Page 46 of Tacos & Toboggans
“That was a question, so that tells me you aren’t sure if Jaelyn feels the same way. Wait,” she gasped, grabbing my arm. “Are you two dating?”
I was pretty sure she would have added an exclamation mark to that sentence if we’d been texting, and the thought brought a smile to my lips. “We aren’t, but not because I don’t want to date her. She doesn’t seem to want to date me.”
“And you think it’s the age difference? It might play a part in it, but I’d be more inclined to think it has to do with you being a doctor and her feeling inferior to your education and status.”
“That’s my assessment as well, but all I can do is tackle one thing at a time, which is why I asked about the age gap first. Feels like that would be the easiest to overcome right now.”
“First,” she said. “That makes me think there’s a second.”
Rubbing my hands on my pants, I stared at the little girl who was throwing a ball for her dog. Before the war, I wanted a family to love and cherish. Since the war, I couldn’t decide whether that was a smart thing to want or if it would just mean more loss in my life. I wouldn’t survive that kind of loss.
“You can tell me to go to hell when I ask this if you want, but I don’t know anyone else to ask. How did you tell Cameron that you’re an amputee?”
Her quiet pause was enough to make me wish I could suck the question back in, but since I couldn’t, I waited for her to tell me to go to hell. What she said instead surprised me. “I didn’t.”
“You didn’t tell him?” I asked for clarification, and she nodded.
“He found out by accident. I’d gotten a blister from a badly fitting prosthesis. Long story short, he was there when the whole thing came apart on me. He knew before we started dating that I was an amputee. Wait. Why? Are you—” I nodded quickly, patting my left thigh, and she squeezed my hand gently. “And Jaelyn doesn’t know?”
“Nope,” I answered, before I shrugged. “But after last night when my knee beeped, I think she suspects and is hurt I haven’t told her.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“Because Bells Pass was a clean slate for me, so I wasn’t spreading it around until I’d proven myself in the operating room. That said, it’s not a secret and I don’t hold it as a closely guarded one, at least not that I am an amputee.”
“Just how it happened, right?” she asked, and I nodded. “Yeah, same. It took me months to tell Cameron. We had to build trust between us before I could admit the horrific things that happened to me.”
“I trust Jaelyn. That’s not why I haven’t told her,” I clarified. “It’s not even a matter of not wanting to tell her.”
“It’s a matter of not wanting her to walk away.”
“That,” I agreed with a nod. “So much that. And she might. She would if she could see me now, wouldn’t she?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Her words flowed over me, and I closed my eyes, swallowing around the bubble in my chest so it didn’t kill me.
Becca stood and patted my shoulder. “Are you done with the snack shack?” she asked as I gathered the courage to turn around. When I did, Jaelyn was addressing her friend while staring at me.
“We're all set,” she said, finally turning to Becca, giving me a chance to catch my breath as I stood. “Stephan will get everything ordered today, and I’ll help him start organizing and installing things next week. Actually,” she held up her arm. “Cameron will probably have to do most of the heavy lifting, but it shouldn’t take long.”
“Not a problem,” she promised. “Why don’t you show Major the tree farm before you go?”
Before Jaelyn could answer, Stephan came running through the doors. “Jaelyn! I just heard you’re lighting the tree this year!”
Becca’s face filled with confusion. “What?”
“It appears I am,” Jaelyn admitted. “I’m the last new business to register for the year.”
“That’s so exciting!” Stephan said, jumping once with a clap. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” he sang as he headed toward the back of the building, heralding the news to anyone who might be around.
“Had I known he’d be that happy about it, I would have told him outside,” Jaelyn said with a grin. “Wonder how he found out.”
“Someone probably texted him,” Becca said. “He’s kind of a big dill around here.”
They broke into giggles, and something told me I had missed an inside joke. “So is she,” I said, walking toward them now that I’d found my voice and my legs. “Mayor Tottle just stopped us on the way here, though. I’m surprised someone already found out and texted him.”
“This is Bells Pass,” they both said in unison, cuing another round of laughter.
“That’s fair,” I said, my lips quirking.
