Magic in Our Hearts by Jeanne Mccann

potato chips were a favorite of Brett’s.
    “Ah, come on. You’re being so mean,” Brett teased as she took a big bite out of her sandwich. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this hungry or this exhausted. She almost felt good as she stretched her legs out in front of her and felt the warm sun begin to ease some of their tightness. Taking a big deep breath, she drew the spring freshness into her lungs. It felt really good.
    “That’s my job, to be as mean as possible,” Taylor quipped as she sat down next to Brett and took a bite of her own sandwich. “Boy, Helen is one great cook.
    I don’t know how you keep so slim with her cooking.” 
    The remark was not meant to be critical of Brett and she knew that, but her response was full of bitterness. “Alcohol doesn’t make you very hungry.”
    “Honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
    “Let’s be honest. I’m an alcoholic.”
    Taylor didn’t respond, she just reached out and touched Brett’s face in a gentle caress, her eyes soft with compassion. It was all Brett could do to keep from kissing Taylor. She wanted so very badly to touch Taylor that, sitting so close to her, even her skin ached. “I have to take responsibility for myself, starting with my drinking.” Brett turned away from Taylor before she started to cry. She knew Taylor wasn’t available to her but it didn’t make her want her any less.
    “Honey, you’re going to be okay. I know you can do this.”
    “Taylor, be honest with me. I’ll never fully recover from my injuries, will I?” Taylor reached out and turned Brett’s face until she was looking directly at her. “I won’t lie to you, ever. You have a long recovery period ahead of you, but I firmly believe you will be able to do almost anything you want. You won’t be able to ski like before, and I’m sorry for that. But you have a long life to look forward to, and I know you. You’ll be okay.”
    Brett watched Taylor’s expressive face. God, she loved that face so much.
    “Why do you believe in me?”
    Taylor was caught completely off guard by the question. She couldn’t tell Brett she was still in love with her. Brett had moved on and what she was feeling for Taylor right now was gratitude. She couldn’t afford to have her heart broken again. It would be too painful. But she would help Brett heal and love her silently until she had to leave. “Because I know what kind of drive it took for you to be a world-class skier. That drive is a part of you, and we just need to re-channel that energy into your rehabilitation.”
    “That’s asking an awful lot,” Brett responded, her eyes wide with doubt.
    “Yes, it is,” Taylor admitted, as she went back to eating her sandwich.
    The two women sat for over thirty minutes while they finished their lunch and enjoyed the spectacular view. There was no need to talk. They absorbed the quiet beauty around them, and Brett let go of some of her deep-seated anger. She had missed the mountains, having spent her childhood in them, and a part of her had grieved when she turned her back on them.
    “We’d better head back to the house. You have a hair appointment at three o’clock.”
    “I do?”
    “Yes, and then we’re meeting your mother for dinner.” 
    “We are?” Brett hadn’t been out of the house for so long, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to be out in public. People tended to ask too many personal questions or they just stared. Everyone in the small town of Boulder knew what Brett had done to herself. She wasn’t sure she could deal with another outing so soon.
    Taylor didn’t have to be told that Brett was scared. She saw her every feeling on her face. “You’ll be fine, honey.”
    They stood up as Taylor settled the nearly empty pack back on her shoulders, while Brett gathered her walking sticks and stared around her at the jagged, snow covered peaks that towered over them. “I forgot how peaceful it is up here.”
    “It is