Looking For You All My Life Part 185

s...o...b..ll fight and ended up with them building the biggest

snowman Maggie had ever seen. They situated their master-

piece right before her front porch, and Spencer even had to

Ago fetch a six-foot stepladder so that he and his Uncle Barry

could place the head on the very top. Maggie donated her

old mittens and scarf, and they christened the snowman

George, proclaiming him their official holiday doorman.

Then they all trooped inside for cocoa and cookies.

"You guys are like a bunch of little kids," said Audrey

happily as she dropped mini marshmallows into their cocoa

cups and added candy canes as stirring sticks.

4,Barry gave his mother an affectionate squeeze. "Yeah,

and doesn't that make you feel about twenty years younger

too?"

Looking for You All My Life289

She smiled at him. "As a matter of fact, it does."

They visited around the fire in the library until late. Then

Spencer broke up the party by announcing that everyone had

to go to bed in order to rise early the following morning

(Christmas Eve day) so that they could get to the slopes as

soon as the lifts opened.

"Jed said we might close shop early tomorrow and join

you guys," said Leah.

"I can't wait to meet Jed," said Rebecca. "I've heard so

much about him." She winked at Maggie.

"So have I," said Barry.

"What do you mean?" asked Maggie. "I've never even

mentioned him to you."

Barry glanced over to Rebecca. "A certain little bird told

me."

Maggie nodded knowingly. "Can't even trust my best

friend, can I?"

"What do you mean?" complained Barry. "Are you

trying to keep something from your little brother?"

Suddenly Maggie felt uncomfortable, hoping that Leah

wouldn't be taking any of this the wrong way. "There's really

nothing to keep from you, Barry," she said quickly.

"Rebecca and I email a lot, and sometimes I tend to go on

and on about silly things. You know how that goes."

He shook his head. "Unfortunately, I never seem to have

time for such pleasures. The only email I send and receive

pertains to business, and by the time I'm done with that I

don't even want to correspond with anyone."

"You sound like a real grump," teased Rebecca, her blue

eyes sparkling in a way that caught Maggie's attention.

Could it be there was something going on here that she

hadn't noticed earlier?

"All right, you guys," warned Spencer, pointing to the

mantle clock which was now pus.h.i.+ng close to midnight.

"Stay up all night if you want, but you sure better not com-