"This is Juniper''s older sister," Kurt''s mother, Monique, prompted gently. "Go on and greet her properly."


    "Oh." Kurt mumbled awkwardly and indistinctly, "Ebony Fox."


    Ebony Fox gave a slight nod in return. It was just a misunderstanding that led to a kick, she thought. This boy sure holds a grudge.


    At the dinner table, the Schwartz family went out of their way to show their hospitality to Ebony Fox. But having been a loner for so long, she found the sudden warmth a little unsettling.


    "Does Ebony Fox have a boyfriend?" Monique asked curiously.


    Kurt, who was gnawing on a chicken wing, looked up as well.


    “No,” Ebony Fox replied, shaking her head. What was a boyfriend? The word had never existed in her world.


    "I see," Monique said with a smile, thinking what a wonderful girl she was and wondering which undeserving man would eventually win her over.


    Her gaze shifted to her own son, who was holding a chicken wing in one hand and clutching a fork in the other. Aplete foodie! At twenty-one, he didn''t have a single mature bone in his body.


    Never mind. There was a three-year age gap; better not to let him ruin a good girl''s life.


    "I hear you''ve been very busytely," Miranda said, personally serving Juniper a bowl of soup. “You have to take care of yourself, sweetie.”


    "Thank you, Miranda," Juniper epted it with a small smile. "Shanley has been taking very good care of me, you don''t need to worry."


    "Well, at least he''s good for something," Miranda chuckled.


    The men of the Schwartz family, if nothing else, all shared one major virtue: they knew how to dote on their wives. Shanley had learned by watching his father his whole life. She was confident about that. It''s just that maybe he wasn''t doing a good enough job, otherwise... they had been together for so long, when Would Juniper make their


    rtionship official? She was dying to show off her future daughter-inw to her friends.


    After dinner, Juniper and her party bid farewell to the Schwartz family. As they were leaving, Kurt kept staring at Ebony Fox. He''d nce at her, then quickly look down, only to peek again a momentter,


    repeating the cycle like a thief.


    Cóntent


    "That''s enough,” Shanley said, walking over and pping his cousin on the shoulder. "Ebony Fox didn''t do it on purpose."


    "I''m not mad," Kurt mumbled.


    "Not mad? Then why can''t you even look her in the eye?" Shanley frowned, patiently trying to reason with him. "Kurt, she''s a guest."


    "I''m really not mad," Kurt insisted, opening his mouth but not knowing how to exin. He let out a frustrated "Argh!" and stomped upstairs in embarrassment.


    "You" Shanley sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to Ebony Fox. "That kid was in a car ident recently. I think he damaged his brain. Don''t mind him, he''s getting treatment.”


    "It''s not a big deal," Ebony Fox said, her hands in her pockets as she casually raised an eyebrow. "When you have time, you should have Juniper take a look at him. It seems pretty serious." During dinner his eyes had been twitching nonstop, as if he couldn''t control his


    movements.


    Juniper, holding a pile of snacks, stood by as a spectator. She looked from Kurt to Ebony Fox and back again, her eyes narrowing as a thoughtful expression crossed her beautiful face.


    Ebony Fox''s gaze toward Kurt was normal, filled with the kind of pity one might show a confused child. But Kurt''s looks at Ebony Fox were... strange. She had noticed something was off at the dinner table.


    "What are you thinking about?" Shanley asked, returning to her side. He saw her thoughtful expression and a faint smile touched his lips.


    "You don''t think," Juniper began slowly, "that Kurt might be..."