“You have approximately thirty seconds before I call the biddies.”

Caleb groaned. His younger sister had taken up a vigil on the other side of his apartment door.

“I’m fine. Just give me a day or so, and I’ll emerge, like a bear after hibernation.”

His attempt at a joke went straight over Sabrina’s head. “Where should I start? With Mom, or maybe Babs?”

Why couldn’t he wallow for a few days? He loved his family, but they could be suffocating. He’d get rid of Sabrina sooner if he put on a happy face.

He hefted himself off the couch. He ran a hand through his hair—in desperate need of a cut—and his face, with his three-day beard quickly turning into something his mother would consider ‘unkempt’.

He groaned as he stood up and took the short walk to the front door. A few seconds after he unlocked it, Sabrina pushed her way inside. Immediately, she scrunched up her nose and covered her mouth.

“When was the last time you cleaned this place?” She leaned in for a second sniff. “Or yourself, for that matter?”

He turned away from his little sister. “Since before the kids left.”

Olivia, his ex-wife, had requested an extra week with the kids at Christmas this year. They would spend the holidays with her partner’s family in Utah. He could hardly refuse her—after all, they were divorced but still co-parented like close friends—but he wasn’t prepared for how deeply the loss of his kids over the holidays would affect him.

Last Christmas, they’d been separated, but not divorced yet. They’d still felt like a family. They’d had Christmas at his parents, just like every year since he’d left home for college. There was a finality of it that this would be his experience now.

He was already not quite used to being a parent only some of the time. But knowing the holidays would also be a lonely experience only made it worse.

How many Christmases did he have left when they were this small? Emerson was five, and Poppy was two and a half. Sure, there would be Christmas morning video chats. But it wasn’t the same. His kids were his world.

Compounded with the fact that he’d been feeling adrift since returning to Falling Leaves last year, an episode of seasonal depression was hardly unexpected.

“You’ve gone downhill this fast?”

He sighed and slumped back onto the couch. “The apartment is just so empty.” He and Olivia split custody. If he missed his kids, they were never far away, and Olivia and her partner, Ashley, had no problems with him visiting their house about an hour away. But now, he couldn’t just hop on a plane. He already felt like a third wheel in their relationship. He said nothing when they left, even though it felt like a piece of his heart was being carved out. Olivia and Ashley would have insisted he come along, and he had to find a life of his own someday.

Sabrina flitted around the apartment, straightening things up. “It’s been three days. We’re worried about you, Caleb.”

He ran a hand down his face. “Who’s we? You and the biddies?”

“All of us.” Her phone began to chime with text alerts. She pulled it out of her coat pocket and looked at it. “Mom and the biddies are around the corner, waiting for my signal.”

He tilted his head back and groaned. “This is not a bank heist.”

“No, but it’s kind of an intervention.” She crossed the room and sat next to him. “You shouldn’t stay holed up in this pigsty in the meantime.”

Since Sabrina had moved up to the mountain to run Sky House Lodge with her husband, Brandon, Caleb had taken a larger role at the family company, Ellis & Daughter. Winter was the slowest time of the year. They had no jobs lined up until January, so all he wanted to do was hide from the world.

“So, what, I’m supposed to move in with you and Brandon?”

They were the better choice. His older brother Sebastian, his family, and their parents lived in town. It was funny how he and his older brother had fled Falling Leaves, Virginia, as soon as they could, but they’d both ended up back here. As if the mountains had called them both home after they’d had their fun.

In his former life, he’d been an environmental engineer. Yet, while environmentalism was still important to him, it no longer filled him with the passion to make it a career. Construction, on the other hand, did. Perhaps it had been in his veins all along.

“I never said that. You’re a grown man missing out on his first Christmas with his kids. You’re right to be sad. But you know what Dad says about wallowing.”

Caleb couldn’t remember the exact phrase but grunted in agreement. Something about lying down to wallow was akin to lying in the mud. Once you got down, you couldn’t get up without being caked in crud. Their father was full of half-baked colloquialisms.

