We made our way to the couch, and she added peppermint creamer to her coffee. Once she sat next to me, she slapped my thigh with excitement. “Oh, did I tell you Ms. Laneri from next door is running one of those rentals now? She stays in the mother-in-law suite in the back and rents out the house. We had the most interesting person stay there last month. They sold rocks, I think. Like, the guy had a spreadsheet of the types of rocks he sells!”
I tuned my mom out as she continued telling me all about rock guy. I cuddled up next to her, and she put her arm around me. It didn’t matter that I was thirty-five. I needed my mom. My assistant, Newt, was taking the photography events for the next two days, letting me mope and get my shit together before I returned for back-to-back weddings. I loved my photography business, but I wasn’t done being sad yet.
“Oh! The other question I had. Becky needs an answer soon, but I figured I’d try to get you some work while you stay here. We have our annual festival starting up tomorrow. Twenty-four days of events, parades, dances, the gala—you know the drill.”
I sure did know the drill. I grew up going to all the holiday activities, loving the magic and happiness in the air here in Cherrywood. My high school boyfriend Matt and I would hit up every event. There was something romantic about the holiday cheer everywhere. It’d be a challenge to get through it while starting a divorce, but I’d manage.
“What about it?”
“They want an event photographer! The mayor wants to do a documentary or something about the town and needs photosor videos to help get more people here. I honestly don’t know the details. I just heard they needed someone, and it was a paid gig.”
I chewed my lip. Taking pictures of happy people didn’t sound like the best choice, but then again, it’s what made me fall in love with photography in the first place—capturing those fleeting moments of utter bliss. The way a snowflake falls on someone’s hair. The crinkling of your eyes when you smile at someone you love. Women drinking hot cocoa, bonding over their decades of friendship.
Okay, my brain had woken up a little from sadness due to the potential here.
“Okay, this sounds interesting.”
“I knew you’d like it! Okay, hon, I’ll pass Becky your number.”
We stayed like that for an hour, watching the news and cuddling until my mom had to get ready for a bridge game. She was a retired artist and still had commissions, but she was so religious about her game circle.
“You sure you’ll be okay alone?” she asked, putting on her puffy coat and hat.
“Yes, Mom. Plus, I have all this garland with me. Who would feel alone with all these colors?”
She narrowed her eyes at me but smiled. “Smart alek.”
“Go bridge. Be wild.”
“Love you.”
“You too.”
She shut the door, leaving me in the quiet. It was strange how I had spent so much time alone living with Connor, yet the silence here was different. I hadn’t yet turned my phone on,but it was time to check in with my best friend, Sophia, to see how the packing was going.
I powered it on, and a text from her popped up immediately.
Soph:Have you seen the news? Check this link.
I hit it and gasped. Connor’s company had had a data breach. Oh shit. I scanned the article, reading a few quotes from him, while my stomach ached. This was one of his greatest worries. Cyberattacks were terrifying and on the rise, and he always said it wasn’tif, butwhenit would happen to them. He must be so stressed. She felt the same intense urge to help him. I could send him his favorite meal and his lucky shirt. He loved that stupid thing whenever he had a stressful day.
The ideas flowed through me, my mind and body almost going on autopilot.
The need to support him might never go away, but I debated whether to text him. He forgot our dang anniversary a week ago. What would I even say? My chest tightened as I scanned the news again, hoping to find an update from today.
Someone knocked on the front door, so I set my phone down and sighed. Only here, in my hometown, would people actually knock. In our condo, people would leave stuff on the front step and assume we’d check the camera. I missed the personal touch of interactions.
I mentally prepared to see one of my mom’s friends stopping by to say hi or bringing a casserole because she’d told her friends I was here. Honestly, a casserole sounded pretty tasty. Smiling, I twisted the faded gold handle to see a large figure standing there. My smile fell off my face.
Connor.
My heart leaped to my throat, my pulse spiking as his beautiful—and sad—gray eyes met mine. “What…”
“Hey, Laney, can I come in?” He shoved his hands in his pockets, his jaw flexing as he studied my face.
Shadows had formed under his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. There was no evidence of my confident, sexy husband. The man who walked into a boardroom and dominated. The man who never shied away from anything.
A blast of wind danced over my neck, causing me to shiver.
