Christmas at the Cabin | ONC 2023 (Complete)

Nine | Good Things Must End

"Was there—?" Damien asks the second I step back into the living room wrapped in a warm robe with my hair still wet from the shower.

"A whole bunch of gingerbread in that room?" I finish his question for him. "There was indeed. Smelled delicious, by the way."

He steps into me, reaching his hands out and then returning them to his side.

"Won't you consider staying for dinner?" he whispers, eyes not leaving mine.

"I don't think it's wise. If I stay for dinner, I might never leave. Your dad seems like a real charmer."

"It's him you're worried about then?"

Is he getting closer to me? His presence is invading all of my senses, overheating my skin and blocking out the sun from my eyes. All I see is him.

"No," I breathe, acutely aware of his freshly showered scent so close. "I'm very worried about you. And what staying here means for a heart already scared to leave. I need to go before it gets worse. You understand."

He sighs. "I wish I could tell you things would be different. That I could be the man you want."

"I know. But at least we both have an excellent story we can tell. And if you ever need someone to vouch for your wilderness skills, you know where to find me. So it wasn't a complete waste."

I don't wait to hear what he says, spinning out of his gravitational pull and heading straight for my radio to contact Cliffside Lodge and let them know what needs replacing.

Once I'm done rattling off the list and explaining what happened with the key at the cabin, Bee's voice comes through the line crystal clear. "Copy that, good buddy. Glad to hear your voice again."

"Bee! I thought you had today off."

A small crackle greets me before she connects. "Yeah, I had the day off. Or I was supposed to before a huge winter storm rolled in and a couple people up and disappeared. So I wanted to be here for the afternoon to welcome them back."

"Just me," I correct. "You'll only be welcoming me. I'm doing my last walk through now and I'll talk to the clients to see if there's anything else they need. Standby."

"Ten four, friend."

She's obsessed with radio speak but she does not know how it works.

I wander around the corner into the kitchen. "Well, Atlas, it looks like my ride is on its way up as soon as we can decide what we need. Are there any supplies you need for the next couple days? Again, we can come up whenever you need, but since they're making the trip anyway feel free to ask for anything, silly or otherwise."

He scrunches his nose, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. "You're leaving us before gingerbread decorating?"

"I'm long past the end of my shift, Atlas. I think it's best I get back down."

"We have food and lodgings here," he says. "And I've made way too much food. You are most welcome to stay."

"I know," I smile. "Truly, I feel the most warm welcome here. But it's really not appropriate. Thank you so much for the invitation."

"If you wish," he says with a nod. "If you won't be staying, I've got plenty of supplies for the two of us lads to rough it."

"We won't need to do any roughing," Damien says, entering the kitchen. "I've made sure we'll have everything we need."

"I can't believe you convinced Harley to set you up with Christmas decorations and baking."

"Oh, the baking is probably all dad. He stress bakes."