One arm out of her coveralls and laughing at Maxi’s disjointed rambling on about different types of window coverings for his office, Jackie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Gerry in the lobby.

“Hi,” she said a little hesitantly.

“Hi,” said Gerry, frowning.

Maxi came to stand close to Jackie as he stripped off the top half of his coveralls. He was wearing a light blue flannel shirt underneath and she registered the warmth of his body gently invading her personal space. It was tempting to lean into him.

“Came to drop off the …” Gerry said to Jackie, holding up a flyer and pointedly ignoring Maxi. “And now that I’m here, and you’re here, I actually wanted to … Saturday night, Jackie, how about I pick you up, we go out for a meal the two of us, I drive you over to the pub, you work your magic on stage and I make sure you get home safe and sound afterwards. Does that sound like a deal?”

“Well, um,” Jackie said, pulling her other arm out of the coverall and giving it her full attention. There was something incredibly awkward about looking at Gerry that particular moment.

“Actually, Jackie and I are all set for dinner on Saturday,” Maxi cut in, right on cue. His voice soft but determined. “Sorry, mate.”

Jackie gave him a quick look, surprise registering on her face.

“You’re not sorry, Skinner,” Gerry managed through clenched teeth.

Maxi gently took Jackie’s elbow and led her to the exit. In passing, he murmured to Gerry, “got that right, old chap,” and then he smiled and opened the door for Jackie.

She walked through on automatic pilot and was immediately attacked by the ferocious cold. She shivered.

“Bloody hell,” said Maxi, feeling the same cold brutally slice through his flannel. “Quick, love, in the car.” He pointed and clicked his key remote and they both scrambled to get inside. He immediately started the engine, switched the heating to full, executed a quick and experienced three point turn and roared off just as Gerry stepped outside the Inn, a look of bafflement frozen onto his face.

“Maxi, what was that, a testosterone stand-off?” Jackie said, a little miffed now that the initial shock was wearing off.

“Um…” Maxi bit his lip and fished his glasses out his pocket.

“Do you actually see anything without those?” she went on, the miff growing into full-blown indignation.

“Yes, I do, actually. I see quite a lot without them. I simply see better with them.” Maxi frostily replied. “You didn’t exactly shout from the rooftops that we didn’t have a date when you had the chance, nor did I hear you complain about the fact that I just saved you from having to have dinner with that uncultured lout.”

“He’s not that bad,” Jackie said with a frown. “Will you slow down a little?”

Maxi stubbornly blasted down the road, spraying snow, his lips pinched. He stayed quiet all the way down the mountain, concentration focused entirely on his driving. Jackie looked at him from time to time, but he didn’t acknowledge her. Only when the reached the town’s first houses did he give her a quick look. “So… are we on then? For Saturday?”

Jackie studied his profile. The clear, masculine lines of his face, softened by the surprisingly thick lashes framing his luminous grey-green eyes. He was quite simply the most attractive man she’d ever been in a car with.

“I’ll drive you to the pub, and back to the Inn,” he added, a hint of insecurity creeping into his voice.

“Okay, okay! We’re on!” Jackie said, hands raised in mock exasperation. “Now, where did you want to go to look for those curtains?”

“Um,” Maxi said with a frown, “not sure, actually, I haven’t really bought curtains here before. Or, um, ever, come to think of it… Is it warm enough for you?”

Jackie rubbed her arms. “Remind me why we left so suddenly, and without our coats?” she said, looking at Maxi. He shot her a quick glance that didn’t reveal anything and parked in front of a shop that sold outdoor and skiing gear. “Do you think they sell curtains here, Maxi, or do you intend to cover your office window with a fleece jumper?”

“It’s a thought,” he said. “I was actually considering buying a fleece jumper to cover my physique, rather than my window. Would you care for one as well? Come on, let’s go in. At the very least it will be warmer in there.”

They virtually ran from the car to the shop, and once inside, Maxi made a beeline for a rack behind a wall of skis and snowboards. Lots of fleece jumpers, from the look of it. Jackie followed, her arms wrapped around herself and shivering so hard that Maxi turned and without thinking put his hands on her upper arms to rub her so thoroughly that she fell against him. He pulled her close immediately and started rubbing her back, and Jackie relaxed into him for a moment. He was nice and warm and he smelled so good.

