“, , ”

Taeyeon looks at her cell phone contacts for a phone number and dials it on her office’s landline, then calls Jessica from her cell at the same time.

“Hang on, Jessica”

“Mr. Jenkins, it’s Taeyeon Kim… yes, sir… I would like the opportunity to change your mind… I understand that but… no… I can’t get away… no, sir… if you could just give me twenty minutes… but… yes, sir, I understand… tomorrow afternoon… I’ll call you if I’m able to make it… thank you for your time… goodbye”

“ing great”

Taeyeon puts her cell to her ear as she hastily rifles through files on her desk. “Hi, sorry”

“That didn’t sound like a successful call”

“What ever gave you that idea”

“I’m very perceptive. So what’s going on?”

“The Jenkins Corp wants to pull out of the project”

“What! After all the work you put into it?”

Taeyeon throws herself back against her chair. “I don’t even care about that. But I do care about all of those people who are waiting for their new apartments… , how could they just pull out?”

“I’m sorry, Taeyeon”

“He says I can have an hour of his time tomorrow afternoon”

“Well there you go. You can persuade anyone to do anything. You can probably get him to donate twice as much in an hour”

“An hour in New York”

“Oh”

“Yeah”

“Well get your to New York!”

“The girls…?”

“Hm. I’d offer to take them but Yul’s parents are visiting, and you know what a wonderful experience that always is”

“No, it’s alright. I suppose I could bring the girls with me. And I need you to come with me too, Jessica”

“What for?”

“From what I understand, Jenkins pulled out because his experts told him the buildings were not uninhabitable, so he’s wondering why he needs to invest so much into the project”

“Those bastards. I’d like to see them live one day in those death traps…”

“I need your expertise. I’m not familiar enough with the medical side of it…”

“Taeyeon, I can’t leave Yul and the baby right now… her parents would see it as some kind of abandonment. And what they don’t need is another reason to hate me”

Taeyeon sighs and rubs her temple. “I know… I know…”

“I’m back to work in two weeks, can it wait ‘til then?”

“No. It’s tomorrow or nothing”

“Then I’m sorry”

“Yeah, me too” Taeyeon bites her lip as her mind scrambles for a solution. “Listen, I’ve got to go. Call you later”

“Ok. And again, sorry”

“Thanks, Jessica. Bye”

...

...

...

Taeyeon chews on a pen cap while scrolling through her phone contacts. When she stops on "S", her teeth sink harder into the black plastic. And when she presses the button to call, her pen cap is rendered useless.

“Hey, I was just about to call you”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’m off work early and I wanted to know what time I could pick up the girls, or if you want to drop them off…”

“That’s why I’m calling, actually. I’m afraid they won’t be able to make it for the sleepover tonight”

“…Why not?”

“Something’s come up and I have to take them to New York with me”

“Today?”

“Yes”

“Oh… ok. What’s come up, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“A work thing. A work emergency, if I’m being honest. Pure insanity, really”

“If it’s a work thing, then why take the girls?”

“I don’t have another choice. Jessica and Yul can’t take them, and Emma’s off the rest of the summer…”

“What about me?”

“Sorry?”

“I can keep them”

Taeyeon stays quiet.

“…Or not” Sunny says, without trying to sound hurt.

“No… Sunny… I couldn’t ask that of you”

“And why is that?”

“Because you have your own life, and I’m not just going to leave you with two extra children”

Sunny doesn’t even try to process that statement.

“So Yul and Jessica don’t have a life?”

“That’s not what I…”

“No, Taeyeon, this is all about you punishing me”

“What?”

“I get it, ok? I hurt you. You don’t want me in your life. And you’re going to keep your children away from me as a means to get back at me”

Taeyeon throws her glasses down onto her desk. “I don’t have time for this bull, Sunny; I have a plane to catch”

“Right. Bye, then”

Taeyeon listens to the dead air for a few seconds before hanging up.

...

...

...

She grabs the bags from the backseat and closes the car door with her hip. Takes a deep breath as she quickly walks toward her destination. Presses the doorbell with her elbow.

When the door opens, Taeyeon drops the bags at Sunny’s feet.

“Everything they need is in there. Here is the address from where Sophia needs to be picked up” she hands Sunny a small piece of paper, “and here is the address where Bella is. Both of them need to be collected by six”

Taeyeon makes minimal eye contact. Instead looks at the piece of paper she handed Sunny and the way Sunny is mindlessly rubbing the pad of her thumb along it.

