by S. L. Baum
“I miss the sunny, sunny days. I miss tanning at the beach. I fake bake here just for some good overall color,” Delilah pouted, and any fool could see that Burke was in love with this little fashion diva. He walked over and put his arm around her tiny shoulders.
“Yeah, not much of a tanner, as you can all see,” I laughed at the sight of my pale skin compared to Delilah’s bronzed version, or even Summer’s lightly sun kissed tones.
“Oh you look great,” Summer chimed in, “the pale skin looks good with your dark hair and pale blue eyes. You look a lot like your uncle, same hair, same skin tone...”
“Let’s get to class,” Rusty broke in, clearly bored, and started walking, pulling Summer along with him.
As soon as the bell rang, releasing me from the confines of Telluride High School, I sauntered down the length of Colorado Avenue, slowly making my way to the storefront Catherine had rented for her boutique. This little town, surrounded by mountains, has remained little touched by time. The cars and trucks parked along the street were the only blaring evidence of the true year.
If I squinted my eyes and pretended to see everything in sepia tones, I could be viewing a photograph taken over a hundred years ago. As I passed the New Sheridan Hotel, I tried to picture it as it was on its opening day. The colorful storefronts and many hand painted signs were a refreshing change from the ultra modern world in which we all find ourselves.
My time-warp was broken by the sight of Catherine, standing on the side walk just up-ahead, waving at me. She was sporting a glorious grin, eager to show me the location. She seemed to thrive on our new beginnings.
I worked with Catherine every day after school. James joined us after he finished work. It was during our first night of painting that we discovered the Chinese restaurant across the street. I ran over at six o’clock and picked up some take-out for our dinner. We were immediately hooked and it became a nightly routine. The three of us would sit on the floor, for our Chinese picnic dinner, and talk about our hopes for life in this town. Side by side by side we painted, set up displays, and generally worked our butts off until after midnight every night. It was an absolute asset to us that we needed less sleep and could push our bodies harder than the average person.
Seven days later A Step in Time opened its doors.
