Page 108 of When in December

“Nope. I’m all good to go. These cameras are practically my children.”

I opened the door leading outside for the photographer, nonetheless, watching as he headed back toward his car and loaded everything up.

This was it. There was no more to do but complete the job.

The competition was over. The promotion would be chosen by Michelle, likely sooner than later.

It was all out of my hands now.

I held a tentatively bright smile as I watched a truck make its way up the driveway. My contented expression faltered at Aaron’s. Catching me standing on the front porch, he turned to walk up to me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.

“Nothing,” he insisted, though his voice was tight. “Everything’s great.”

“Everything went okay at your appointment? How’s your leg? Did the doctor say anything?”

He cleared his throat. He nodded for another moment, as if he was debating something.

“Do you need to do more physical therapy or …” I drifted off, unsure what else I could say.

He stopped me from having to search for another option. I didn’t want to say the one I knew he didn’t want to hear today.

His leg, though he hadn’t been struggling as much with it as I remembered at the start of my project here, would never be the same.

“Nope. It’s healing up fine. Should be able to return to top shape soon enough,” he said.

For some reason, it felt like a hit to my stomach. But it shouldn’t. I should be happy for him. I should be happy.

“That’s great.”

He’d be back where he belonged. Just like he’d said. We talked about it, and I knew that his life wasn’t going to keep him here in the area or with me, but for some reason, I couldn’t fully let myself believe it.

He looked around the front porch, where I’d set up rocking chairs with pillows that matched the holiday theme of the rest of the house. “The cabin looks fantastic. Your boss would be crazy not to see the good work you did here. It looks like an entirely different place. Give yourself some credit.”

I would when I got the promotion, and then I’d know it was all worth it and everything worked out how it was meant to be.

“Thank you,” I whispered, looking up at Aaron through my lashes. I’d managed to put makeup on today, knowing that the photographer was coming and wanting to look professional.

Aaron stared back at me with a small, tight smile. He wasn’t telling me something.

“Wait there!”

I turned back toward the car, where the photographer had paused packing up, looking at us standing here to see him off. Before he managed to put it away, his camera was back in his hands.

“Stay right there for a minute,” directed Jack. “I want to get a photo of you both standing on the edge of the porch there.”

“Oh, you don’t have to?—”

“It’s a great shot.”

I glanced at Aaron. He shrugged. Nodded.

“All right.”

Before I could turn to look back away from Aaron, the photographer had already taken the photo.

“Perfect.”

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