“What aftershave are you wearing?” Jackie said against his shoulder, surreptitiously snuggling up to him a little closer.

“Why, is it offensive?”

“No it’s nice… I like it.”

“Hm. I think it’s Acqua di Gio… Armani… hmmm…” It was clear that Maxi approved of the snuggling up. He snuggled right back, wrapping his arms around her all the way and burying his nose in her hair.

“Maxi,” murmured Jackie, “people are watching … and perhaps we should get out of these coveralls as well… please let go of me.”

“Do I have to?” he said regretfully, but then let her slip from his embrace. They both stripped off the coveralls and rolled them up, and he quickly browsed the fleece jumpers then chose one for himself and one for Jackie that she really liked. It was very soft and comfy, it fit her perfectly and she didn’t dare look at the price tag. He paid with a credit card.

“You’re buying me a very expensive jumper,” Jackie said in wonder, worrying how she’d repay him.

“Yes, well, you were cold, weren’t you? Granted,” he handed over hers after the price tag was removed, “it isn’t a very romantic gift, but it’s extremely useful under the circumstances. And as outdoor garments go, you look lovely in it.”

They exited the store, tucked the coveralls in the Porsche and drifted down the street, ostensibly searching for curtains, but in reality simply enjoying each other’s company and physical proximity. Maxi gripped her hand and as their fingers intertwined with an odd ease, they shared a look of quiet surprise. Jackie smiled, and when she looked again, she saw Maxi was smiling as well.

Suddenly though, he stiffened. He dashed a look up and down the street and then shoved Jackie into a narrow passageway between two houses.

“Hey, “she complained, “what… what is it? What are you doing?”

“Kennedy,” he hissed, lightly leaning against her and blocking her from view. “He hasn’t seen us. I’m sure he hasn’t … He’s rummaging around in the booth of his car now,” he leaned out a little and glanced around the corner. “There he goes, into the gift shop. Reckon he’s delivering flyers.”

Jackie giggled. “Why are we hiding from Gerry? Maxi, you’re mad, you know that? Playing secret agent and everything.” Her hand went up and stroked the soft hair behind his ear.

He turned and looked at her, eyes sparkling. “We’re hiding because I do not intend to share you with him … do that again please? It’s very …”

Jackie stroked his hair again. His eyelids grew a little heavier and his gaze glazed over just a bit, and he leaned against her a little more.

“Maxi?” murmured Jackie, but then his lips landed on hers. They tasted each other tentatively with a few careful nips and then settled in for a long, slow, explorative kiss that pulled them both in so deeply that they wrapped themselves around each other and completely lost track of time, place and weather conditions. Dusk was falling, and it had begun to snow lightly when they came up for air and looked at each other.

“Wow,” Jackie whispered while Maxi just blinked at her, his mouth still a little slack, as if he simply couldn’t believe it had ended.

“Uh … Maxi … it’s getting dark. Maybe we should go back to the Inn?” Jackie said as she slowly regained her senses. She brushed snowflakes from his hair.

“We could eat here in Stowe,” Maxi replied, touching her cheek. “I don’t want to go back yet.”

There was something movingly honest and simple in his statement, but Jackie shook her head. “Can’t… I promised I’d help Riley, and we were supposed to have dinner together, you know, Riles and John and Nathan and I.”

“You could ring her?” Maxi tried, looking at her soulfully.

It was very, very tempting, but Jackie still shook her head then scrunched up her face. “Hngng, no, no, I really can’t. Don’t make it so hard on me.”

Maxi grinned charmingly. “Is it hard on you? Well I suppose that’s a good sign, although I’d have preferred to just have dinner together. But I suppose I’m pushing my luck now, eh? All righty then, let’s go back shall we?” He popped his head out into the street and looked left and right. “Come on love, the coast is clear; Kennedy’s nowhere to be seen. Better hurry!”

As they walked back, he wrapped a proprietary arm around her and she huddled up to him, grinning, feeling lighthearted and happy as the snow began to fall more heavily.

The drive back was slow and dreamy as the world grew silent under a fresh layer of snow. He took his time, this time around, and eventually the car gently rolled to a stop in front of the Inn. Maxi killed the engine, clicked open his seat belt and turned to Jackie. “You know what it is?” he said with a comical frown.

“No,” she replied, smiling.

“We never managed to actually get a curtain. We’ll simply have to go look for one again, you and I. There is no other way.”