“So, what’s your point, Sab? To make me feel worse than I already do? Because mission accomplished.”

Sabrina paused to reply to her text messages. “I didn’t mean to. But me making you face what’s bugging you would inevitably bring up some of those pesky emotions Ellis men like to push under the rug.”

He lolled his head to the side and glared at her. “You’ve said your piece. Can I go back to wallowing now? If we agree that it’s just until the kids return in January? It’s a temporary wallow, not even three weeks. I’ll even consent to appear at the twenty-odd family functions you and Mom have planned over the holidays. I’ll even check in once a day. Fair?”

Sabrina set her phone down and glared at him. “I had another idea. One that will do a better job at taking your mind off things.”

He groaned. “You’re becoming more like the biddies every day, I swear.”

She gave her brother a not-so-friendly slap on the arm. “Come on, get showered and dressed. Trim up that disaster of a beard, too. We’re going out.”

“Where to?”

She rose to her feet. “The quicker you get ready, the sooner you’ll find out. In the meantime, I’m going to clean up.” She grabbed a handful of energy can drinks and crushed them between her hands one by one before she tossed them into the trash.

Caleb didn’t have it in him to fight anymore. He slipped past his sister toward the bathroom. On the way, he passed the empty room his daughters shared. He exhaled. Maybe Sabrina was right.

* * * *

Emma refused to cry, especially not over a stupid job.

After all, why should she? She hated this job and was going to leave anyway. In January, probably.

Maybe.

Still, as she looked over the workspace she’d occupied for the last three years, she felt a sense of sadness. This was one chapter of her life over. She’d assumed she’d leave by choice, not via a lay-off.

She gave a half-hearted wave to her former boss on her way out.  She didn’t miss the silent presence of a security guard behind her. Since she was no longer an employee, she must be regarded with suspicion.

How humiliating.

She walked wordlessly to the elevator, carrying a box of various knick-knacks and office supplies she had collected over the years. When the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, she found a mostly empty lobby.

Of course, her manager had waited until after six p.m. to lay her off. A blessing she’d stayed later for once, he’d told her. At least she could start the weekend free, along with her one-month severance package.

She stepped out into the blustery December evening. The last thing she felt like doing was carting her belongings on the Metro.

With a sigh, she nestled the box between her hip and the wall, pulled on her gloves and hat, and tucked the box against her as she began her four-block walk to the station.

Washington, DC, was illuminated for Christmas. White lights twinkled on tree branches, and elaborate decorations hung in the shop windows she passed. She usually loved the holidays. Well, she hadn’t always. Now, she could create her own happiness, unlike when she was a kid.

The light changed, and she stepped into the street. She made it no more than three steps before a white Mercedes G-Wagon stopped before her. She cursed under her breath and jumped back onto the curb. The driver flicked the hazards on and swung open the door.

“Emma, get in the car.” She looked up to find her fiancé, Davis.

Former fiancé? Current fiancé? She supposed it was the latter, since they’d never made the break official. Their relationship status was nebulous, at best. She still wore the ring because he got mad if she didn’t. But they’d had a big fight a couple of months back, and things had never been the same. Neither of them had wanted to make the break official just yet, either.

Out of habit, she’d texted him after receiving the news. He hadn’t replied, of course. He was a financial consultant and was always in meetings. Besides, she was well aware of her ranking on his list of priorities.

He made no effort to pretend otherwise. Work was the most important factor in his life. Especially given that his new promotion meant he’d be moving to New York in the new year. They were mostly roommates now, leaving messages for each other on the fridge or occasionally sending a text.

They each got something out of the relationship. She was his glorified assistant, helping to keep his busy life on track. She got to be a bystander in his very fancy life and the security of a stable relationship. Sure, she contributed financially to their life, but she could’ve never afforded to go fifty-fifty on a life that would suit Davis’ standards.

He stepped out of the car, took the box from her, and set it in the backseat. She looked left and right before she ducked into the street to climb in the passenger side. “Sorry. You always told me I shouldn’t get into cars with strangers.”