“I’ve left a key to my house in Sophia’s bag, in case you want a change of scenery. They both have morning activities tomorrow, which they will inform you of. I should be back Sunday morning, if there’s an open flight”

Black eyes glance at misty brown ones, and then Taeyeon turns and steps off Sunny’s porch.

“I’ll ring when I’ve landed” she calls with her back turned to Sunny, and then gets inside her car and drives away.

...

...

...

Taeyeon pores over the files as she sits at the crowded gate, waiting for her flight. She doesn’t flinch when someone takes the seat next her, and continues to make notes for her last-ditch presentation the following day.

“You know, I could’ve stolen your purse and slowly walked away”

Taeyeon looks over and smiles, confused.

“My wife packed my bag and kicked me out of the house when I told her about your little situation. Said if I didn’t help you get the funding she’d leave me”

“Intelligent woman”

Jessica raises an eyebrow. “Hand ‘em over”

Taeyeon puts a large stack of files into her friend’s open hand and smiles gratefully, “Thanks” she says with a nod.

Jessica winks. “Welcome”

...

...

...

“When I’m ten, can I stay up later too, Ma?” Jamie scoots under his covers, taking off his glasses and placing them on his nightstand. He rubs his eyes as his mother leans down and kisses his forehead. She nods at him, answering his question.

“Will the girls be here when I wake up?”

“Mm-hmm; we get to be with them for two days”

His mother’s broad smile is contagious, and he hugs her around the neck tightly.

“Goodnight, sweetheart, I love you”

“Love you too, Mama. Goodnight”

...

...

...

Bella reaches inside the soft bag and grabs a handful of tiles. She counts out seven and drops the rest back in, then places them on their stand as she waits for her sister and Sunny to do the same.

“How do I always end up with one consonant?” Sunny laughs.

Bella and Sophia smile at each other, silently telling the other that Sunny will be easy prey, where Scrabble is concerned. They were excited when she’d pulled it out alongside some other board games.

“Our friends don’t really like to play this” Bella says, laying down four tiles on the game board.

“I would assume most children your age don’t” Sunny answers, and purses her lips as she looks back and forth between her tiles and the game board, “You two are quite special”

Sophia shoots her sister a look when Sunny lays down five tiles, one of which is a "J" and happens to cross a double word score square.

Bella squints at an innocent looking Sunny and spins the board around so it faces her sister.

“We always beat Mom” Sophia says, spelling her own five-letter-word with the help of Sunny’s.

“I can’t picture your mum having the patience for Scrabble”

“She doesn’t” Bella smirks, proudly playing her "X" on a triple letter square, “that’s why we always beat her”

Sunny laughs, and Bella and Sophia join her.

...

...

...

“Mm, that looks so delicious, Sunny” Sophia her lips as Sunny pours hot fudge over a slice of homemade pound cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Bella watches from the other side of the kitchen counter, her black eyes wide with anticipation as the dark brown ooze cascades down the ice cream.

“Yeah, Mom tries to make some good stuff, but most of the time she fails. Big time” Bella laughs.

“I’m sure she tries her best” Sunny the side of her finger, “the fact that she tries at all impresses me”

“You only say that because you don’t have to eat it”

“Be nice, Bella” Sophia tells her sister, “Mom did take those cooking classes just so she’d be less likely to poison us”

Bella giggles at her sister’s serious face. Sunny rolls her eyes at the two of them.

“You two are horrible to your poor mum”

Bella shrugs. “She can take it. After all, isn’t she the reason we are the way we are?”

Sunny tilts her head and hands Bella a dessert plate. “Good point”

They carry their desserts to the living room and Bella and Sophia set their plates on the coffee table as they sit on the floor. Sunny settles onto the sofa, holding her plate at chest level.

A few bites in, Sophia looks up at Sunny. “So, don’t you think it’s weird that you and our mom are kind of… sharing your kids with each other?”

Sunny swallows her bite before she’s finished chewing it. Clears . “Is that what we’re doing?”

Bella and Sophia nod as they take another bite.

Sunny her lips. “I see it as a friend helping a friend”

Sophia wipes on a napkin. “Are you friends?”

