Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
MARLOWE
A fter having coffee and scones with their aunt the following morning, Marlowe and Sam tucked their cross-country skis into Sam’s SUV. Excitement pulsed through Marlowe. How long had it been since she’d skied? The equipment seemed to be in pretty good shape. Sure Marlowe would have liked to wax down the skis, but no time for that. For one thing, Sam didn’t have the patience. Marlowe suspected that her sister had only agreed on this outing so they could spend time together.
Sam had said she was looking forward to it, although Marlowe didn’t believe her. But this was sister bonding time and they both agreed on that. By ten o’clock they were on the course, their tickets firmly attached to the zippers of their jackets. Thank goodness they’d been able to piece together enough winter clothes from the attic to make this possible. In addition to the skis and poles, Marlowe had found their old ski boots.
Although she tried to take Sam through some warmup exercises, her older sister wanted to get on the course. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it,” Sam said, sliding her skis back and forth in the snow.
Marlowe didn’t want to argue. She was looking forward to having some time alone with Sam. Growing up, the two had been close. But life and the many miles between them had taken a toll. Marlowe wanted their old comfortable relationship. There had been a time when they could almost read each other’s mind. Marlowe wanted that back.
So without saying another word, Marlowe led the way down the trail. Once they skied into the tall trees, it was still early and they were in deep shadows. Before long snow would start dropping off the trees in clumps. The shadows would disappear from the track and it could get hot.
Thank goodness it hadn’t snowed again the night before. They’d grabbed a map from the warmup shed, and Marlowe had that tucked into her jacket pocket. The trails were clearly marked and pleasantly slick from the skiers who’d come this way the previous day.
“This isn’t too bad,” Sam called up to her.
Glancing over her shoulder, Marlowe almost laughed. Although she herself was swinging her arms and loved the feel of flexing her muscles, Sam was gritting her teeth. Her older sister could be like that. She’d been known for her determination. Since she was only two years older than Marlowe, they’d gone to high school together. Samantha had been one of those overachievers. Not only was Sam in the advanced placement track for math and English, she also ended up being president of the newspaper. Although their dad was really proud of Sam’s scholarly achievements and knew what effort that took, Mom thought differently. From what Marlowe recalled, their mother had pleaded with Sam to stop and smell the roses.
If Mom could see them now, she’d know that her eldest daughter was not smelling any roses. Sam probably hadn’t noticed that the air was thick and sweet with the smell of pine. Could she see that the trees looked magical with their natural coating of snow? Probably not.
Marlowe loved the rhythm of cross country skiing, the swish, swish of the skis on the track and the rhythmic stretch of her arms. She’d forgotten all this. If Sam didn’t ease up she might crack a molar, the way she had her senior year when she was considering which college to attend. In the end she'd stayed local to take care of Izzy and Marlowe. Sam had felt responsible and Marlowe respected her for that.
When it came time for Marlowe to go to college. she was leaning toward warm weather. She wanted the sunshine and fun times of the University of Florida. Sam had supported her. Sometimes Marlowe felt downright guilty about her choice. At the time Uncle Monty and Aunt Cate had a condo in Naples. She’d used their address to qualify as a resident. But as a freshman Marlowe had some lonely nights when she wished she were back in Chicago, going to school with her sister and caring for Izzy. She’d felt selfish and she still had to come to terms with that.
And now they were out in the woods together. Silence was all around them, except for some squirrels chasing each other up the trees. Deer tracks were evident in the snow and Marlowe thought she spotted a young buck sprint across the trail ahead. “Look, Sam! A deer!” She’d pointed but Sam nearly fell over, trying to come to a halt. Maybe Marlowe would keep her observations to herself.
They began again. She sucked in a cold, dry breath. This was the life. After years of living in Florida, Marlowe had forgotten how much she enjoyed the snow. She loved the cold air on her face. Loved feeling her muscles stretch and contract. Although running had been her sport in high school, the Florida heat was oppressive. The sidewalks and roads could burn her feet unless she ran very early in the morning.
