CHAPTER 36 NEW YEAR, NEW CHALLENGES

The unscripted car drive had been filled with so much joy, secret kisses, and beautiful snowy scenery. Jenna and Ryan had climbed the hills and had visited beautiful mountain towns, taken a walk in the woods to build a snowman and then enjoy a warm fire in a wooden cabin. It had been great, a great way to forget about the pressures of college and family. As they eventually drove back home to their town on New Year’s eve, the reality of what has happened started to come back. They were to separate the following day; Jenna was to go with her family for a skiing holiday while Ryan was to go and visit his grandparents in Florida. The awareness that they would soon part again, having not resolved all the family tensions that occurred over Thanksgiving, overshadowed their mood slightly. “Well,” Ryan whispered and put his hand on Jenna’s hand and when she parked in her driveway, he looked at her. “Pheh, what is it that you are thinking right now, you with that beautiful mind?” Jenna let