Choosing Hope

“Jess was kissing Aunt Cailin.”
Jess quickly tried to cover. “Cailin was upset and I kissed her on the forehead.”
“Uh uh”, Amelia says, “you kissed her right on the lips like ma and mommy. Cailin and Jess,
sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i…”
Emily quickly picks Amelia up, tossing her over her shoulder. “Kids say the darndest things.
Let’s go play Amelia.” Emily quickly exits the room with Amelia with Riley hot on her heels.
Jane turns back to Jess and raises an eyebrow. “Care to explain?”
“Cailin, get your ass down here,” Maura calls up the stairs.
“W-w-w-hat?” Cailin looked down at her sister as she slowly made her way down. Jess shot
Cailin a look as to say “play it cool.”
“Amelia just told us you two were kissing. Someone needs to explain what the hell is going on.”
Jane looked from Cailin, to Jess, and back to Cailin again.
“What?” Cailin’s face is filled with genuine shock and puzzlement. Suddenly, she was thankful
for those acting classes she took in high school. “Why would she say that Jess?”
Jess shrugs. “I don’t know. 7 year olds tell stories sometimes. I mean, was mommy really kissing
Santa Claus? I think not.”
Jane looked at Jess and paused a moment while she thought that over. “Well, I definitely don’t
want her to get into the habit of lying. Sure, it’s a little thing now but when they get older it turns
into big things. “
She glanced at Maura, hoping she was picking up what she was laying down.
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