The door slammed shut behind her as she walked out into the cold. She spared one glance back and saw Ang- ie’s plump form at one of the windows, and then she reached the car, searching through her pockets for the bundle of keys. Nothing. Growing frantic, she opened the door and sat on the edge of the seat, rummaging through the big pockets of the ski parka. Finally, when she was just about to go back in, she saw them dangling from the steering column, and only then was aware of the insistent buzzing of the ignition warning system. What am I thinking? Good thing we’re not in New York anymore.

The thought of New York made her think of David, and she paused for a moment, hand on the keys. What was he going to think about this?

Or did he already know?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jessica stood on the hard-packed snow of the driveway, little pink jacket zipped up to her chin and her hat with the bright yellow ball on top tucked down over her ears.

Inside the wrappings she felt like a marshmallow, but it was warm and she had done it all herself, without even worrying too much about the seams in her socks or whether her pockets were zipped up exactly the same amount. That made her proud. It was one thing to want to go out to play, quite another to get ready and go do it, especially when the cold yucky wind tried to blow down your neck and made you shiver.

Her breath felt warm and wet on her cheeks. She tried to blow smoke rings like she saw people do in the movies but it didn’t work; it all just came out in a big puff no matter how hard she pushed, and it made her dizzy. The day was bright and sunny and it looked nice from inside, but out here it was only cold. She wondered if maybe she should have stayed inside to play. But Daddy was busy in his office and she was bored. Her room was set up (her picture of Barney was on the wall, and she had made a bed for Johnny near her own, out of towels, in case her bed got too small for both of them) and the TV wasn’t connected yet, so the picture looked like snow.

She had seen enough snow. That was why she wondered what made her want to go outside. After all, there was more snow out there than anywhere else. But she felt curious, and something tugged at her like a puppy on a leash.

These woods are not a playground, Daddy had told her.