~~~~~*~~~~~

“So, tell me, did I choose well?” Justin asked as he watched Maggie admire the interior of the small Italian restaurant he'd chosen for them to eat at. At the sound of his voice, Maggie turned her attention back to him and smiled shyly. His head was cocked to the side, and he was grinning at her in that knowing way she was only starting to get used to. At first it'd unsettled her; the feeling that he could somehow see right through to her soul, but she was slowly warming to it. It was nice having someone show an interest in her and want to listen to what she had to say. She'd become used to taking merely a supporting role in other people's lives, and she had to keep reminding herself that it was okay to be the centre of attention, and that she should relax and enjoy it.

“Yes,” she said, her eyes dipping to the table where she reached out a hand to fiddle with the corner of her folded, white linen napkin. Even though she'd spent a bit of time with him, she still felt nervous and shy to be out on a date. “It's lovely here.”

Justin had chosen the restaurant because it was far away from the busy, bustling centre of the ski resort. After the expansion of what had once been just a small mountaintop village, the older part of the town had lost its appeal to the younger tourists, and had become the haunt of the older and more refined visitors to the area. When the noisier nightlife had relocated to be nearer to the hotels and lodges, where the majority of guests stayed, the outskirts of town had become quieter and more private.

It was the perfect place for a first date.

“So you've not been here before then?” Justin asked, hoping that his instincts were right and she hadn't. He'd tried so hard to plan the evening to be full of new experiences and surprises for Maggie, which so far he'd managed to achieve, and he didn't want to undo all his hard work at the last minute.

Maggie met Justin's eyes and hesitated. She felt like a hermit having to say no to almost every question he asked, but the truth was she'd spent very little time at the resort. Even though it was within an easy distance from Silverwood, she'd just never felt an inkling to venture out that way.

Silverwood had its merits, and it was an ideal place for someone settling into the Fall of their lives or even for a young couple seeking to raise a family in a safe area, but catered for teenagers and young adults it was not. This was likely the reason so many of the children who'd grown up in the area had left for college and never returned. Any yet the idea of mixing with what Maggie had always assumed were the snobby, high-class with too-much-money-and-free-time-on-their-hands tourists had never appealed to her. She realised now that she'd met Justin–who was none of those things–that perhaps the massive chip on her shoulder had done her more harm than good.

“Nope,” Maggie said cheerfully, flicking her eyes around the room once again. “I've not been here before.”

Justin leaned back into his chair and grinned at her. “Good.” He picked up two menus from the wooden holder in the centre of the table and passed one to Maggie over the top of the wax candle that was leaning slightly to the side in the glass candlestick in the centre of the table. Justin could tell that it'd been lit awhile as there were already thick globules of wax running down the sides and collecting at the base.

“So... Maggie,” he said, dragging out the sound of her name between his lips as he lowered his menu and fixed her with a penetrating blue stare. He wasn't trying to be intimidating, but that's exactly how Maggie felt–pinned to her chair by his gaze. Her hands started to shake, and she felt a slightly hysterical giggle begin to bubble away in her chest. She lowered her menu onto the wooden placemat in front of her and tucked her hands underneath the table. “...tell me something about yourself.”

Maggie reached for her glass of water and took a sip, delaying her answer for as long as was politely possible. Ever since Justin had shown an interest in her Maggie'd been waiting for this moment, but as much as she'd tried to prepare herself for the inevitability of it she still wasn't sure what to say. It always seemed like such a daunting task to try to sum up your whole personality and life story–without making it sound too long, boring or embarrassing–in the answer to one simple question.

“Well...” she began, but her voice cracked before she could get further. She reached for her glass and took a sip before trying again. “I was born here,” she said. “In Silverwood, I mean. I went to college after high school to study catering...” Her voice trailed off as she hesitated over what to say next. Fortunately, Justin jumped straight in. He was fully prepared with a list of questions in case her monologue dried up. Drawing people out of their shells came naturally to him.

“Where did you study?”

“At Valencia,” Maggie said before giggling a little at his reaction. The surprise that flashed across his face tickled at her funny bone. “I decided if I was going to leave Silverwood I might as well travel to the hottest, sunniest place I could find,” she explained with a grin.

“And you didn't wanna stay? In Florida, I mean.”