This? Drawing deep breaths, she continued to swing her arms, making sure that her left hand swung out with her right leg. “Isn’t this great?” she yelled back to her sister.
“Just ducky.” The note of grim determination made Marlowe turn.
Her sister’s face was red and yes, she was gritting her teeth.
Eventually they reached a fork in the road. The sun was beating down and Marlowe was getting warm from the exertion although the temperature was barely above freezing. She unzipped the top of her jacket. “Now let’s see.”
“Have you got that map?” Sam asked.
“You bet.” Marlowe pulled off her mitten with her teeth and dug the map from her pocket. Together they studied it. Marlowe couldn’t help but notice that Sam was breathing hard.
“It says this is a short loop. Let’s take it.” Sam was already moving to the right.
“Are you sure? It’s kind of hilly with some ravines.” At least that's what Marlowe remembered. “We could keep going on the simpler two mile loop.”
Sam threw back her shoulders. “Do you think I can't handle this?”
Marlowe’s phone rang in her pocket.
“Do you need to take that?” Sam asked.
Dragging out her phone, she glanced at the name and quickly turned it off. “Nope all good.” Had her sister seen the name that flashed up? “Okay, let's do this.”
Marlowe was glad that Sam was up for it. When would they get another chance to ski together? Maybe next week, but maybe not. She really wanted to push herself today. Working her way around Marlowe, Sam took the lead. What was this? Marlowe jammed the map back into her pocket, pulled her mitten back on and took off after her sister.
The loop was scenic, especially on this day of soft snow. Occasionally ravines would gape to their right or left. The foliage was thick and those ravines were heavily shaded. But here on the main path, the sun beat down. Good thing they’d come out in the morning. In two or three hours this path might be mush and negotiating it wouldn’t be easy.
“Isn’t this great?” she yelled up at Sam as they swished around a curve where ferns peeked through the snow.
“Right,” Sam called back. “Why didn’t we go into town and shop?”
What was her sister saying?
“Or we could’ve stayed at the house,” Sam continued. “Made cookies with Aunt Cate.”
Marlowe was determined not to let her sister’s comments weigh her down. “We can do that tomorrow. How long are you staying? We might have all next week, right?”
Sam didn't answer. It looked as if she was too busy breathing. Marlowe herself was sucking in huge amounts of oxygen. She wished she had put on sunblock, though. Since she lived in Florida, she was always careful about the sun. And this northern sun? It was super powerful reflecting off the snow. And super invigorating. She’d have to come up here more often. No more burying herself in Naples, Florida.
A hill was coming up. How exhilarating! They’d have to climb it but it wasn’t too steep, more of a training level. “Remember, how to frog step?” she called up to her sister. “Get your skis into a V!”
A groan was the only answer.
“Great for your thighs. Want me to go first?”
“Sure.” Her sister was hunched over. Sam looked as if she was in good shape. So what was the problem? “We used to come out here and tear up the trail,” she reminded Sam. “We’d have races, remember.”
Sam sucked in a breath. “Right, when I was nineteen.”
Marlowe gave her big sister an encouraging smile as she passed her. Straightening her shoulders the way she had when she went out to sell Girl Scout cookies in their neighborhood, Sam seemed to be getting her skis into position. The incline began. They might have to take this slow.
“Step, step, step. I have to get used to lifting my skis and putting them down.” Marlowe purposely talked loudly to herself so Sam would hear her.
But when she got to the top of the incline, her sister had fallen behind. Leaning on her poles, Marlowe turned. “That’s right, Sam. Exactly. Right ski, left ski, right, left. Turn the edge of your ski into the snow. Feel it grip. Bite, bite, bite.”
When Samantha did eventually catch up with her, they ended up laughing. “Bite, bite, bite,” Sam said, snapping her jaws. But at least she was smiling.
“You’re doing great,” Marlowe told her sister.
“Sure. Right.” Sam leaned forward on her ski poles. “My thighs are on fire.”
“That’s a good sign. Ready for the downhill stretch?” Marlowe asked. “You used to love this part of it. It’s like downhill skiing. But stay on the trail.”
