Under Construction by J. A. Armstrong Page A

a kid, we couldn’t get you out of the water,”
Candace chuckled at the memory. She watched in the distance as Jameson’s nephew
Eli splashed his aunt who was sitting near the edge of the pool. “Having the
kids here reminds me of those days,” she said wistfully. Candace listened to
Eli daring Jameson to jump in. Candace laughed when Jameson stopped her
conversation with her mother abruptly and obliged her nephew’s request by
splashing into the pool with her shorts and T-Shirt on. “Lunatic,” she mumbled
affectionately.
    Marianne
looked at her mother seriously . “You
might want to be careful taking that trip down memory lane,” Marianne said.
    “What
does that mean?” Candace asked.
    Marianne
sighed. “Mom…What happens when J.D. wants to fill that pool back up with
screaming toddlers?”
    “What
are you talking about?”
    “I’m
talking about you and J.D. What are you going to say when J.D. wants to have a
family?” Marianne asked.
    Candace
was completely taken off guard. “Marianne, where is this coming from? Jameson
hasn’t given me any indication that she wants children….at all.”
    “Have
you two talked about it?”
    Candace’s
face was beginning to flush. She was both irritated and embarrassed by her
daughter’s line of questioning. “Not directly, no. In general, yes.”
    “What
does that mean?” Marianne challenged her mother.
    “It
means it’s none of your business,” Candace answered abruptly.
    “I’m
just raising a point.”
    “Marianne,
Jameson and I are not planning on having a family. In all the things we have
discussed, Jameson’s desire for children has not once come up…and before you
say another word; I am certain that if it were something she wanted, she would have
raised the issue numerous times by now.”
    “Uh-huh.
Mom,” Marianne said. “J.D. is thirty-five. Look at her! How can you be so sure
that she won’t change her mind in two years? People change what they want
sometimes. You of all people know that. I saw her looking at you last night
when you were rocking Spencer,” Marianne said.
    Candace
sighed. The conversation was making her extremely uncomfortable. She and
Jameson had never discussed family in this manner. They had considered Candace’s children, Jameson’s
family, and how they would navigate everyone’s questions, concerns, and
personalities. They had not once delved into the subject of whether or not
Jameson wanted children. Candace had just assumed that they were on the same
page. “Jameson loves kids,” she admitted. “That doesn’t mean she wants her
own.”
    Marianne
nodded. “Now,” she remarked. “What about you? You really want to open up that
can of worms, Mom? I mean….seriously? Can you see yourself with babies again?”
    Candace
swallowed hard. She felt herself becoming unsteady and was grateful when she
heard Pearl call out to her from the kitchen. “I have to go help Pearl,” she
said.
    Candace
made her way across the yard at a brisk pace, holding back mounting tears.
Michelle caught sight of her mother’s expression as she moved away from Marianne and headed directly for her sister’s
location. “What the hell did you say to her?” she asked her older sister.
    “What?”
Marianne snapped.
    “What
did you say to Mom to upset her this time?” Michelle asked.
    “Why do
you assume it’s my fault? I just raised a question. If it upset her, that’s not
my fault.”
    ***
    Candace was cutting up vegetables
silently when Pearl removed the knife from her hand and set it down. “What is
going on with you?”
    “What
do you mean?”
    “Candy,”
Pearl warned.
    “I’m
fine.”
    “And,
I’m an eighteen-year-old swimsuit model.
Out with it,” Pearl ordered. Candace looked up with watery eyes. “Who do I need
to ground?” Pearl joked.
    Candace
chuckled and wiped away the hint of a tear. “Oh, Pearl. Am I being realistic?”
    “Realistic?
You lost me.”
    “About
Jameson,” Candace said sadly. “What if I am