“Well, you have to have the spark,” Riley said emphatically.
“Exactly,” Caylee agreed.
When Luke shook his head like he wasn’t following, Riley and Caylee shared a laugh.
Caylee jumped up. “If you guys don’t mind, I haven’t slept in, like, forever. I was going to go upstairs and crash for a few hours.”
Luke stood up, too. “Of course. Your regular room is waiting for you.”
Caylee gave Luke another hug. “Love you!”
“Love you more,” Luke said, and Riley could tell he meant it.
As Caylee started to leave the room, she smiled back at Riley. “So great to meet you, Riley. I can’t wait to do this Christmas Camp with you. The girls back at the base are going to be so jealous!”
“Great to meet you, too,” Riley said. “Get some rest.”
Riley and Luke both watched Caylee leave the room. Then Luke let out a deep sigh of relief and sat down for the first time. “I’m so glad she’s home and okay,” he said. “I feel like I’m holding my breath the whole time she’s gone.”
“And you said she’d been gone a year?” Riley asked, sitting down next to him.
He nodded. “And a year is a long time to hold your breath.”
They shared a smiled. Riley could tell from the first moment Luke saw Caylee that she was someone special to him. When he talked to her, his eyes lit up and his voice softened.
“Does she live here at the lodge?” Riley asked.
Luke laughed a little. “No, though don’t try telling her that. She still calls this home.”
When Riley looked confused, he continued as he got up and put a few more logs on the fire. “Caylee’s mom, Sue, used to work here at the lodge. She did a little bit of everything from housekeeping to organizing events and activities for our guests. Caylee’s dad was in the military so he was gone a lot, and Sue would bring Caylee to work with her. My parents insisted and loved having Caylee here. My mom always said having an energetic little girl at the lodge kept them all on their toes and kept them young.”
Riley laughed. “I bet it did. Caylee has so much energy now I can only imagine her when she was little.”
Luke nodded and smiled. “Oh, Caylee was something all right. She has always been full of life. I’m an only child, and when I went off to college and moved to Europe, I think my parents missed having me here so having Caylee around was great for them. She got her first job here at the lodge when she was ten—the same job I was given.”
“What was that?” Riley asked, intrigued.
“Collecting firewood for the fireplaces in the guest rooms,” Luke answered. “Actually, it was more like kindling, picking up little sticks around the property, but it was something to do that kept us out of trouble and gave us some responsibility.”
Riley nodded. “Smart parents.”
“Right?” Luke smiled. When he paused for a moment and looked away, his smile faded. He took a deep breath before continuing.
“When Caylee was eighteen, her parents were killed in a car accident. It happened just a few miles from here. A car, someone not from the area, was coming the other way and hit a patch of ice and lost control . . .”
Riley touched her heart. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”
“It was rough,” Luke said as he stared into the fire.
She couldn’t see his expression, but she could hear the pain in his voice.
“My parents decided to take Caylee in,” he continued. “She was getting ready to graduate from high school. Legally, she was an adult . . .”
“But emotionally . . .”
When Luke turned to face her, his own pain was clear. “Emotionally, she was lost and scared, and this was the only other home she’d ever known.”
“That was wonderful of your parents to take her in,” Riley said.
“There was never really a question,” Luke said. “She came back here the night of the accident and never left. No one ever talked about it. She just stayed here. This is where she belonged.”
Riley nodded.
“She wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and serve her country,” Luke continued. “She’d already been accepted into a military academy, where she graduated top of her class. She graduated almost two years ago and was almost immediately deployed to Afghanistan. She works in Army intelligence. I’m not even sure doing what.” Luke smiled a little. “Whenever I ask, she always jokes saying that line about how if she told me she’d have to kill me or whatever it is. She really is something.”
“And you love her very much,” Riley finished for him.
Luke nodded. “Like a little sister, and I worry about her every single day.”
“But now she’s home,” Riley said.
Luke nodded. “And now she’s home. But I don’t know for how long. Her tour is almost up, but she’s talking about re-enlisting. She’s always saying we need to be thankful for the time we have together because tomorrow is never guaranteed.”
“And she’s right,” Riley said, thinking about the last Christmas she’d had with her dad.
“Caylee is going to be a great help to us during Christmas Camp,” Luke said. “She can do just about anything around here, and the guests always love her.”
“Then I’m really glad she’s here,” Riley said. “For a lot of reasons.”
“Me too,” Luke said.
They shared a smile.
“And you know what,” Luke said, “I’m glad she’s not with that Harry, Larry guy.”
“Gary,” Riley corrected him.
“Whatever,” Luke said. “I didn’t like the sound of him.”
Riley laughed. “Now you sound like a true big brother.”
“Well, didn’t you agree that without the spark, forget about it?” Luke asked, locking eyes with her.
For a moment, Riley had to remind herself they were still talking about Caylee. She looked away as she stood up from the couch. “That’s right. I did. Having a spark is everything.”
As if on cue, some embers from the fire sparked and
