we'll have you skiing straight down the mountain instead of shoveling it with all of those snowplows.”
* * * *
* * * *
One of the few pleasant things about skiing in the company of Howard Miller was that he was a comically poor athlete. Absolutely everyone looked good in comparison to him, and Kara, who was better than competent, but nowhere near as accomplished as her younger sister, Liz, felt damn near professional by comparison.
On the downside, he was so terrible a skier that he couldn't keep up with anyone, and Ron obviously felt bad about leaving his father alone on the slopes, so he hung back to coax and encourage his father to keep trying.
Ron's concern for his father clearly aggravated his mother to no end. Kara felt that Hanna's unhappiness probably had its roots in the same jealousy that made her want to drive a wedge between Ron and her. But having clearly failed to win the current battle for Ron's attention, Hanna abruptly changed tactics and began to attach herself at the hip to Kara—as if they had magically become best friends.
Not that Hanna was a substantially better athlete than her husband. She was much thinner than Howard, but only slightly less awkward on the slopes. She was good enough to stay in the general vicinity as Kara as long as she wasn't trying to speed down the mountain—which politeness now prevented Kara from doing.
All of which explained how Kara found herself riding the ski lift with Hanna, when Ron was still halfway up the mountainside with his Dad. The clouds that had hovered on the far horizon were much closer today but they didn't feel as foreboding as the serious expression on Ron's mother's face.
“I have been looking forward to a chance to talk alone with you for some time now, Kara,” Hanna told her as the lift started to carry them back up the mountain.
Kara could think of nothing she would less rather do than get into a deep conversation with Hanna Miller. The woman had never been honestly warm or friendly to her and Kara truly couldn't imagine anything she wanted to talk to her about. However jumping off the ski lift at this point would have been physically dangerous and unforgivably rude, so she pretended that there was nothing she wanted more than a chance to talk with Ron's mother. “Me, too, Hanna!” she lied. “It's so nice that Ron gave us some time alone together.”
Kara wasn't certain she had convinced Hanna, but at least the woman wouldn't be able to complain to Ron that Kara had been rude to her.
“Ron seems very devoted to you,” Hanna observed, honing in directly on the subject Kara least wanted to discuss with her. “All of this talk about the two of you moving in together, it came as quite a surprise to me.”
It had surprised Kara, too, something Hanna should be well aware of. “Ron's a very special man,” Kara told her. “We've been dating for just about eight months now and he's starting to think about our future together. That's a conversation we both need to have. It's unfortunate that it started here in public, but that sometimes happens with important issues. They bubble up at inopportune times because they're always on our minds.”
“So you don't want Ron to move in with you?” Hanna asked. Her tone couldn't exactly be called hopeful, but there was an edge to it that elevated her query into something more than a simple question.
Kara wondered if Hanna thought that there was some way in which she could use this conversation against her. “Oh, I didn't say that,” Kara told her. “I said that moving in together is an important step and Ron and I need to discuss it. Eight months is a pretty long time. I think we'll both agree that we're ready to take things to the next level.”
“And your parents are okay with that?” Hanna asked. She didn't try and hide her own sense of disapproval.
“Of course not!” Kara said. “My mother will be horrified, but then she's never approved of her son-in-law or any of my younger
* * * *
* * * *
One of the few pleasant things about skiing in the company of Howard Miller was that he was a comically poor athlete. Absolutely everyone looked good in comparison to him, and Kara, who was better than competent, but nowhere near as accomplished as her younger sister, Liz, felt damn near professional by comparison.
On the downside, he was so terrible a skier that he couldn't keep up with anyone, and Ron obviously felt bad about leaving his father alone on the slopes, so he hung back to coax and encourage his father to keep trying.
Ron's concern for his father clearly aggravated his mother to no end. Kara felt that Hanna's unhappiness probably had its roots in the same jealousy that made her want to drive a wedge between Ron and her. But having clearly failed to win the current battle for Ron's attention, Hanna abruptly changed tactics and began to attach herself at the hip to Kara—as if they had magically become best friends.
Not that Hanna was a substantially better athlete than her husband. She was much thinner than Howard, but only slightly less awkward on the slopes. She was good enough to stay in the general vicinity as Kara as long as she wasn't trying to speed down the mountain—which politeness now prevented Kara from doing.
All of which explained how Kara found herself riding the ski lift with Hanna, when Ron was still halfway up the mountainside with his Dad. The clouds that had hovered on the far horizon were much closer today but they didn't feel as foreboding as the serious expression on Ron's mother's face.
“I have been looking forward to a chance to talk alone with you for some time now, Kara,” Hanna told her as the lift started to carry them back up the mountain.
Kara could think of nothing she would less rather do than get into a deep conversation with Hanna Miller. The woman had never been honestly warm or friendly to her and Kara truly couldn't imagine anything she wanted to talk to her about. However jumping off the ski lift at this point would have been physically dangerous and unforgivably rude, so she pretended that there was nothing she wanted more than a chance to talk with Ron's mother. “Me, too, Hanna!” she lied. “It's so nice that Ron gave us some time alone together.”
Kara wasn't certain she had convinced Hanna, but at least the woman wouldn't be able to complain to Ron that Kara had been rude to her.
“Ron seems very devoted to you,” Hanna observed, honing in directly on the subject Kara least wanted to discuss with her. “All of this talk about the two of you moving in together, it came as quite a surprise to me.”
It had surprised Kara, too, something Hanna should be well aware of. “Ron's a very special man,” Kara told her. “We've been dating for just about eight months now and he's starting to think about our future together. That's a conversation we both need to have. It's unfortunate that it started here in public, but that sometimes happens with important issues. They bubble up at inopportune times because they're always on our minds.”
“So you don't want Ron to move in with you?” Hanna asked. Her tone couldn't exactly be called hopeful, but there was an edge to it that elevated her query into something more than a simple question.
Kara wondered if Hanna thought that there was some way in which she could use this conversation against her. “Oh, I didn't say that,” Kara told her. “I said that moving in together is an important step and Ron and I need to discuss it. Eight months is a pretty long time. I think we'll both agree that we're ready to take things to the next level.”
“And your parents are okay with that?” Hanna asked. She didn't try and hide her own sense of disapproval.
“Of course not!” Kara said. “My mother will be horrified, but then she's never approved of her son-in-law or any of my younger
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