Page 79 of When in December

“You scare them off,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed. “No, I don’t scare people off.”

“You are pretty intimidating.”

“I am not,” Poppy argued.

I shrugged.

“I’m not intimidating,” she repeated.

“You know what you want. You go after what you want. You enjoy what you’re doing …”

“And that makes me intimidating?”

“It makes you rare.”

Again, there was that narrowed stare, as if she was deciding if she should glare. Unless that, too, was against her professionalism code? Being combative was a no-go, wasn’t it?

“I’m pretty sure that’s a synonym for odd,” she settled on saying.

“It makes you unique,” I rephrased. “To truly love what you do—not everyone gets that opportunity or to keep it when they find it.”

“Did you find what you loved to do?”

I opened my mouth to respond. To say,Of course I did. I loved the Army. I loved the family I’d made there.

But I paused, thinking about it.

I’d groan in the morning when I had to get up, and sometimes, when I closed my eyes, I’d beg that I would wake up anywhere else but at work, at training, or overseas. When thedays got long, I thought to myself,I could be happy if I never had to see another minute of this work ever again.

“It’s who I am. I’m going to go back. I’m working toward it,” I informed her. “Every day, my leg is getting stronger.”

Though, that wasn’t exactly true.

“But do you still enjoy it?” she asked before seeing I was at a loss for words.

Did I still enjoy it?

“Either way, I mean, you’ll have a lot more excitement ahead of you. Even if it’s scary.”

“Scary?”

“Yeah, it’s scary going into the unknown,” she said. “But, my step father, Simon, once told me that life if meant to be a little scary if you’re doing it right. Life isn’t supposed to be frilly all the time; it’s a battle.”

“You think life is a battle?” I asked.

“We all have our own.”

Here we go again.“I’m sure everyone does.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Go on,” I gave in. “Tell me your battle. You held whatever sad backstory you have in you in long enough. What, two weeks?”

“Three. But no.”

“Why not?”

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