“Again, I loved it when I was sixteen.”
“Doesn’t matter. This will be easier than the trek up.” Pushing off, Marlowe started down. “Remember, if you find yourself going too fast, bring your skis together in a V. That will slow you down.”
Later, Marlowe would beat herself up for not insisting that Sam go first. Instead, Marlowe was off, gliding over the slick path and loving it. Then she heard her sister’s wail behind her. Marlowe glanced back in time to see her sister reach the curve and go rocketing through the bushes and down into the ravine.
Oh dear Lord, no. There were trees down there. “Sit! Sit down!” she called out. Hitting a tree could be fatal.
Thank goodness Sam heard her, or she remembered. Marlowe expelled a breath when her sister plopped down into the snow and her momentum slowed. Moderating her speed, Marlowe glided down to where her sister was sprawled in the snow. This did not look good. She immediately didn’t like her sister’s position. Sam had crunched her left foot under her and she was moaning.
“Are you all right?” Marlowe snapped her skis off with her poles and turned to crouch next to her sister.
“No,” Sam said in a sad, defeated voice. “I can’t even ski right anymore. What is happening to me?”
Wow. What was that about? “Where does it hurt?”
“My left ankle’s killing me.”
Being very cautious, Marlowe felt her sister's left ankle. Sam yelped and that didn’t help anything. Marlowe wasn’t a doctor or nurse. Casting a look up the slope, she didn’t know how she could ever get Sam back up to the trail.
So she whipped out her phone. “I'm going to call the hut and see if someone can come and pick us up.”
“Pick us up? It's not as if we're sitting on the side of a road. We can’t call an Uber.”
Sam was right. Marlowe sized up the situation and tried to come up with a solution. “If I help, can you stand up?” With snow like this, there might be a lot of people on the trail that day. Maybe another skier would see them stuck at the bottom of the ravine. Their tracks were still fresh. But how long would they have to wait? Sam was in pain.
Instead of calling the hut, Marlowe called 911 and was told they would try to get an emergency team out to them. So Marlowe snapped off Sam’s skis and did the same to her own. She decided to take her ski equipment up to the trail so people could see them. When she reached the top, she jammed the skis into the soft snow. Then she slid back down to sit next to her sister.
How could they pass the time? “Let’s play I packed my grandma’s bag.”
“What?” Sam pinned her with a glance. “Are you crazy?”
“Look, Mom used to do this all the time on long trips. Play along with me.” Marlowe wasn’t about to sit there and stare at the snow, although the woods were beautiful. “I packed my grandma’s bag and in it I put a pack of Oreos. Your turn.”
“I packed my grandma’s bag and in it I put Oreos…and a psychiatrist for my sister.”
At least Sam could still joke. That was a good sign and Marlowe set out to be equally ridiculous. They continued back and forth, adding a perfect husband, a home in Spain, naturally long eyelashes and hearty IRAs.
They were trying to remember fifteen things when they heard a voice up above. “Having trouble down there?” a guy called out.
“Yes!” Marlowe got to her feet. Up on the trail three people peered down at them.
The crossed skis had worked. The fellow looked like he was in good shape. The sun outlined his strong shoulders. Maybe he could help get them up to the trail. Marlowe tried to help Sam stand up while the guy kicked off his skis. He was tall and definitely looked as if he knew what he was doing. “Mia, call the hut and ask Steve to send out a sled,” he called back as he slid down the hill.
One glance and Sam buried her head in her hands. “Oh no, oh no.”
“What's the deal? Do you know him?” Marlowe asked in a whisper.
As he came closer, he did look familiar.
“Now let's see what we've got.” Crouching next to Sam the man reached for her ankle. “Sharp pain, aching? Hey...” He lifted his head and the two of them looked at each other, while Marlowe tried to remember his name.
“Hi, Josh,” her sister said in a tiny voice.
“So we meet again,” he said, not sounding disappointed. “Sorry you’re having trouble.”
“Me too. Is this one of your days of rehabilitation?” Sam asked with a crooked grin.
