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“YOU’RE HOME EARLY.” Frannie’s mother looked up, waiting for an explanation. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Frannie forced herself to sound upbeat. “It was fun, but I’m getting a bit of a headache.” At least that much was true. She pressed her fingertips into her temple. “Must have been the loud music.”
Her mother looked at her suspiciously. “As long as you had a good time.”
On the verge of tears, Frannie headed up stairs. “Goodnight, Mom. See you in the morning.”
She stayed in bed most of Saturday, but by Sunday she knew she had to get up or her mother would become suspicious. Normally she would have sought her mother’s opinion but she was confused and wanted to figure it out for herself. Besides, she was afraid her mother would notice the bruises on her arm and become alarmed. After church they went for their traditional Sunday brunch and her father retreated to his workshop. Frannie announced her intention to visit Shayna and promised to be home in time for supper.
* * *
“WHAT ARE YOU GOING to do?” They were holed up in Shayna’s bedroom.
Frannie re-arranged the stuffed animals on her friend’s bed. “I’ve been thinking about that.”
“I should hope so.”
“I don’t think I can go out with him anymore Shayna. He frightened me.”
Her friend exhaled slowly. “Me too. When are you going to do it?”
She clutched a small panda bear to her chest. “I was thinking about doing it at school when there are other people around. You know... just in case.”
“You shouldn’t have to feel like this.”
“I know, but I saw a side of him the other night that convinced me he’s trouble. I’ll tell him the first chance I get.”
“So what was it like?”
“What?”
“You know. When Galen kissed you. What was it like?”
“You saw?”
“Francesca Williams, everybody in the entire school saw.” She paused. “At least the ones who were there.”
A slow smile bloomed on Frannie’s face. “It was probably the best kiss I ever had.”
“Seriously?”
Frannie nodded. “Oh, yeah. Trust me on this one.”
“I trust you, I trust you.” She shot a sideways glance at her friend. “Really?”
Frannie grinned. “Really.”
* * *
NOON HOUR CAME MUCH too early on Monday. Frannie and Colin always ate lunch together but she didn’t think she could sit across from him today. Students had been sending curious looks in her direction all morning and by the time she stood in front of her locker at noon, her hands were shaking so much she could scarcely open her padlock.
“Frannie.”
She looked up to see Galen standing beside her locker, his arms full of books.
“How are you?” He had a big, goofy grin on his face and she returned his smile.
“Fine,” she said, reaching up to put her books on the top shelf. Her sweater fell away and Galen gasped.
“Your arm,” he said, noticing the bruises. He gripped his books so tightly his knuckles had turned white. “I can’t believe he did that to you.” The concern on his face was almost her undoing. “Has he ever done anything like that before?”
“No.” She avoided looking directly at him. If she did, he might see the longing in her eyes.
“Frannie, I know you’re probably confused right now but –“
Her eyes widened. “Galen, this isn’t the time. You should go.”
He looked as though he’d been punched in the gut. He stood there for a moment, seeming to deflate as she watched. Then without another word, he walked toward the exit at the end of the hall, unaware that Colin was striding down the hall.
* * *
“SO HE DIDN’T KNOW THAT Colin was coming up behind him?” Shayna frowned, trying to recreate the scene in her mind.
“No, but I didn’t know how else to handle it.” Frannie sucked in a ragged breath. “I tried to talk to him later in the day, but he saw me coming and walked away.”
“Are you interested in him? Galen, I mean?”
Frannie thought for a moment. “Yes, and no. My gut tells me to let things cool down for a while. I feel as though I’ve been through the wringer. Especially after telling Colin I don’t want to see him anymore.”
“How did he take that?”
Frannie shrugged. “About what you’d expect, but he didn’t argue. He knows he went too far.”
“You’re probably right about waiting for a while. Galen will have calmed down by the New Year. You can explain then.”
“Except that his family is moving to Vancouver in the New Year. Just my luck.”
“Maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Maybe.” Her tone was wistful. “But it would have been nice.
* * *
DRAGGING HER THOUGHTS back to the present, Frannie pulled off the main highway in Courtenay and drove the short distance into town to gas up. In her rush to get away from Nanaimo, she’d forgotten to check her fuel. She was soon back on the highway and within a few minutes spotted the turn-off to Mount Washington. As she started the climb to the ski area, she recalled the last time she’d been up here.
