hair from its hair band. Celeste’s eyes widened appreciatively when Amy’s hair fell around her shoulders. She focused on Josh and watched him look adoringly at his wife. Her eyes narrowed and her stomach twisted as new feelings of jealousy swamped her.
    Surprised and frightened by the intense emotions running through her, Celeste stood, put her glass down and excused herself, uttering as she left the room that she had an early start.
    Startled, Amy watched Celeste leave. Concerned, she queried Josh, “Is she okay?”
    Josh squeezed Amy ’s shoulder. “Nothing’s wrong with her.”
    Amy smiled up at Josh then sipped her wine.
    Over the last two weeks, Amy had noticed that Celeste singularly sought out Josh’s company. It warmed her heart they were so comfortable and good fun around each other. The boys too, Amy admitted, adored their aunt. Her lips quirked, knowing that the reason was mostly due to Celeste giving in to the boys’ every whim.
    To Amy ’s surprise, Celeste was a fabulous cook, and was happy to prepare meals for them most evenings. To her further surprise, Amy realized she liked having the brunette around; she was easy company.
    Josh stroked Amy’s cheek lightly. “There’s been a change of plan.”
    Surprised, Amy looked at him. “What?”
    “I won’t be able to come with you to my folks tomorrow."
    Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Josh explained there was a problem with the software due for release.
    Amy sighed then listened patiently as Josh explained the situation, telling her it would take a maximum of two to three days to sort out. This week, they had planned a break as Fraser and Camille were returning from their tour of Australia.
    Amy really liked Josh’s parents and over the last few years had developed a strong relationship with them. She loved that they doted on the children. Recently, the couple had chosen to retire and move to Jacksonville; a few hours’ drive away. Fraser preferred north Florida, as the climate was different—the winter months tended to be chilly—and there was easy access to places like Atlanta. The attraction, he told Amy when she queried, was being able to escape to the Georgia mountains in August when tourism got heavy. The couple promised that it wouldn’t impact on time with the children, and to date it hadn’t. All it meant was the kids tended to spend entire weekends at their grandparents.
    “Thank God, Celeste has been here over the last two weeks,” Josh said, rubbing his forehead. “Given the pressures you’ve been under and the problems with the software release, we would’ve really struggled if she hadn’t been.” He stood then picked Ryan up. “Why don’t we turn in?” He looked at Amy .