Maggie's cheeks coloured. “Yes,” she said, dipping her eyes and fiddling with the slightly scuffed corner of her plastic-wrapped menu. “I wanted to.” She looked up to meet Justin's eyes and for a second he detected a flash of darkness that hinted at something she wasn't saying. It was gone in a blink. “But it's not exactly easy to set up your own business in Florida. There's so much competition, and everything's so expensive. I thought it'd be better to return home for a while and get some experience before trying again.”

Maggie didn't want to state the truth; that once she'd settled back into everyday family life in Colorado she'd lost her momentum, and that those balmy, endlessly sunny days she'd spent in Florida had begun to feel like the memories of another lifetime. It would be all too easy to convince herself that she'd dreamt the whole thing. She wasn't sure Justin would understand those feelings. He didn't seem the type of person who would let anything get in the way of him achieving his dreams.

“It must've been difficult moving home after being away at college,” Justin said after a thoughtful pause. He didn't know, he'd never done the college thing, but he did have experience of moving back home after a life-changing event had run its course. He had the memory of standing in his old bedroom having been away for months, staring at his possessions and feeling disillusioned with almost everything around him. Settling back into everyday life had been a sharp learning curve for him and even now, years later, it still hurt to think about. He'd known at the time that something irrevocable had changed and he'd returned a different person to the boy who'd left home with stars in his eyes.

Maggie pulled a face. Yes, she thought glumly as she thought back to that fateful day when she'd boarded her final plane out of Florida. She'd known that she was unlikely to return any time soon and therefore had had to wave goodbye to the carefree, unburdened life she'd become accustomed to along with the sunshine.

Everything had been so different back then. She'd not been alone, for one. She hadn't been the only person peering out of the small airplane window, hoping for one last glimpse of the sea before the plane began to bank. How could she have known that moving back to Silverwood would result in her having to move back into her childhood home? At the time it'd seemed like she was starting the next phase of her life, not starting on the path that would lead back to an old one.

“...but I'm sure your family were glad to have you back,” Justin said, his words sounding more of a question than a statement. He knew he was blessed to have a close, loving family, and that not everyone was as fortunate as he. He wondered if Maggie's family wasn't quite as tight as he'd imagined. As often happened when he felt awkward, his mouth began to run away with him and he found himself mumbling to fill the silence. “I know how much my family moan when I'm away from home for too long,” he said. “My mom especially. Sometimes they act like I've been off to war or something. My granny always makes my favourite desert and presents it to me as though it's a birthday cake or something. Wouldn't be surprised if one day she lights a candle and gets me to blow it out.“

Maggie smiled weakly, silently telling herself to shake off the thoughts that had clouded what had so far been a delightful evening. She would not dwell on the past, she reminded herself firmly. Not when she'd come so far in closing the door on that part of her life. “They were happy when I got home,” she said, “but I didn't actually move home straight away.” She nervously fiddled with her menu once again. “I got a place just outside of town...” Her eyes flicked away at the framed landscape photograph on the wall beside them, then at the slowly melting candle on the table before settling on Justin's face. Justin leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, giving her his full attention whilst trying not to overwhelm her with the intensity of his interest. Like him she seemed to shy away from direct eye contact for a prolonged period.

“I lived there with a...” her voice broke off and the colour returned to her cheeks, “...someone.” Maggie cleared her throat loudly and lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear as she avoided his eyes. She hated having to say the words out loud; hated having to think them. Years had passed and yet it still hurt having to face the consequences of her past decisions. “It was fun,” she said with a weak smile. “My mom never let my sister or I decorate our rooms at home so it felt so grown up choosing my own paint colours without anyone offering their opinion.” She chuckled and Justin joined in, the sound of his laughter increasing the width of Maggie's smile. He had such a contagious laugh. “We even got a dog,” Maggie added, “which was another thing my parents never allowed me to do when I was a child.”

“No dogs?” Justin said seeming genuinely surprised. His family had kept dogs for as long as he could remember, and even when he'd started travelling for work he'd found a way to keep his pets with him on the road. As impractical as it'd been at times, it'd been worth it for the company.

“You sound shocked,” Maggie said, giggling a little. Now that the discussion had passed the initial mention of him, her mood was brightening. “Do you have dogs?”

“Yeah,” Justin said, “loads. I can't imagine not having at least one.” They shared a smile and there was a slight pause before Justin encouraged her to continue her story with a raise of his eyebrow and a gesture of his hand. “So...”

