boarding outfit. "Hey, Spence, want to give me a lesson?"
she asked eagerly, then she held out her arms as if to model.
"Jed gave me an early Christmas present. He got all this in
Seattle."
"Cool." Spencer smiled broadly, holding his chin with
pride. "I'll teach you everything I know." He glanced over to
his mother. "And that should take about five minutes."
291.
292Melody Carlson
Maggie laughed. "Don't believe him, Leah. He's actually
pretty good on that thing. I'm sure he can get you going just
fine."
"But we had better start on the bunny hill," said Spencer
wisely.
"Mind if I ski with you, Maggie?"
Maggie turned in surprise to see Jed right behind her. "I
didn't know you were up here. Did you close the shop early
today?"
He nodded. "It's been so busy that at this rate I'll run out
of merchandise before New Year's. So Leah and I decided it
was time to take a break and start celebrating the holidays."
He waved as Leah and Spencer took off toward the bunny
hill. "So, do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, but you should know that I'm not a real hot
dog skier. I tend to ski very carefully, kind of like an old
lady."
He smiled warmly. "Suits me just fine."
On the ride up the mountain they chatted congenially,
without actually discussing their relationship specifically.
Maggie felt slightly relieved by this, for it seemed they
needed a few minutes to warm up to each other and to con-
nect again. She inquired about his trip to Seattle and he told
her about some accounts he'd begun to set up with a couple
of big Northwest furniture firms, all with the understanding
that orders would be placed and filled on an individual basis.
1"I don't want to feel like I need to hire more help too soon,"
he explained. "I'd like to do all the work myself, at least for
awhile."
When they skied down together, Maggie could tell by
Jed's form and control that his expertise level was far above
hers, but he kept pace with her the entire way. At the bottom,
she suggested he might like to look for Barry and Rebecca
and join them on a more difficult slope.
He studied her face. "Are you trying to get rid of me,
il~Maggie Carpenter?"
"No, not at all. I just thought-"
Looking for You All My Life293
He pushed a strand of hair from her face. "Sometimes
you think too much."
"You're probably right."