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“I imagine so,” the man replied. “She’s not gone into mourning.”
That caught her off guard. She frowned. “What does a swan in mourning look like?”
“They often don’t leave their nest, and I’ve seen females put their heads under their wings, almost as if they’re covering their face while they cry.”
I understand how she feels. “I hope she doesn’t give up hope,” Rose said, her heart going out to the swan. “It must get lonely with no other swans around.”
“Oh, she’s not alone. You can see her cygnets if you look closely.” He pointed at a few small gray blobs in the water.
They were difficult to make out at that distance and with the muddy color of the pond. But when Rose squinted, she could discern three tiny fluffy feathered bodies gliding after the larger swan.
“Aw, they’re adorable!”
“Best keep your distance, though. Swans are very protective of their young.” He glanced at her. “If you want, I can give you a heads-up when the male is set to return.”
Rose nodded. “I would like that very much. Thank you.”
After waving goodbye, she headed to her condo, but her thoughts remained with the swans. She couldn’t help seeing the parallel between her situation and theirs. Part of her envied the female swan’s faith that her male companion was alive and well and would someday return. In contrast, Rose had multiple ways to reach Steven, but no matter how hard she tried, the two of them couldn’t seem to connect.
Chapter Nineteen
A few days later, Steven entered his office with renewed hope that he would soon be able to ditch his wheelchair. He had an appointment that afternoon for physical therapy, and he planned to ask when he might expect to graduate to a walker. Though his spine had healed considerably, he still wasn’t able to do more than stand for short periods of time with most of his weight resting on his forearms and hands.
Focusing on his physical limitations was easier than letting his mind replay the conversation with Rose the night before. He wasn’t being fair, but he also felt she wasn’t either. Of course he understood she was going through this with him. Yet he wasn’t sure she fully grasped the toll the accident and subsequent recovery had taken on him. Sometimes he procrastinated on scheduling his medical appointments so he could pretend, even for a moment, that everything was normal.
Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he opened his email, and a calendar notification popped up. Michael was out that morning to study for the bar exam. Steven’s stomach flip-flopped. While he and Michael hadn’t discussed what would happen if Michael passed the bar, Steven had seriously considered offering Michael a more permanent position. But once he passed the bar, he might not be interested in sticking around.
The results wouldn’t be released until autumn. Hopefully, Steven had a couple of months to figure that out. He took comfort in knowing Michael had been instrumental in assisting with keeping the lights on.
A few hours later, the front door to the office opened, and pealing laughter filled the silence. Steven glanced at the time, rubbed his eyes, and stretched. Finally, he was through making the last edits to the will, and it was ready to sign. After maneuvering to his office door, he stood and leaned against the doorframe for balance.
“Sandra? That you?”
She came out of her office, and her eyes widened. “What are you doing, standing there like that? You’re liable to fall!”
He shifted his back against the wall, though his legs were already shaking. “I’ve finished the will for Mr. Rochester. Can you set up an appointment?”
“After you sit your butt back in a chair.” She rushed over and grabbed his arm before she helped ease him into the wheelchair.
“I can’t wait for the day I’ll walk again,” he said with a sigh.
“You’re making good progress, but you’ve got to be patient. Spine injuries don’t heal overnight.”
“I know.” He leaned his head back against his chair and glared at the ceiling. “But it’s frustrating. And I don’t want to roll my way down the aisle on my wedding day. I want to stand on my own two feet, head held high.” He shook his head. “It’s supposed to be the best day of my life.”
“I get it. Sometimes life happens in a way we don’t expect or want it to. But you have to roll with the punches.” Her lips twitched. “No pun intended.”
He frowned, not finding her joke as amusing as she did. “Anyway, we’re down a staff member today. Michael is at a study group to prepare for the bar.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Sandra exclaimed. “I’ll keep my fingers and toes crossed for him, but I doubt he’ll need it.” She played with a piece of string on her shirt. “What are we going to do if he passes?”
Swallowing his concerns, he gave what he hoped was a nonchalant shrug. “It’s still early summer. We have some time to figure it out.”
“Assuming he doesn’t find something sooner.” Crossing her arms, Sandra released a long sigh. “He’s been doing good work. I bet if you offered him something, he’d consider it.”
“I can’t compete with the DC law firms. He’d make three times what I could offer him.”
“Maybe if you take the initiative and make an offer now, he won’t consider going back. Or what if you made him a partner?” She sat in one of the chairs across from him. “He might be willing to give up the salary in exchange for an equal part of the firm.”
