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“Please tell me you can still make it. Even just on Christmas day.”
Emily smiled as she shook her head. “No. I’m still coming. I’m actually not leaving tomorrow.”
“What?” The chair scraped against the tiles as her mother stood up, already wrapping her arms around her before she could explain.
“I told my boss about the cabin,” Emily said as she pulled away. “And he insisted that I take the month off and get everything sorted.”
“You’re going to be here until January?” Her mother’s expression was one of surprise. She slowly shook her head, her silver earrings swaying with the motion. Her eyes were wide with confusion as she tried to make sense of what she had just heard. “I’m happy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just… You work so hard and can’t get time off and now you’re here for a whole month? It’s amazing.”
Emily’s guilt quickly returned. She never had to stay in New York for Christmas. She’d been the one to make that decision, knowing that very few people could show that kind of commitment. And she’d always just let her parents believe that her boss was an asshole who wouldn’t give her enough time off to make it back for the holidays.
“Yeah,” Emily said as her mother hugged her again. “It was really nice of him to suggest it.”
“Let’s go in and tell your father the good news.”
* * *
Emily couldn’t concentrate on the college football game that was on the TV. She wanted to relax after a long week at work and then the drive here, but she kept thinking about getting the keys to her grandfather’s cabin and the mixed feelings that would bring.
But it wasn’t long before her thoughts started drifting to Quinn Grant.
She kept replaying that vision of Professor Grant walking towards her, her blond hair falling across her shoulders, her blue eyes vibrant and captivating.
Emily knew she wouldn’t be able to go more than a few days without asking either her parents or her sister if they knew Quinn. Because Emily needed to know if she was straight. It didn’t matter, really, but she just had to know.
Emily moved from the couch to the floor, adding another log to the fire before she got comfortable, the heat radiating through her hoodie as she pulled her knees into her chest.
She could remember Professor Grant commanding a lecture hall packed full of students like it was yesterday.
How was that twelve years ago?
Emily’s life was so different now. She never regretted leaving. She’d always been restless since she realized she was gay. She needed to be in a city where she could have gay friends and plenty of bars to go to. She’d always felt so isolated here.
And it hadn’t taken her long to realize that she had a talent for marketing, so she knew she wanted to work for a big firm, and that also meant moving to New York.
She’d been happy all these years, hadn’t she? She had the career, the nice apartment, a good social life. She’d been single for a while now, but that was because she had a thing for older, unavailable women.
“Are you going up to the cabin tomorrow?” Her father asked her, taking her away from her thoughts.
“I’m going to call the attorney and see if I can get the keys. But yeah, I’d like to get in there and see what we’re working with.”
“Let me know. I’ll give you a hand.”
“Thanks.” Emily didn’t bother explaining that she’d been there earlier, that she couldn’t come back here without even sitting outside it for a few minutes.
She knew she’d need some time to process the fact that her grandfather was actually gone. She’d come back for the funeral, but she only saw him once a year when she came back for a random weekend or occasionally his birthday. She was used to not seeing him for a few months at a time.
Except this time, he really was gone, and seeing his cabin empty would bring all that home.
Emily planned on getting to work right away. Appliances would need to be replaced, furniture updated, and she was glad that her father was offering to help.
6
On her yoga mat, Quinn began to unwind her tight muscles from a long day at work as she moved through each stretch and pose, and Maya’s melodic voice filled the space as she instructed the class.
There was something about her voice that almost put Quinn in a trance, forgetting about everything else for the hour she was here. The gentle music in the background and flickering candles filled the room with a soothing energy.
As the class neared its conclusion, Quinn was lying peacefully and calmly on her mat. She had been focusing deeply for what felt like hours, but it was exactly what she needed in the middle of the week. Tomorrow she had a long day ahead of her, and coming here every Wednesday night kept her going.