“I’d like to think so”

“Even with all the drama from before?” Bella asks. “Have you two talked it out yet?”

Sunny looks back and forth between black and brown eyes. “You do enjoy going straight to the point, don’t you”

“It’s a family trait” Bella replies.

Sunny takes a deep breath and another bite of dessert. “We haven’t really had a good talk yet, no. We have spoken a bit, but your mum… she… I can tell she’d rather not speak about it at all”

“Of course she’d rather not speak about it” Sophia says, “but you have to make her. It’s the only way the two of you can begin to move past it”

“Beautiful and wise” Sunny smiles.

Sophia smiles shyly and her spoon.

“I’m just going to ask her” Bella tells her sister.

“Ask me what?”

“Why you left. Why you didn’t say goodbye to us. Why you came back”

Sunny nods and puts her plate on the coffee table. “Those are all important questions, but difficult for me to answer”

Bella and Sophia keep their gazes on Sunny as they chew their desserts.

“Before I say anything else, I have to say I’m sorry. What I did, the way I behaved, it was so unfair to you, and I’ll always regret it”

Bella and Sophia nod, accepting Sunny’s apology.

“I suppose the next thing I should tell you is…” Sunny struggles to swallow, suddenly very dry, “I… I never left LA”

Both girls stop chewing immediately and sit perfectly still. Their eyes display what they’re thinking, feeling, and Sunny leans forward, across the small table to touch their hands.

Bella resumes chewing first, slowly, her black eyes confused. But Sophia remains frozen; the gamut of emotions her brown eyes experience in the last minute finally settling on hurt.

Sunny slides off the couch, kneeling between the table and the sofa, keeping her hands on theirs.

“I had planned to leave” Sunny starts, “I only changed my mind at the last second”

“Why?” Bella asks.

“Because I didn’t want to leave the place where you and your mother were”

“If you wanted to be with us, then why didn’t you call or come over?”

“I did call. I did go to your house. I tried for a long time to find you”

“But we were in Seoul” Sophia says quietly.

Sunny nods. “Yes”

“And we were gone that whole summer”

Sunny nods again.

“And then we sold the house and Mom quit her job”

“It was quite disheartening” Sunny sighs.

“So you stayed here even though you might not ever see us again?”

Sunny puts a hand on her chest, over her heart. “Somewhere, deep down I knew that I would see you all again. And here you are” she tears up.

“Don’t cry, Sunny” Sophia walks around the table and squats down to hug her.

“I’m just so sorry”

“You sure do cry a lot these days” Bella remarks, and takes another bite of her melting dessert.

Sunny holds onto Sophia and laughs despite the tears. “You’re right, I do”

...

...

...

The girls lie still as Sunny zips up their sleeping bags and then kneels between them.

“So we’re ok, aren’t we? You forgive me?”

“We don’t need to forgive you, Sunny. All we ever wanted was to have you back, and now we do” Sophia smiles.

“Yeah” Bella adds through a yawn.

“You two are incredible”

“This is true” Bella grins, turning on her side and shimmying deeper into her sleeping bag.

“Night, Sunny” Sophia pulls her arms out and opens them.

Sunny leans down and hugs her, and then kisses them both on the cheek. “Goodnight”

...

...

...

“Hello?”

“Hi, were you sleeping?”

“Mm… yeah” Sunny switches on her lamp and glances at the clock, “did you just arrive?”

“Yes, a few minutes ago. But I won’t keep you; I just wanted to let the girls know I got here safely – I’m sure they’re asleep already”

“Yeah”

“Alright, well I’ll call them later in the day. Will you tell them?”

“Of course”

Sunny waits for Taeyeon to say goodbye.

“…Everything go all right with picking them up?”

“Yeah, fine”

“And are they behaving themselves?”

“They’re exceptional young ladies, Taeyeon, yes”

Taeyeon bites her lip and leans against a pillar in the airport terminal.

“Well, thanks Sunny, for keeping them; I do appreciate it”

“Any time” Sunny yawns.

“Sorry I woke you”

“No, I’m glad you did. I was waiting for your call before I fell asleep”

Taeyeon can’t help but smile. “Ok, well, I’ll see you tomorrow, sometime”

“Ok. And good luck with your work thing”

“Thanks. Bye, Sunny”

“Bye”

....

....

Hi guys! whats up ..

enjoy reading :)

Thanks for all the comments!