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the side window as the truck backed onto the road, and Michael focused on his father’s steady gaze and nodded. His grandmother heaved a sigh. His mother said nothing but raised a hand, holding it up amid the newly arrived snow flurries until the pickup had disappeared in the distance.

Chapter 3
    I n the kitchen of Kyle’s apartment, Claudia was trying to throw a salad together while he assembled sandwiches to grill. She opened his refrigerator and removed a withered brownish ball wrapped in plastic. “Is this what I think it is?” she asked, holding up the object.
    “Oh,” Kyle said when he saw what was in her hand. He gave her a sheepish grin. “That would be the iceberg lettuce, I think. I must’ve forgotten about it in there.”
    Claudia winced. Finding enough fresh vegetables for a salad was going to be a bigger challenge than she’d thought. “Okay…is there anything else lurking in your fridge that I should know about?”
    “I’m not sure. There might be a few other things,” Kyle admitted. “Sorry. You know I’m not great at fridge organization.”
    Claudia shook her head and set the lettuce on the counter. “Just so you know, I’m taking over that job once we move in together.”
    “That would be great! One more way we complement each other,” Kyle said. He gave her a quick kiss before turning back to his sandwiches in the frying pan.
    In spite of her disgust at the brown lettuce ball, Claudia smiled to herself. Since Kyle had asked her to marry him, she hadn’t had a bad day. It didn’t matter if the kids in her class at school got extra-rowdy or her alarm clock summoned her at an hour much earlier than she would have liked. Refusing donuts and pie from the bakery had become easy, with her gorgeous white wedding gown hanging in her closet. Even half-rotted Franken-produce in Kyle’s fridge wasn’t a big deal. A cloud of happiness seemed to have surrounded her, cushioning her against all the unpleasantness of life, and every glimmer of her engagement ring gave her mood a buzzy, giddy boost.
    There was still the matter of the salad, however.
    With a bit of trepidation, she started sorting through the contents of Kyle’s refrigerator. She found some carrots and half a red onion that were good. There was a head of romaine lettuce, too. The outer leaves were dark and wilted, but the rest was fine. There were two cucumbers in one of the vegetable bins. The first one squished all over her hand when she grabbed it, but the other one was firm and edible. If she got lucky and found a can of olives in the pantry, she would be in business.
    “You know, my brother called earlier today,” Kyle said as Claudia washed her hands at the sink. “He said that he and his new girlfriend, Misty, were thinking about coming to Vermont while the leaves are at their peak. I told him they should visit this weekend, since it’s getting late for good foliage. We could all have lunch or dinner together somewhere. Neither of us have met Misty yet, and it might be nice to spend some time with the two of them before the wedding.”
    “I’d love that,” Claudia said as her happy, buzzy feeling ramped up to full power. Kyle’s younger brother was a sweet guy—shy at first, but able to find humor in almost every situation once he relaxed and started to talk. “He knows you want him to be your best man, right?”
    “Yeah. I asked him right after we got engaged. He’s pretty excited about it. So is Rowen, since she’s going to be our flower girl. She’s nuts about Kev. Which reminds me…” Kyle turned to yell down the hallway. “Rowen, dinner’s about done. Can you set the table?”
    “I’ll be there in a minute, Dad,” Rowen called from her room.
    “She’ll be so thrilled if Kevin and Misty come for a visit,” Claudia said. “How long have they been dating?”
    “Just a few months, I think.” Kyle paused and sighed. “My brother’s never had great luck with women. His girlfriends have always turned