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“Hush, I want her to have the opportunity to choose this for herself. I’m already doing the gallery without her knowledge.”

“I think you just don’t have the balls to do it. Maybe I should take over and do it for you, hmm?”

“Stop it, we aren’t sending the email. She’s not ready for it.”

“Stop making excuses and just open the laptop. Come on, we are already sitting in front of it.”

“Fine,”I say as I look around, listening for any movement in our cabin.

I slowly open the laptop as the screen turns on. She doesn’t even have a password on it, giving me direct access to exactly what she was doing before.

There on the screen is the email she was working on last night. Five of her best photos are attached, some I think I would have to say are the best photos ever taken. But I am a bit biased.

Her generic opening is there with the partial paragraph she’s typed. I scan over the screen a few times, not touching the keyboard or doing anything.

Calix stirs, his impatience wearing thin.“She saved the draft, she’s more than ready. Nat Geo isn’t going to knock on our door and beg her to work for them.”

“I should let her look over it again,”I say as I sip my tea, hoping the herbs will help me decide.

“Click the damn button.”

“I’m thinking,”I mutter, rubbing my temple as if it will encourage my decision one way or the other.

“You’ve been thinking for almost twenty minutes. At this point you are just marinating in cowardice.”

“It’s a big deal, alright. I know you wouldn’t get it, but she has always dreamed of having this job. She didn’t even say if she was ready to send it yet or not.”

“She left it open on her laptop, best shots already attached, words mostly written. You think that isn’t proof enough? That she did this all by accident?”Calix grumbles.

I exhale sharply, eyes flicking across the screen. These are her best photos. She even included the one of Shadow, as she calls Calix, walking towards her. The same one that he won’t stop talking about.

“That’s really the best one in my opinion. My eyes are stunning. It’s a perfect piece of art, if I do say so myself. Frame it. Worship it. Make it the new pack crest.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes.“She didn’t mean to include that one,”I say as I move the cursor over the top of the photo, right where the x to delete the photo is.

“You wouldn’t dare,”Calix says in a panic.

“Wouldn’t I?”

“Don’t. You know she meant to include it. She means everything she does.”

The cursor hovers over the photo, as if it too is waiting for me to decide what to do. I chew on the inside of my cheek, battling with the decision to send it in.

“You aren’t sending her away, you are helping the world see her shine. Unless you want to hoard her away like a dragon hoarding it’s prized treasure.”

I growl under my breath,“Do you have an off switch?”

Calix chuckles, of course he does.“Nope. Click the button, Thumbelina.”

I glare at the screen warring with the decision before I ultimately decide that I’ll send the email, just not from hers. Iopen a new tab, quickly type in my email, before opening a new email box and copy/pasting all the information over. Including the photos. I adjust the wording to reflect what I’m doing, slap my phone number on there, and hit send before I can change my mind again.

Silence.

“Oh shit, you actually did it. You hit send. Look at my little man growing up. If I had hands I would wipe this little tear away.”

“You don’t have eyes either,”I grumble.

“Semantics really. Seriously, there’s tears here.”