Love on the Lifts by Rachel Hawthorne

Brad-ectomy, if you must know.”
    He chuckled. “A what?”
    â€œI exorcised him. I have no further interest in him whatsoever.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œYes, really.” Let’s move on to another subject . “Aren’t you cold just wearing a leather jacket?”
    â€œYou asked me that earlier.”
    â€œSo? I’m asking again. The later it gets, the colder it gets, so I thought maybe you’re starting to get cold now.”
    â€œYeah, I’m starting to get there. Don’t suppose you’d share the blanket.”
    â€œNope. I’ve got it all warm and cozy inside.Besides, there’s not room for the two of us in this chair.”
    â€œYou’d be surprised.”
    â€œJoe, look, you’re right. I came here because I wanted to be alone, to just think, so I’m not very good company right now. I don’t want to share my blanket—”
    â€œHow ’bout your hot chocolate?”
    The guy sounded pathetic. I thought I could actually hear his teeth starting to clatter, and I could definitely see his breath on the air. I rolled my eyes. “Sure.”
    He took my mug and took a swallow. “Just what I needed.”
    â€œYou can go inside,” I told him. “Turn on the fire, watch TV. You don’t have to keep me company.”
    â€œI’ve got nothing else to do.”
    We sat there in comfortable silence for several minutes. Then I peered over at him. “You know Aunt Sue is too old for you.”
    He laughed, a deep rumble that echoed over the deck. “I don’t think she’ll ever be old. She has so much energy and so many great stories. I could talk to her all night.”
    â€œSo why didn’t you?” I asked. Even though I really wasn’t interested in him as boyfriend material, I think I still wanted him to say that he’d left because of me, because he’d noticed I was gone, because he wanted to be with me. Selfish I know, but there you have it.
    â€œShe got a little down after we were talking about Michael and left the party.”
    I sat up straighter. “Michael? Who’s Michael?”
    â€œThe guy she almost married.”
    â€œShe told you his name?”
    He looked at me like I’d gone crazy. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t she?”
    â€œThis morning was the first time I ever heard about him, and she wouldn’t tell me anything.” Aunt Sue and I were going to have to have a serious sit-down. “Why did she tell you?”
    He shrugged again. “Maybe she likes me.”
    â€œDid she tell you why she didn’t marry him?”
    â€œNo, but she did say that his picture’s hanging somewhere in her store.”
    I perked up a little more at that. “I’ll break her down in the morning.”
    â€œAre you going to work in the shop again?”
    â€œNo, but I’ll go see her before I head to the slopes. Maybe I can convince her to show me then.”
    â€œMaybe.”
    But he said it like he didn’t think I would.
    â€œShe was just being her old mysterious self today,” I told him. “She’ll tell me everything tomorrow.”
    â€œIf you say so.” He stretched out his long legs. “The water in that hot tub sure looks inviting. Have you ever sat in it?”
    â€œNo, I’m only ever here in winter. It’s too cold to use it then. I don’t know why it’s not drained. Can you imagine trying to get from the tub into the house while you’re wet? You’d turn into a popsicle on the way.”
    â€œMight be worth giving it a try. Can you imagine what it would feel like if everything was warm except for your head?”
    â€œIt would be weird.”
    â€œYou think?”
    I heard a high-pitched laugh, followed by deeper laughter. Suddenly the lights from Cynthia’s condo poured onto her back deck,illuminating her and Brad as they stepped outside. She released an irritating