“You finally found a good contractor?” Voicing my question as I stood in front of James’ half demolished house, I eyed the construction project wearily. He’d assured me it was safe to stay in the living room and kitchen- which were the only two rooms he hadn’t knocked to pieces. Against my side he shrugged, and I reached to scratch my head as I struggled for thought.

“I asked my brother to find someone he trusted.” The news was almost as surprising as the scene in front of me, and my brows shot up as I twisted to James.

“You talked to your brother? When? What happened while I was in purgatory?” My chest still grew cold at the memory of my father’s wrath, and I frowned deeply when James did nothing but shrug again.

After our hike, my father took my cell phone for two weeks, and it took another week for James to actually come around. I still wasn’t sure what happened between them, but for some reason, it didn’t bother me. Nudging James’ shoulder insistently, I huffed in a quiet demand before he reached to scratch his cheek.

“I went to see him two weeks ago. He flew out a team he’d used before, and even offered to pay them a lot more than this job is worth. I have no qualms with him paying, but… Anyway- I wanted to ask you what you remember after we got to the lake, Caroline.” Blinking at the sudden change of subject, my mind whirled at how out of the loop I was. Parting my lips, I licked the roof of my mouth as I searched my memories for that day.

“I remember jumping, and we had sex… but nothing after that until I woke up to my dad locking my phone in his gun case. Why?” Truthfully, I could remember what we did, but I couldn’t remember how I felt doing those things. Furrowing my eyebrows, I twisted to look around for something to sit on. My legs ached, and although my doctor told me it had nothing to do with my ankles, I didn’t want to risk it. A lounge chair that had been on the back porch was only a few feet away now, and I dropped down onto it heavily before James spoke up.

“I’ve been thinking while you were dark- it’s really not a good idea, but- anyway… have you gotten your period yet?” Alarm shot through me, and I straightened as James turned to face me fully. His expression was a mix of apprehension and general chaos, and he sighed harshly. “I only ask because Hannah- the woman from before- she got pregnant during ill-timed, unprotected sex. It’s been three weeks- five since your last period.”

James knows more about my damn period than I do. Damn.

“Uh- uh-h-… I mean- No, I haven’t yet… I didn’t really think that much into it, though.” Stammering from the pure shock of this conversation, my tongue laid heavily against my teeth. “You- you really did think a lot. Is that why you tore down your house? Because you’re worried I’m pregnant?”

“I had no way to reach you, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” Guilt colored James’ voice, and he hung his head in a way I had never seen before. Pushing myself up, I walked over to wrap my arms around him. He was stiff and unyielding, but I didn’t try to do anything other than hold him.

He spent three weeks alone with his thoughts and worries… The thought nearly broke my heart, and I took a deep breath of James’ smell to hold it in my lungs.

“James, you’re probably overthinking it. I’m glad you finally started on your house, but you shouldn’t make hasty decisions while you’re alone. We can go get a test on the way back to my place, and that’ll make you feel better.” Firmness lent to the power in my words, and I cupped James’ cheek to force him to look at me. His turmoil over this situation was endearing and I smiled before pecking his lips with my own. “Relax. You seriously have no idea how creepy it is that you went through my cycle without me. That’s, like, next level creepy, actually.”

My joke earned me a strained chuckle, and James draped his arm over my shoulders with a shake of his head.

“You’re probably right.” Hoping is more like it. Nibbling on my bottom lip at James’ assurance, I pushed the thought away to take in his half-demolished abode in the growing, comfortable silence. He’d driven me all the way out here just to show me, and I had no choice but to admit that the progress was impressive. His contractor had taken down most of the cabin to its foundation, and already there was concrete poured where it was being extended.

“… I’ve been sleeping really well… I don’t know if it’s because of you, or because I got rid of that room.” James’ confession warmed my heart, and I tilted my head to rest on his shoulder.

“It’s me. Definitely.” Smiling at my own faux confidence, I giggled as James grunted in agreement. Squeezing me to him, he rubbed my hip as I breathed in the clear, muggy air. The hottest part of summer was gone, but it’d been replaced easily by my least favorite time of year. Now, the air would always be wet and heavy, and I preferred dry heat.

Plus, my camera did, too- it didn’t do too well when water could get into it.

“So, what were you up to while you were on house arrest, Caroline?”

“Oh- um… I finished going through all of my photos- thoroughly… I have a few that I was thinking of sending in for publishing consideration, but I’m not sure yet. That’s why I brought my laptop- I was wondering if you’ll go through them with me?” Hope blossomed in my chest when James actually looked interested, and I grinned when he nodded firmly. Slipping out from under his arm, I made my way to his car to fish the back seat for my laptop bag.

“Have you ever been outside the country?” Hoisting my bag to my chest, I shut the door firmly with a shake of my head, and James furrowed his brows. “Have you ever wanted to?”

“Not particularly. I’ve never had the means, at least, so it never really crossed my mind. I’m not some big, famous photographer that can get sponsors to pay for everything.” Coming up beside him, I reached to put a finger against James’ lips when he tried to open them. “Before you ask, don’t. I think my dad’s head will explode if I go home and tell him I’m going God knows where with you. He didn’t even want to let me come here today.”

“You’re a grown woman- he shouldn’t be making your decisions for you, Caroline.” Nodding as we headed for the house, I let out a quick sigh as I recounted the battle I’d fought just to get into James’ car.

“That’s what I told him. Thankfully Sheila agrees with me. She seems to like you, which might help with my dad.” I didn’t really believe my own assurances, and James didn’t seem to, either. Shrugging off the slight complication, I pushed open the front door to find everything exactly where it had been two months ago. The only difference was the air- there was saw dust floating in and out of the bright sun rays that filtered through the window.

Heading for the table, I set down my bag and pulled out my laptop before sitting down. James leaned on the back of the chair to peer over my head, and he rested his chin on my crown as my laptop booted.

“This one is my favorite of the seven of them. I just don’t know if it’ll get accepted because the Journal will be looking for Fall and Winter submissions pretty soon.” Pointing at the screen, I smiled at the big, fat chipmunk that stared right at my camera lens. He was cute; he was fluffy- he had all the makings of a big star. Leaning over my head, James ruffled my hair with his chin to send a fuzzy feeling down all the way to my toes.

Doing such a mundane thing was surprisingly fun. I was glad we could leave behind the heavy stuff and focus on what was right in front of us.

“I like that one, too.” Grinning, I tilted my head to kiss his chin before my fingertip bumped an arrow key. Above me James went rigid, and I tensed before slowly looking down. The next photo in the sequence was of him- the first picture I’d taken of him. In the picture, he was thinking about what he experienced with Frank before he told me, I remembered.

It was a memory I wanted to keep to remind myself of why James deserved everything good in the world.