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I shrugged. “Sebastian thought Talon had done it when he was experimenting with something new.”
Lori leaned on the counter. “Hmmm. That sounds like him. What was it like?”
I pulled out my phone and showed her the pictures we’d taken. I realized I hadn’t taken many because I was so wrapped up in the conversation with Sebastian.
“These are amazing. Did he mean for it to be part of the light show? We could make it longer.”
“I doubt Emmett and Heath would appreciate the cars going past their cabins.” And if Talon was ready to share it, he’d have told someone.
“That’s true. But this is too nice not to share,” Lori said, handing the phone back to me.
“Do you think that everyone feels the magic of the holidays when they see it, Grandma?” Ember asked.
My heart squeezed at her comment. Marley and Ireland were forever talking about the magic of the farm and the season.
Lori nodded. “I do.”
“I think my daddy needs more of it, then. He’s been sad lately.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He’s different lately. Not as happy.”
“Maybe it’s the stress of the season and the move?” I asked.
Lori’s brow furrowed. “He said he was happy he finally made the move, and he’d wished he’d done it sooner.”
“Do you know why he’s sad?” I asked her gently, wondering if Ember’s mother had tried to get in contact with him or if he was just feeling off because of the holidays. It made me lonely when I realized I was spending another season alone.
Ember shook her head.
I wondered if my moving had set something off inside him or changed our dynamic. While I enjoyed our time together, not having spent those intimate times with him before, maybe he didn’t. “I’ll talk to him about it,” I assured her.
Ember nodded. “Good. He likes you.”
“Helping each other is what friends do,” I agreed.
Lori raised a brow, but I refused to think about what it meant. Ember was only seven. I wasn’t sure she understood the intricacies of adult relationships and feelings. In fact, I was positive she wouldn’t. So, I put it out of my mind.
“How do you like living in the cabin?” Lori asked as she grabbed a washcloth to clean up the crumbs Ember left behind.
“I love it. It’s like Christmas all the time. I see the trees from my window, and it always smells like evergreen.”
“Did you decorate that tree you put up?” Lori asked Ember.
She nodded. “Hanna helped us.”
Lori’s eyes widened. “You did?”
“I think if we left it up to Sebastian, he wouldn’t have done it in time. I added some fresh garland to the mantles and windows, a wreath on the door, and candles in the windows. Now it’s more inviting.”
“I wish you didn’t have to move,” Ember said.
“I thought you’d stay at the cabin through the end of tax season to help Sebastian out?”
“We haven’t really discussed an end date. I have a feeling he wants to start dating, and I don’t want to cramp his style.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true. He hasn’t dated much since—” Lori looked pointedly at Ember, who was reaching for another cookie and not paying attention to us.
