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Amanda had been devastated when Nicole left her, and it still hurt sometimes, but over the past few months, she had come to realize that it had been the best decision for both of them.
Amanda forced herself to take several deep breaths. “I don’t need the money, Nicole, least of all from you. For the last time, I signed those rights over to you. I don’t want to hear from you again. If I need to tell you again, it’ll be coming from my lawyer.”
She hung up the phone, breathing hard. Nicole didn’t call back. Smart of her. Amanda wasn’t kidding about the lawyer. All she wanted was to put that horrible chapter of her life behind her.
Of course, it hadn’t been all bad. She had loved Nicole once, and they had had many good times together before it became apparent that their personalities simply weren’t a match for a long-term relationship. They had hung on for six years, but everyone had their breaking points.
Well, there went the serenity she had gained by walking through her trees. Amanda clambered to her feet and started walking again, a little faster than before. The trees flashed by almost too fast for her to get a good evaluation of how they were growing, but she didn’t slow.
She tried to quiet her mind and distracted herself by thinking about the greeting cards she was working on.
Amanda’s legs were aching by the time her mind was quiet, but it was worth it. She limped back to the house and flopped onto the couch. She went back onto her phone, flicking through Tinder. She truly wanted to meet someone she could fall in love with again, not to mention have sex with.
God, Amanda missed sex. She hadn’t been with anyone since Nicole, and she was feeling the lack of sex, for sure. Whatever else could be said about their relationship, the sex with Nicole was excellent. That was part of what had kept them together for so long.
Masturbation was great, but it just wasn’t the same. Amanda had even considered hiring an escort for an evening or two, but in the end, she had decided that she didn’t want to have meaningless sex. She wanted it to be with someone she cared for, or was at least interested in.
Amanda lay back, fantasizing about finding someone she could spoil and adore. Someone who didn’t find issue with everything she said and turn every action into an argument. She wanted someone peaceful and calm—two things that Nicole never was.
No one on Tinder seemed to fit the bill, either. Amanda supposed that she simply had to keep trying. Finding the right person was hard work, just like running a business.
Thoughts of running a business brought her back to Nicole. Amanda truly hoped that she didn’t need to get lawyers involved in this, but she would if she had to. She needed peace, and Nicole was the least peaceful person Amanda had ever encountered. Passionate, absolutely, but peaceful? Not a chance.
She gave up on Tinder for now and went back to her computer. For a couple more hours, Amanda lost herself in designing greeting cards. She loved this part of her work, and often spent so long at the computer that she lost track of time and only realized when her shoulders started aching that she’d been at it for most of the day.
One thing was certain, Amanda was going to make sure that her greeting cards were the talk of the season this Christmas.
2
Snow finished up with Bluebell’s school lunch before walking with her to the bus stop.
“Have a good day at school, honey.”
“I will, Mom! Our science teacher says we’ll be doing volcanoes today.”
Snow smiled fondly at her daughter. “That sounds wonderful.”
Bluebell loved everything to do with volcanoes. Snow hoped to take her to see a real volcano someday (an inactive one, of course), if she could afford to take the trip.
Snow returned home, where her mom was painting. Snow stood behind her for a few minutes to watch. She always loved seeing Daisy paint. She was so talented, and her paintings earned them a mostly steady income.
Daisy turned to look at her. “You’re being creepy again.” She smiled warmly at Snow, showing that she didn’t truly mind.
“I can’t help it. It’s so mesmerizing watching you paint. I wish you’d let me take photos of you like this.”
“This time when I’m painting needs to be my time alone. I don’t mind sharing my work with the world, but only when I’m good and ready.”
“I know, but a girl can dream.”
Daisy winked at her. “You always were a dreamer. You take after me that way.”
Snow watched for a few more minutes before going to her bedroom and grabbing her camera. It was the perfect day for photos—slightly overcast, which cut out the direct glare of the sun, but not so dark that it appeared gloomy.
She walked to the park with her camera gear strapped to her back. Snow could have driven, but she loved being outdoors and didn’t mind the walk.
When she got to the park, she started lining up shots. She did one of a tall, gnarled tree that looked like it had been there for hundreds of years. She found a small pine that would make the perfect Christmas tree shot.
Snow was particularly pleased with that one. She had a small range of greeting cards that she created using her own photos and wanted to do a special Christmas line. She’d kill to get some photos of real Christmas trees, especially with families around them, but she couldn’t afford to hire models or to rent space on a tree farm.