He snickered as she closed the door and buckled in. “I know, I know. You tell me a white G-wagon is a dime a dozen in this city. You won’t have to worry about that when we move to New York. I’m going to sell the car.”

He flicked off the hazards and merged back into traffic along K Street when an opening occurred.

Davis was perfect on paper. Handsome—sure, in a slightly evil young President Snow from The Hunger Games kind of way, but whatever—and while not exactly the kindest person in the world, he’d always been loyal to Emma.

As far as she knew, anyway—she never pressed. That was the thing in their relationship—they were both excellent at sticking their heads in the sand.

She exhaled and rested her head against the window. “That’s a surprise. You love this car.”

They came to a red light and eased to a stop. Davis placed his hand on her knee. “I’m sorry you were laid off, Em, but it works out better this way, doesn’t it? Now you can help plan the next chapter of our lives together. You were going to leave at the end of January anyway. Now you get a severance.”

Davis had never actually asked her. He’d just assumed, which was fair enough, since they were engaged. Technically. Would he have to ask for the ring back for things to be over, officially?

“Not much of a severance, a month’s pay, then I’ll be on unemployment if I don’t find anything new.”

She’d lived in DC most of her adult life. New York had never been her cup of tea. The hustle and bustle was too much for her. DC was just enough—with its lack of skyscrapers in the city center and eclectic architecture.

The light changed, and Davis tapped on the gas. “And you won’t have to work in New York if you don’t want to. You can plan the wedding, then take your time to figure out your next step. Do you want to work? Fine. You want to stay at home, that’s fine too.”

Emma murmured in agreement. Davis was right in one way. She’d never really loved her job as a government affairs associate. It was only her second job after graduating from college twelve years ago. She’d been stuck for years. Too anxious to leave because it was a well-paying and low-effort job.

Still, Davis believed his dreams should be enough for both of them. When she thought about her life after marriage, her mind went blank. Well, except for the occasional pipe dream. She didn’t fit in with the girlfriends of Davis’ friends now, and she couldn’t see that changing after marriage.

Panic crept up when she thought of being Davis’ stay-at-home wife. She knew well enough to know that wasn’t her dream life. As long as she was with Davis, her passions would have to take a back seat.

At another stoplight, he brushed knuckles against her cheek. “We’ll figure it out, sweetie. We always do.”

Davis turned on a dull financial podcast, and Emma pulled out her phone. She mindlessly scrolled through her social media feeds until an ad caught her eye.

They didn’t have any Christmas plans this year. Davis’ family lived in Ottawa, Canada. He wasn’t very close with them, so they had no plans to visit over the holidays. And her family—well, she had none to speak of. Christmas could be lonely for Emma. Perhaps a change of scenery was just what she needed.

A treehouse lodge in the Shenandoah Mountains. She scrolled through the ad’s carousel of photos, each more charming than the last. A grand A-frame building was surrounded by rope bridges leading to what they called treehouse villas. The scene was festive without being over-the-top. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been excited for Christmas of her own making. It was either going to visit Aniyah or Davis’ terrible family. She scrolled down to read more information about the Sky House Lodge.

Part of her even debated bringing it up to him. Maybe she could spend Christmas on her own? Because if they did get married, she’d be stuck doing whatever Davis wanted for the rest of her years.

“Hey, babe? What about going here for Christmas? It’s outside Roanoke.”

He chanced a glance over as they wove through traffic. “Looks cute. Go ahead and book it, Em. I’ll be off after Friday until the end of the year, anyhow.”

Well, there may be a chance.

“You’re awfully agreeable.”

Davis was never ‘off’ from work. He meant he wouldn’t be required to be in the office until after the New Year.

“Well, I’d rather be with you somewhere fun than be stuck in the apartment all Christmas break. So, book it, okay?”

She smiled at her phone. Maybe he pitied her after she had been laid off, but he’d told her to book the trip, so she would do just that.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late to save her engagement, after all.

Even if she wasn’t completely sold on the idea, she had to try at least.