When Josh smiled back, he flashed a set of good teeth and a genuine smile. “I guess you'd have to ask Mia and Hayden about that. They thought it would be fun, you know, to go cross country skiing today. Family outing.”
“I suppose you do this a lot since you live here.”
Marlowe could have been invisible but no way was she interrupting this conversation.
“It's great exercise.”
“If you know what you’re doing.” Defeat had crept into Sam’s voice.
“Samantha Quinn, not knowing what she’s doing?” Josh said, as if this was impossible. “Now, that has to be a first.”
Her sister glanced around. “Looks like I ruined your day…and ours.”
Clearing his throat as if he’d just realized that Marlowe was standing there, Josh said, “If you don't mind, let's get your boot off.”
Josh was being gentle, but Marlowe could tell from her sister's expression that this was painful. Why had Marlowe suggested cross country skiing today? They hadn’t skied in years and this trail had its challenges. Instead of being stuck her out in the snow, they could be back at Sunnycrest, rolling out cookie dough. But running into Sam’s old boyfriend out here might not be a bad thing.
Looking intent, Josh gently felt Sam’s ankle. “Okay I'm not finding a break. But you might want to go to an urgent care center.”
Sam glanced up at him. “But I thought you were a doctor.”
Josh nodded. “I am. Orthopedic surgeon.”
“And you’re enjoying some rehabilitation?”
The man didn’t look like he needed any rehab.
Blushing, Josh straightened to his full height. “That’s what my daughter is calling it. And that’s what we’re doing. I guess.”
Sam didn’t look happy. She’d never been any good at letting other people help her. “Look, I am so sorry. This is your week off and...”
“Two weeks. And here I am. Let's not make a big deal of this.” He looked over at Marlowe. “I'll grab her skis and take them up. Then maybe the two of us can get her up the hill.”
“We already called 911,” Marlowe said.
“No problem. They can take over when they arrive. Be right back.”
Before either one of them could respond, Josh was loping up the hill. For an older guy, he had strong legs. His kids took the skis from him and they had a quick conversation. Then he was back, turning his attention to Sam. “Don't put any pressure on that leg, okay? Let us do the lifting.”
Her sister tightened her jaw and looked like she’d rather be eating nails while Josh and Marlowe formed a chair with crossed arms. Somehow they got Sam to sit down, her arms around their shoulders. Gradually they made it up the hill. Josh’s son Hayden seemed like a nice young man and had his dad's greenish hazel eyes. Josh made another call to the ski hut and nodded as they talked. “EMS is on their way,” he told them when he ended the call.
“So you’re Dad’s friends right?” the boy asked.
“Yep,” Sam said. “We hung out when we were in high school. Mostly summers.”
As Sam filled Hayden in, it all came back to Marlowe. Josh had been one of the tall lanky guys Marlowe’s sophomore friends had drooled over on the beach. The local girls knew Josh from school. At the time, she’d been proud to say that Josh was dating her sister, although it was only for the summer.
“From what we heard, your dad was a star on the basketball team,” Marlowe added when Sam ran out of breath.
“Yeah, I know,” Josh’s son said with resignation. Maybe the women in town reminded Hayden of his dad’s athletic past all the time.
Before long, two guys arrived with a long red plastic sled. Josh made sure that they carefully moved Sam onto it. Obviously her sister was in pain, but she said nothing.
All the way back in, Marlowe felt terrible. Why had she encouraged her sister to go skiing? Now she’d have to deal with an injury over the holidays. Thank goodness Sam hadn’t broken any bones.
But she was glad that they’d run into Josh. When they reached the warming hut, he helped get Sam inside and onto a bench. The place smelled like wet wool and hot chocolate. Leaving them for a second, he got a kit from his trunk to wrap Sam’s ankle. Looking miserable, Sam turned down her offer of hot chocolate. Josh’s kids began to play checkers at an over-sized board in the corner.
At least Sam wasn’t saying much. Maybe she’d given up and accepted the situation. That would be progress for her older sister.