Summary

Jasper has had three major events in his life lately: first, a big pine tree fell and sheared off a corner of his house; second, his dog, Pluto, died; and, third, Kit shows up out of the blue. Kit is a part of Jasper's life he calls the "Daphne Decade" before his ex-wife, Daphne, left Jasper for another man. Jasper has not seen much of Kit after he left for graduate school, however, and has met Kit's wife, Sandra, only one time. Jasper enlists a local man, Jim, to help with the repairs on the house and intends to enlist Kit when he arrives too.

Jasper runs an outdoor gear store in Vermont and he is hoping for early snow to bring people to the area to ski. Jasper wonders why Kit has come but does not ask outright...