“What happened next?” she asked.

Justin nodded and Maggie sucked in a breath before fiddling once again with her menu. It was a shame they hadn't yet been asked for their drinks orders, which she had to admit she found a little strange. She could've done with something a lot stronger to drink than water before continuing her story. “Well, that winter turned out to be one of the worst on record and we got a lot of snow,” she said meeting Justin's eyes and raising her eyebrows to emphasise her point. “A lot of snow. Like, one week's worth in a day. Anyway, everyone was taken by surprise and it was practically impossible to drive anywhere, so we–dog included–packed up as much stuff as we could carry and trudged through the snow to my parents' house. We thought it'd be safer to be all together whilst the weather was so bad.”

Justin nodded and smiled encouragingly.

“So... a week turned into two, two weeks turned into a month, and it was still difficult to travel far. I think in that time we got back to the house maybe once for a change of clothes and that was it. Hardly anyone could get to work so we were all cooped up in the house, my sister and brother in law, too. And to make things worse, she was pregnant with my nephew at the time so she was a complete nightmare to live with.” Maggie let out a huff under her breath, thinking about the diva-like tantrums her sister had thrown back then. “I guess it was probably obvious what would happen,” she said, chewing down on her bottom lip and flashing Justin a sideways smirk. She was playing it up, but it was still obviously painful for her to talk about. “After all, Florida natives are not going to naturally be prepared for Colorado winters, are they?”

The question was rhetorical, but Justin grimaced sympathetically. “So your... someone...” her said, using her turn of phrase, “they left?”

Maggie nodded and reached out to take another sip of her water. Her throat was dry from all the talking, and she couldn't ignore the hot ache that'd appeared in the back of her throat, warning her that tears were imminent. “Yes,” she said as she placed the glass carefully back onto the table with only the slightest tremor in her hand. “Packed up his... their...stuff and left without a goodbye. Although, as my sister so kindly pointed out, I probably should've expected it.” She attempted a carefree shrug but Justin wasn't convinced by it at all.

“He...” Maggie hesitated before rolling her eyes at the foolishness of trying to pretend that this someone wasn't a he, “...he hadn't really been happy even before we had to move in with my parents. We'd both just been ignoring it and pretending that it would go away, which I admit was stupid. I suppose it would always be easier for me–I was born here and am used to living in a small town–but it was so much harder for him. I should've known that moving here with me would be too much of an ask...”

“So what happened next?” Justin asked, his voice warm and soothing. His eyes, whilst sympathetic, held none of the pity Maggie was so used to seeing when she relayed her tale. A warm feeling began to spread through her veins, diluting the ache in her throat until it was barely noticeable anymore.

“Well, the snow melted,” she said. “Eventually. And by eventually I mean April. But, anyway, by then the thought of going home to an empty, cold house all by myself felt kind of sad. Not to mention my mom had grown so attached to my dog she wanted to keep her, so I would've literally been going home by myself. Anyway, we talked about it and my parents agreed I could wait out the spring at home and decide what to do in the summer. And, as I'm sure you've guessed, I've stayed ever since. It does make sense also, you know, with working at the bakery and everything...” Maggie's voice trailed off as her words hung in the air.

“Yeah...” Justin said, realising she was watching him carefully to see his reaction. The moments ticked past as he stared back at her expectant eyes, but his mind had gone completely and utterly blank. When things grew awkward he broke eye contact and turned his head to gauge the attention of a waiter. Now seemed like a very good time to order some food and drinks.

Maggie tried not to let Justin's response to her words affect her confidence. Deep down she realised she–wrongly–sought acceptance from others because she hadn't completely forgiven herself for taking the easy option out. She didn't know what it would take for that to happen but she knew that it wasn't fair to put that responsibility on someone else's shoulders.

As the waiter crossed the room towards their table, Maggie decided to change the subject. “So, Justin,” she said. “You haven't told me what it is you do for a living,” She picked up her menu and flicked through the pages to find the drink options. She hadn't even looked at the food choices yet but figured she'd be able to pick something standard off the menu without too much trouble. Choosing a drink, however, would take a little more time.

“I'm a musician,” Justin said as he, too, browsed his menu. His eyes flicked up to the waiter as she reached the table and he ordered his drink quickly before turning his attention back to Maggie. As both his and the waiter's eyes met hers, Maggie quickly chose a drink by running an index finger down the list of options until she found something she recognised–a glass of sweet white wine–before the waiter left them in peace to continue their conversation.

