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to be the girls’ chaperone, but both of my kids had some kind of bug the past few days, and now I’m way behind on a deadline. I need to work tomorrow.”
    Three hours of chaperoning the youth group outing meant three hours with Eli—probably, the more congenial jeans-and-Henley-shirt Eli she’d glimpsed at the hardware store. Her pulse quickened. No, it wasn’t a good idea. Even if Myles went, Jamie still had the girls and was on call.
    Emily filled the growing silence. “Rose and Opal can come, too. It’s strictly a social event. I understand you’ve distanced yourself from church, and I respect that.”
    Church wasn’t all she’d distanced herself from, but she didn’t need to get into that with Emily or anyone else. “I don’t know. I’m on call with Kelly tomorrow.” Even though it was a reasonable excuse, it wasn’t good enough to stop the twinge of guilt that pricked her. Emily had taken the girls after school the day she’d been delayed by her meeting with Eli, even though Emily had been busy working.
    “I’m sure you could leave if you got a call. I’ve asked everyone I can think of. No one’s available.”
    There was a time when Jamie would have been the first person Emily would have called, not the last. Or wouldn’t have had to call at all because Jamie would have already volunteered to chaperone. A yearning to belong to something beyond work and family pulled at her. It was time for her to get involved in activities again. They didn’t have to be connected to church. She could volunteer with Rose and Opal’s Girl Scout troops or at school. If Myles ran track in the spring as Eli had suggested, she could join the sports boosters. They were always looking for help.
    “Are you still there?” Emily asked.
    “Yes.” She had to stop the woolgathering and simply tell her friend no.
    “Good. With the spotty cell coverage around here, I thought I’d lost you. Drew and I would really appreciate it if you can cover for me. He doesn’t want to have to cancel and disappoint the kids.” Emily paused. “If it makes any difference, Eli won’t be there.”
    Jamie cringed inside. Emily did know about the friction between her and Eli. For all Jamie knew, everyone did. Everyone but his mother.
    “Sure, why not?” She relented. What could it hurt?
    * * *
    Saturday turned out to be one of those perfect winter days, the sky so blue it almost hurt her eyes and the temperature low enough to make the snow crisp and ideal for sledding without being bitterly cold.
    “Put a move on it, girls. Get your saucers out of the garage. We’re supposed to be at the golf course in fifteen minutes.”
    Although the group was gathering at the church for carpooling, Jamie had told Drew she would meet them at the Schroon Lake Country Club golf course.
    “Mom, do we need the padding for the toboggan?” Myles called from the garage. “I can’t find it.”
    Considering the searching abilities of most teenage boys, that wasn’t saying much. She started toward the garage.
    “Never mind. I found it.” A moment later, he appeared at the garage door with the padded toboggan in tow. They loaded it into the car, and Myles lifted the girls’ saucers in.
    Everyone piled in, the girls vibrating with excitement at being included in an event with the big kids. Under his usual gruff, noncommittal attitude, Myles seemed to be happy, too. Jamie snuck a look at his relaxed profile as she drove State Route 74 to Schroon Lake. Since she’d told him about her filling in for Emily today, she’d had her old Myles back. The joy of having her goofy, lovable lug of a teen boy around lightened Jamie’s heart.
    As usual, Jamie and her crew arrived at the country club first. She couldn’t help it. She was perpetually early, which was one reason Eli’s attention to her arrival and the clock had aggravated her so during their first meeting. If she’d known about the meeting she would have been on time or let him know she wouldn’t be.