was writing her own story.
Stephanie had a job to do in the here and now, so she pushed all negative thoughts of her past to that little dark corner of her mind, where they remained dormant most of the time.
“Why don’t you take your lunch break now. We’re staying open until seven tonight. This might be the only chance you’ll have. Once the lifts are closed, I expect we’ll be swamped.”
Candy Lee looked at the Minnie Mouse watch on her wrist. “Okay. You want me to bring you something back? You have to eat, too,” Candy Lee informed her in that all-knowing teenage way.
“Yes, that’s why I brought my lunch with me. I knew I wouldn’t have time to go to The Lodge for lunch today. Now, go on and get back here,” Stephanie said, using her mothering tone.
Candy Lee grabbed her purse from beneath the counter, gave a quick salute, and raced out the back door. Stephanie watched her as she tore through the icy parking lot. Had she ever been that young and carefree? If she had, she couldn’t pull up the memory. She had new memories to make, and this time around they’d be the kind she’d always dreamed of.
Wouldn’t they?
Chapter 4
Melanie held a mitten-clad hand in each of hers. The slopes were always dangerously crowded the first day after Thanksgiving. If she let go of Ashley or Amanda, it would be very easy to lose sight of them. Stephanie had made sure to tell the girls to dress in their neon yellow ski suits; that way they would be easy to spot. Melanie glanced around her, seeing at least a dozen other young children dressed in the same neon yellow suits that her charges wore. So much for sticking out like a sore thumb, she thought. Melanie wouldn’t let the girls get too far from her sight no matter what.
“Auntie M,” Ashley said. Melanie laughed when Ashley called her by the new nickname they’d christened her with after she’d allowed them to watch The Wizard of Oz four times last week. “Can we ski on the blue trails today? Please? Uncle Max says we’re as good as most of the older kids, and their parents let them ski the blue runs.”
“Puhleeze,” Amanda echoed.
“I guess so, but not by yourselves. I’ll go with you,” Melanie stated firmly. “There are a lot of skiers out today, so we have to be extra careful.”
“Yeah, or we’ll get hurt, right? And then Mommy will have to take us to the hospital, and we’ll have to stay there cause she won’t have enough money to pay the hospital bill, right, Auntie M?” Amanda crooned in a squeaky voice.
At five-foot-nine, Melanie had to stoop in order to be at eye level with both girls. She wanted to wrap them both in her arms and tell them she would never allow that to happen. And she had the resources to keep that pledge, having inherited millions from her grandparents. Nor would her wealthy parents allow it. But Melanie knew how badly Stephanie wanted to make her way in the world on her own, so Melanie had carefully refrained from even hinting at her own financial situation.
Stephanie had told her more than once about her life with Glenn. Determined to provide for her children, Stephanie had rules she’d explained to Melanie when she’d first taken the job, and one of those rules was no financial help, no loans, no expensive gifts. Two years ago, Melanie’s parents, longtime supporters of Grace’s work with battered women at Hope House, had reduced the rent to something that Stephanie could afford. And to the best of Melanie’s knowledge, no one, including Grace, had ever breathed a word of this to Stephanie.
Melanie smiled at both girls. “Well, we won’t have to worry about that because you’re both such good little skiers, I can’t even imagine either of you falling down, let alone getting hurt so badly that you would have to go to the hospital. So let’s not even think about that. How about the three of us take the lift up to Sugar Hill, ski to Snow Zone where we’ll stop in and see your mom, then maybe grab a cup of hot chocolate at The Lodge?”
Both girls nodded in agreement.
They were both worrywarts, something Melanie wished she could change, but time more than anything else would help to ease the fear and anxiety both girls tended to feel. Again, given their start in life, it was a miracle they hadn’t suffered anything more than becoming overly cautious where their mother was concerned. Melanie wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to cope at such a young age had her life been as tragic as theirs had been.
“Are you taking us to the Christmas tree lighting tonight, too?” Amanda asked. “Mommy says it’s the highlight of the start of the holiday season. What’s that mean?”
Ashley looked at Melanie with a knowing smile. “You want me to tell her?”
“Absolutely,” Melanie said, bending over to tighten the hooks on her ski boots.
Ashley pursed her lips, moved them from side to side as though she were contemplating the best answer. “Well, it’s kinda like the first day of school when the teacher tells the class what she wants us to learn that year, only the Christmas season is short and a lot more fun.” She looked at Melanie for confirmation.
Grinning at the complete and total simplicity of Ashley’s explanation, Melanie stated, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“It’s sorta like a new beginning, right, Auntie M?” Ashley said.
She continued to be amazed by the girls’ perception. They were both exceptionally intelligent for their ages. Melanie knew Stephanie took great pride in her children’s education. Many times Melanie had stopped by their apartment only to find the three of them gathered at the kitchen table with a pile of books in front of them studying anything and everything, ranging from science to geography.
“That’s exactly what it is,” Melanie agreed.
“Then let’s go. I wanna ride the lift now. Can I sit in the middle?” Amanda asked.
Melanie stood up to her full height, gazed to her left, where she saw that the lift lines were getting longer by the minute. If they were lucky, they’d have just enough time for one run before stopping in to see Stephanie. “Let’s do our safety check first.” Melanie had spent most of her life on the slopes but never took her skill or that of the girls for granted. A loose boot buckle or a stray article of clothing could cause a lifetime disability. Melanie wasn’t going to allow the girls to get hurt on her watch. No way. They went through their usual routine.
First, they checked to make sure they had all the basics covered. Skis and boots were fastened properly. Pole straps were checked. Helmets and goggles were secure. Gloves were on properly. Since the season was predicted to be one of the coldest on record, Melanie had given the girls foot and hand warmers to place inside their gloves and boots, plus she now put an extra set of each in the inside zippered pocket of their ski jackets. Each of them had a tube of cherry-flavored lip balm in her pocket, along with a granola bar. As an added precaution, Melanie always made sure Ashley kept a pack of waterproof matches inside her jacket. One never knew. At ten, Ashley had been taught a few basic survival skills. Melanie was sure Ashley would never need them as long as she was around, but that was part of being prepared. One must always prepare for the unexpected.
“Sunscreen on our faces, and we’re good to go,” Melanie said, removing a small tube of sunscreen from her pocket. She made quick work of slathering their faces with the cream before readjusting their helmets and goggles. “Now remember, I’m in the rear, and you two always stay in front of me. If you need to stop and rest, just stop at the side of the run that
