Maybe this was just what she needed. A change of scenery may be the new start that would kick her life into gear. The last couple of years she had been drifting. When she left the orphanage she went directly to college on a full scholarship. The staff at the orphanage were proud that one of their children proved the system wrong. The house mother said to her, ‘You are strong and smart, you will beat the odds. I’m so proud of you.’
She studied to become an accountant. The work was tough, but the holidays were tougher because she had nowhere to go. In the end she prevailed. Graduation was a bitter-sweet time for her; no one held her tight or gave her flowers. She was a loner in college, driven to prove herself. The few friends she made were all going to different parts of the world and she was headed somewhere in California, the only state she knew.
Finding an entry level accounting job wasn’t hard. With her job and her apartment she thought her life was set. She would be rolling in friends and male company. Life didn’t always work the way she wanted. She found making friends on the job harder than when she was in school. It was cut throat and each person had their eyes on the position above them. Climbing the corporate ladder was the goal and anyone who got in the way was stepped on. Life there had been lonely, but the money wasn’t too bad.
Leaving the tub, she dried off and went to get dressed. As much as she wanted to sink into the bed, she wanted to explore more. She still hadn’t actually touched the white stuff drifting down from the sky. The thought of making a snowball made her smile. Yes, this was definitely what she needed.
She looked in the mirror; the jeans looked good on her slightly thicker size sixteen frame. She liked herself just as she was and she even met a few guys who liked her curves. Too bad none of them were keepers in the end.
The door to her room opened, catching her by surprise. A little bundle of energy flew in her direction. She caught him.
“Hi.”
“Oh, I didn’t know anyone was in here.”
“That’s ok,” Paige said letting him go. “Who are you?”
He drew himself up until he was as standing at his full height. “I’m Victor the second, but they call me Vick,” he said with all the pride of a young boy.
“Hi Vick, I’m Paige. Who are you running from?”
“My uncle is in town. He’s chasing me!” The laughter in his eyes and voice brought a natural smile to her face.
“Well you can hide in here for as long as you want. I was thinking about going out in the snow.”
“Are you going to make snowballs?”
“Uh huh,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I’m going to throw them also.”
“I’ll meet you outside we can see who has the best arm and make a snowman too.” With the energy of the young, Vick reversed paths and ran out the room.
Laughing, she went to the closet to get her coat and a thick pair of mittens.
Chapter Three
Her new boots and wool socks warmed her feet. Paige was glad she took the saleswoman’s advice on what to buy. The tennis shoes she was wearing earlier were still soaked through. She was standing outside in what she could only assume was their large yard surrounded by mountains of snow. Small mountains, still she’d only seen snow like this on television.
Reaching a hand out she let it swing back and forth through the top of a snow drift. The more she looked at the snow drift the wider her smile became. She backed up a little ways, turned to make sure no one was around before running, and then threw herself at the top. She landed with a thump, snow going everywhere as she slid off the edge of the drift. Her excitement rang loud and clear through the yard.
Jumping up, she couldn’t wait to do it again, it was the male laughter twining with the laughter from a child that stopped her.
Turning her head she saw a male with impossibly wide shoulders and a tall body standing with Vick at his side. She might have thought it was Victor but the brown hair peeking out from underneath the cap told her differently. He had on pair of wraparound sunglasses keeping her from seeing his face. This must be the uncle Vick told her about earlier. Her cheeks reddened a little, but she knew they would simply think it was from the cold.
“I love jumping into the snow. Did you like it?” Vick asked, his eyes alive with pleasure as he looked at her.
“I did, it was my first time ever trying it.”
“Why did you wait until you were so old to jump into the snow?”
“Where I come from there is no snow.”
“No snow! I would hate to live there.”
Paige laughed. “There are great things about living there, and maybe I’ll get a chance to tell you about them later. Although honestly I think I love the snow. Not sure about the cold though.”