two feet of snow and walked over as I dropped my bag inside the garage.
“I’d help you,” I said, grinning, “but my ribs hurt. You understand.”
Henry glared at me over his glasses, then burst into a loud laugh, throwing his head back. “You always were a little shit.” He pushed his glasses on top of his head and crinkled his eyes at me. “Remember when you got a job mowing lawns one year, and you had this fantastic idea where we’d split the money? But there was only one lawnmower, and I ended up doing ninety percent of the work?”
“I did the leaf blowing!” I protested. “Besides, I split the money, didn’t I?”
Henry laughed again. His teeth were very white. “You kept half of it.”
“Well, let me make it up to you now. I’ll take you to lunch.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
I smiled at him. It reflected on his face like it was contagious. “I know that. I want to.”
“Okay, yeah. Sure.”
“Go have a freezing shower, you’re sweating.”
“Someone needs to finish the shoveling, and it’s not going to be you, is it?”
I glanced around. “We can get the truck through the part you cleared, can’t we?”
“You run your bakery like that? Cutting corners?” Henry grumbled, but he took off his gloves and went to retrieve the shovel.
“I’m on vacation,” I called after him and went inside to change out of the wet jeans. My shoulder and ribs ached a little from carrying the bag over, but since I’d just taken some ibuprofen, I’d have to put up with it.
Henry came downstairs while I was snooping in his cabinets to check what ingredients I’d need to show off some of my skills.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure. Do you mind if we do some grocery shopping after lunch? We should have time before our fun trip to the funeral home.”
“Yeah, we can do that. Anything in particular you need?”
“Oh, just some stuff,” I said vaguely, following him into the garage.
“Do you have everything?” Henry asked as he clicked his seatbelt into place. “Your pain meds maybe?” I considered it, but decided I’d be okay until we got back.
“I’ve got what I need, it’s fine.”
“You sure?” Henry’s eyes dropped to where I was rubbing my hands together. My fingers were so cold they were nearly translucently white. “Here.” He dug another pair of gloves out of his coat pocket.
“Oh, thanks.” I put them on.
“Better?” Henry raised a sardonic eyebrow at me, and I grinned at him.
“Much.”
Putting the Avalanche in reverse, Henry hooked an arm around my seat and backed out of the garage.
W E LUNCHED at a new place outside town. The food wasn’t spectacular, but the restaurant offered a gorgeous view of the Mont Ripley ski hill and its slow-moving chairlifts that dangled empty in the sky. Not many skiers on a late-February afternoon by the look of things.
Tearing my eyes away from the hunting-themed interior, complete with mounted deer heads, I said to Henry, “Tell me about your life here.”
Eyeing me curiously over his coffee, he said, “It hasn’t changed much. People bring me the injured animals now, and I get paid to treat them.”
“Do you like it?”
For such large hands, he opened the piece of chocolate that came with his coffee with surprising finesse. “I wouldn’t want to miss it.” He seemed to ponder his words. “But you never know where life takes you.” Considering I was having lunch in a town that had hardly crossed my mind in over a decade, I thought he had a point. “How about you? You like Traverse City?”
“I do.” I opened my mouth to tell him more when I realized there wasn’t much to say that he didn’t already know. Was the bakery really all I had?
“Where did you go to college?”
I shrugged and said, “Boston.”
“Did you go to Harvard?” he asked, eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes, actually.” I looked away. “And I’ve heard it all before, trust me.”
“Whoa, hey.” Henry held his hands
“I’d help you,” I said, grinning, “but my ribs hurt. You understand.”
Henry glared at me over his glasses, then burst into a loud laugh, throwing his head back. “You always were a little shit.” He pushed his glasses on top of his head and crinkled his eyes at me. “Remember when you got a job mowing lawns one year, and you had this fantastic idea where we’d split the money? But there was only one lawnmower, and I ended up doing ninety percent of the work?”
“I did the leaf blowing!” I protested. “Besides, I split the money, didn’t I?”
Henry laughed again. His teeth were very white. “You kept half of it.”
“Well, let me make it up to you now. I’ll take you to lunch.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
I smiled at him. It reflected on his face like it was contagious. “I know that. I want to.”
“Okay, yeah. Sure.”
“Go have a freezing shower, you’re sweating.”
“Someone needs to finish the shoveling, and it’s not going to be you, is it?”
I glanced around. “We can get the truck through the part you cleared, can’t we?”
“You run your bakery like that? Cutting corners?” Henry grumbled, but he took off his gloves and went to retrieve the shovel.
“I’m on vacation,” I called after him and went inside to change out of the wet jeans. My shoulder and ribs ached a little from carrying the bag over, but since I’d just taken some ibuprofen, I’d have to put up with it.
Henry came downstairs while I was snooping in his cabinets to check what ingredients I’d need to show off some of my skills.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure. Do you mind if we do some grocery shopping after lunch? We should have time before our fun trip to the funeral home.”
“Yeah, we can do that. Anything in particular you need?”
“Oh, just some stuff,” I said vaguely, following him into the garage.
“Do you have everything?” Henry asked as he clicked his seatbelt into place. “Your pain meds maybe?” I considered it, but decided I’d be okay until we got back.
“I’ve got what I need, it’s fine.”
“You sure?” Henry’s eyes dropped to where I was rubbing my hands together. My fingers were so cold they were nearly translucently white. “Here.” He dug another pair of gloves out of his coat pocket.
“Oh, thanks.” I put them on.
“Better?” Henry raised a sardonic eyebrow at me, and I grinned at him.
“Much.”
Putting the Avalanche in reverse, Henry hooked an arm around my seat and backed out of the garage.
W E LUNCHED at a new place outside town. The food wasn’t spectacular, but the restaurant offered a gorgeous view of the Mont Ripley ski hill and its slow-moving chairlifts that dangled empty in the sky. Not many skiers on a late-February afternoon by the look of things.
Tearing my eyes away from the hunting-themed interior, complete with mounted deer heads, I said to Henry, “Tell me about your life here.”
Eyeing me curiously over his coffee, he said, “It hasn’t changed much. People bring me the injured animals now, and I get paid to treat them.”
“Do you like it?”
For such large hands, he opened the piece of chocolate that came with his coffee with surprising finesse. “I wouldn’t want to miss it.” He seemed to ponder his words. “But you never know where life takes you.” Considering I was having lunch in a town that had hardly crossed my mind in over a decade, I thought he had a point. “How about you? You like Traverse City?”
“I do.” I opened my mouth to tell him more when I realized there wasn’t much to say that he didn’t already know. Was the bakery really all I had?
“Where did you go to college?”
I shrugged and said, “Boston.”
“Did you go to Harvard?” he asked, eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes, actually.” I looked away. “And I’ve heard it all before, trust me.”
“Whoa, hey.” Henry held his hands
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