“Sounds complicated,” I say thoughtfully. “But cool. Where exactly are we going to set this up?”
“I know every inch of that hill,” Matthew says. “I know just the spot. It’s out of bounds, but I think we can get away with it.”
“How are we going to do the lights?” I ask.
“I have some battery-powered ones left over from the Christmas decorations,” Mom is in on the plot now.
“The music?”
“Easy, iPod and speaker,” Matthew replies.
“What about the table and chairs?”
“Leave that to me,” Michael says. “I’m sure someone at the resort let us take some up.”
“Michael can be very persuasive,” Matthew says, looking at me. “He’s used to giving orders and gettingwhat he wants.”
“Okay,” I turn toward Michael, issuing a challenge. “Where are you going to get the ‘feathery snowflakes falling softly?’”
Michael grins confidently. “That one is really up to the Big Guy Upstairs, but I’ve already put in my request.”
“What do you think, Jess?” Matthew’s face is beaming. It’s hard to stay mad at him when he looks so eager.
“Unless you have a better idea,” Michael says graciously.
“No, I think we should go with Michael’s plan; it’s brilliant,” I admit. Michael does a poor job of looking modest. "You're still paying for my lift ticket."
"Of course. We need someone to ski with Kendra while we set things up." Matt is glowing. I've never seen him this excited about anything in his life. It makes it hard to stay irritated with him.
six
Keeping Up
Somehow, I get stuck taking Michael down to the rental shop while everyone else heads to the lift. He walks up to the counter and asks if they have any demos available. When they bring them out, he spends a lot of time looking at a snowboard.
“Jess,” he says. “Would you like to try snowboarding? I could teach you how.”
“Not today.” I'm already annoyed that he's using up my ski time.
“Why not?” Michael asks. “I’m sure you’d be great at it.”
I sigh. “I have limited time and limited funds for skiing. I’m afraid I might actually like snowboarding, then I’d have to blow a bunch of money on new equipment. Besides, I don’t want to waste today. The snow is great. You’re welcome to get a board though. I’m used to skiing with knuckle-draggers.”
“I’ll pay for your rental,” Michael says. Apparently, he likes to throw his money around.
“No, thanks.”
He puts the snowboard back and picks out a pair of racing skis.
“What skill level?” the man behind the counter asks. He looks like he’s trying to size up Michael.
“Expert.” I answer for Michael. He doesn’t contradict me. If he’s trying to impress me, it’s not working.
By the time we get to the hill, everyone is gone.
“Matt, where are you guys?” Michael says into the two-way radio we brought with us.
Matt’s voice crackles through the radio. “Already on our third run.”
