"Won't that take time?"
"I don't know for sure. But I do worry that she might get
too caught up in his world. I mean, she's working so hard in
the shop these days to the exclusion of other things, like con-
tinuing her schooling or spending time with friends her own
age. The more time that lapses, the more she will depend on
him. And what if Jed wanted to have more time for some-
thing else?" Audrey eyed Maggie sharply.
"Like another relationship..."
"Exactly."
But what can I do about it?"
"You could talk to Jed."
Maggie moaned and ran a hand through her hair. "I just
don't see how I can bring this up without sounding rather
selfish. I mean, between you and me, I'm already a little
jealous of the amount of time he spends with Leah. I'm
afraid if I tell him what you just said it'll sound like I'm
trying to push her right out of his life. And I'm not, because
I really do love Leah, Mom. I don't want to hurt her in any
way."
Audrey considered this for a moment. "Maybe I could
talk to him about it."
Maggie brightened. "Oh, would you?"
L.
*148Melody Carlson
*"Sure, if the right opportunity comes along. Maybe I can
drop some hints with Leah too while I'm at it. She seems to
listen to me."
Although they'd never been a demonstrative family,
Maggie threw her arms around her mother. "Thanks so
*much, Mom!"
*Audrey drove Maggie to the airport the next morning,
*waiting to see the small twin-engine plane take off with only
Maggie and Cohn Byers' company pilot inside. Maggie was
glad the pilot didn't seem to want to talk, and instead she
looked out the window and enjoyed the scenery below. Pine-
covered mountains with clear blue lakes spotted here and
there, and then on to the browns and tans of the barren
desert. After just a few hours they were landing on an
airstrip.
The pilot helped her to climb from the little plane, and
then they crossed the tarmac toward a small metal building
that said "Desert Winds" over the door.
"Does this airstrip belong to the development?" asked
Maggie as they walked in the door.
"Yes. Some of our homeowners have their own planes."
He set her bag inside the door and glanced around. "Mr.
Byers is supposed to pick you up here, but I don't see him
just yet. Why don't you wait over there?" He pointed to
some chairs by a window. "I have to fly over to Vegas to get