“A musician!” she repeated, slightly in awe. She'd never met a real musician before. At least not one who could call it their full-time job. “Wow, that's...” she didn't know what it was, so she just mumbled another impressed, “wow”.

Justin flashed her a crooked smirk. Even after all these years, he still wasn't used to people reacting to his job like that. Making music came as naturally to him as breathing, and his unyielding insecurity over his work kept him from believing the hype behind his name. It was a welcome change that Maggie seemed to have no idea who he was, and it was nice for him to know that she'd agreed to go on a date with him because she wanted to get to know him, not because she already knew all there was to know. For once he had a chance to be Justin before he had to be JT.

“I travel around performing with a group,” he explained. “Dancers, singers, musicians. We call ourselves JT and the Tennessee Kids.”

Maggie paused. His words sounded off a bell in her mind and she racked her brains for the reason. Why was that name familiar? “Tennessee,” she repeated remembering back to an earlier conversation they'd had. “So are you all from Tennessee?”

Justin cleared his throat before answering. “Nope,” he said lightly hoping that he'd soon be able to change the subject. He was happy to answer her questions, but he didn't want to spend the entire evening talking about himself, which was usually what happened when the subject of his work came up. “Just me. So you see anything you wanna order?”

Maggie lifted her menu and scanned the salad options as Justin's eyes studied her face. If she'd noticed that he'd changed the subject abruptly then she wasn't letting on. “Hmm... maybe,” she said, turning the page. “So have you got any brothers or sisters?”

Justin let out an inaudible sigh of relief and smiled. Like her he was glad when the awkward subjects had been raised and put aside. He was happier talking about his family life than he was his job, which was unusual for him; it was often the other way round.

“Two half brothers on my father's side,” he said, browsing his menu. So far he was torn between ordering the lasagna or the spaghetti. With the way his stomach was growling with hunger he contemplated ordering both. And a side salad to go with them. And some fries.

“I have one sister,” Maggie said. “Older, and a bit of a pain in the ass. But that's what family's all about, right?” She laughed good-naturedly not feeling the slightest bit bad about making a joke about her family. They'd had their share of laughs at her expense over the years.

“I know what you mean,” Justin said, chuckling along. “I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my family, but sometimes they drive me crazy. My mom's cool; she's pretty much encouraged me with whatever I wanted to do since the start, but my grandparents... I get the feeling they're hoping I'll move back to Tennessee soon and settle down, get an ordinary nine-to-five. I don't think they always get that I'm doing something I love and I want to keep doing. They see all the negatives and wonder why I put myself through it.”

“The negative sides? Like the travelling?”

“Yeah, that can be part of it,” Justin said. “Not being able to spend time with family and friends, too. Missing big family occasions, having to fit vacations around touring schedules... It can be pretty rough.”

“But like you said, you're doing something you love. That must help balance out some of the negatives.”

“Yeah,” Justin said with a slight shrug. “Sometimes. But you must be the same too, right? There must be times when working at the bakery drives you crazy.”

Maggie let out a loud snort of laughter before blushing at the sound. “Yeah,” she quipped dryly. “You could say that. Especially around Christmas time; it's chaos.”

“Would you rather do something else?” he asked.

Maggie scrunched up her face as she contemplated it. She knew she was lucky to have a job in the profession she'd trained in, but she couldn't say with one-hundred percent certainty that working for her parents was her dream job. But what would she do instead if she were to pursue a change? She'd never really considered any other options. “No,” she said, realising as she said them that her words were true. “I guess I wouldn't.”

“Just as well,” Justin said with a grin that sent the butterflies in Maggie's stomach into a flutter. “Because I've never seen anyone look so beautiful icing a dozen gingerbread men.” His eyes flashed at her and Maggie found herself caught in his gaze like a deer in the headlights. She found herself unable to look away even as her cheeks blushed furiously.

“I...er...”

“Not used to receiving compliments, Maggie Little?”

Maggie chuckled in embarrassment and dipped her head. “No,” she admitted.

“You'll get used to it,” he said, cocking his head to the side and flashing her that knowing look once again. “So, you ready to order?”

~~~~~*~~~~~