Chapter Fifteen
Evergreen Acres was truly a rare gem from beginning to end.
When we arrived, the parking lot was full, and Jaelyn explained the regular Saturday family events they hold.
While the families were leaving, we inspected the new snack shack, which was anything but a shack.
It resembled a small garden shed, but had a side door for entry and a front window that lifted to reveal a counter for orders.
The interior was bare, but Jaelyn had explained she was there to discuss what they needed to order so the shack would be ready for the holiday season.
I’d left her to that and headed inside to check out the store. On the way over, she explained that the store sold items from local crafters as well as food from local farmers. I was perusing the jars of jam and honey when Becca approached me. “Dr. Warren, so nice to see you today.”
Turning, I smiled and shook my head. “It’s Major, remember?”
“I keep forgetting,” she said, smacking herself in the forehead. “Find anything that interests you?”
“I was looking for more of the jam that Audrey had in the welcome basket, but now I can’t remember the name of it. It was strawberry rhubarb.”
“It was probably from Landstrom’s Farms,” she said, and I snapped my finger with a nod. “Unfortunately, that’s a seasonal jam.”
“Why would I think otherwise?” I asked, tongue-in-cheek, but I was still disappointed, nonetheless.
“Think how good it will taste come summer, though,” she said as she lifted a jar from the display. “In the meantime, try their orange marmalade. It’s delicious.”
“Especially on peach pie?” I asked, raising my brow as I took the jar.
“Ha, you’ve heard about the way we top our pie here in Bells Pass.”
“I’ll admit I was skeptical until Jaelyn forced me to try it. I’ll never go back.”
She pointed at me with a nod and turned her attention to the corner where a little girl was playing with a dog. “Be good to Bradley, Hope,” she called, and the little girl looked up at her mother.
“He’s being a goofus roofus.” Her giggling as the little dog lapped at her cheek made me smile.
“She’s adorable, Becca.”
“Thank you. She’s our pride and joy.”
I motioned her toward several chairs near where Hope was playing and lowered myself into a seat, tossing the jar back and forth between my hands before setting it on the table. “Could I ask you a question that goes no further than us?”
“Absolutely,” she said, her gaze darting to her daughter as though she knew I needed a moment to gather myself.
“You’re younger than Cameron, right?”
“Yes, by almost ten years.”
“Was that a hang-up for you in the beginning?” I asked, to which she shrugged.
“Not as much as my past was, if we’re being honest.”
“I’m looking for honesty,” I said with a nod. “Patient doctor confidentiality applies here; in case you’re wondering.”
“You might be the only one who doesn’t know my past, Major,” she said with a chuckle. “In a nutshell, my foster family was essentially sex traffickers and made me do things to survive that no one my age should have had to do.”
“My goodness, I wasn’t expecting that. I’m sorry,” I said, using the same tone I often use when a surgery doesn’t go well and I have to break the news to the patient.
“Thanks, but since I met Cameron and he taught me how to love myself, my life has done a one-eighty. I still deal with PTSD from my childhood, but knowing my triggers has helped keep the episodes to a minimum now that I have control of my environment. The age gap, well, that was never really a thing between us.”
“I don’t follow,” I admitted, shifting to get more comfortable.
She tossed her head side to side. “We knew he was older than me, but when we were together, we were equals. Like, there wasn’t any weird power difference or daddy-type worship on my part.”
"The years just didn’t matter,” I said, and she nodded. “Yeah, I get that.”
“Because you’re older than Jaelyn by ten years?”
“Not quite,” I said with a lip tilt. “Nine years, but I meant the part about how when we’re together, we feel like equals. At least I think we do?”
“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.
Becca hugged Jaelyn gently. “That’s exciting! We were just wondering who had the honor this year since we couldn’t think of any new businesses.”
“That’s because she just registered hers before she broke her arm,” I jumped in before Jaelyn could deny that her business was one.
“I still think it’s a stretch, but I won’t insult the board and Mayor Tottle by making a big deal about it. It’s an honor, so I’ll treat it as such.”
“You should,” Becca said, a faraway look in her eye. “The year I met Cameron, it was his turn to flip the switch as the hero who saved the Bells Pass Christmas tree. It was so special to come together with the entire town to sing carols and kick off the holiday season. Not to mention, romantic.”
“Romantic, right,” Jaelyn muttered rather disbelievingly. “I’m all for kicking off the holiday season with everyone and watching the littles get excited for Santa. Speaking of littles.” She glanced around until she spotted Hope chasing the ball with Bradley. “Where’s my Hopie Hope?”
“Auntie Jae-Jae!” the little girl squealed as though she had finally noticed her. “Give me hugs!”