Nowadays she was able to look back on her time with Phil as a learning experience, but at the time she’d been shaken. She’d been working at a car dealership when he joined the firm as a salesman. Good looking, charming, and well dressed, he soon became one of the more successful salesmen. They went to lunch together a few times and then they went out together a few times in the evening.
Her first hint of trouble – more than a hint actually – was when he told her they should sext back and forth.
“No way,” she said. “Those things last forever.”
“Come on,” he said, his breath coming faster. “It will be fun.”
“No, Phil. Don’t ask me again.”
The next time they went out, she went against every one of her principles and checked his cell phone while he was in the restroom. Almost every one of his outgoing calls had been to porn sites, and although she wasn’t an expert, she knew enough to realize that it was hard core stuff. Fighting to control the sick feeling that had settled in the pit of her stomach, she replaced the phone on his side of the table. The moment he came back from the restroom she made her excuses to leave. He’d objected, so she got up, asked the hostess to call her a cab and walked out of his life.
Thinking back to that time, she had to ask herself if she’d learned anything at all. Was Brett McCallister any different, with his pick-up lines in the grocery store? Perhaps, but there were times she wondered about her ability to judge men.
Which brought her here, to the Mount Washington ski resort. The area was clearly signed, and that along with Carly’s instructions brought her to the cluster of buildings where the condo was situated.
Pulling into the parking area she got out, stretched and looked around. She imagined that the area was supposed to look like a little Alpine village. They’d succeeded to a certain extent, but it was still a group of condos around a central courtyard. There was however a fire pit in the common area and it appeared well used. Talking to a group of strangers wasn’t exactly her strength, but it might be a good way to banish the unpleasant memories, at least temporarily.
Within minutes she had transferred her suitcase and food supplies to the condo. Small but cozy, she could be happy here. She laid down on the bed to relax.
She woke up several hours later, unsure for a moment of where she was. Outside, it was dark, but an outside light revealed large snowflakes floating softly to the ground.
Frannie opened the refrigerator and stared at what she’d brought. She didn’t feel like cooking and made a snap decision to go to the Lodge for something to eat. Outside the Lodge, a forest of skis and snowboards had been jammed upright into a snow bank, almost obscuring a sign stating that night skiing would start in ten days. Inside the Lodge skiers stoked up on carbs after a day on the slopes.
Content to sit quietly and observe, she took her time, enjoying an excellent hamburger, then picked up a coffee to go on the way out.
Back at the condo complex logs crackled in the fire pit, sending sparks into the night sky and as Frannie pulled into her assigned space she realized she’d been hoping that some of the skiers would be around. Six or seven people sat on upended logs, their features difficult to make out in the shadows thrown by the flickering flames.
“Hi,” she said tentatively. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course.” One of the men rose, grabbed a log and placed it beside the fire. “Welcome.”
“I’m Frannie,” she said. “And I’m staying in Carly Hudson’s unit.”
One of the women spoke up. “How is Carly? We haven’t seen her for ages.”
“She’s living in Vancouver now. She said if anyone inquired, she’d probably be selling her unit after this year. I think she bought a place at Whistler.”
“Wow.” One of the men gave a low whistle. “Expensive.”
Frannie grinned. “So I’ve heard. Anyway, if you know of anyone who’s interested, she said her info is available at the office.”
“So Frannie. What’s your preference?”
She frowned. “My preference?”
“Skis or snowboard?”
“Oh.” She gave a self-conscious laugh. “Neither. I’m here to veg out for a few days.”
Seven sets of eyes looked at her like as though she was kidding. One of the women finally spoke. “You really don’t ski?”
Frannie shrugged. “I guess I was never motivated to learn.”
“There are some excellent instructors on the mountain.”
“I’m sure there are, but I’m just here for a couple of nights. What about you guys? Boards or skis?”
A lively discussion erupted and Frannie was relieved not to be the center of attention. A few times she thought one of the men was checking her out, but the firelight did strange things with the shadows and she decided she’d probably imagined it. Becoming involved with another man was the farthest thing from her mind. Or was it, she asked herself as she said her goodnights and went back to her condo. So far, being alone wasn’t as thrilling as she’d imagined.
