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“How can I help you warm up?”

He arched an eyebrow at me. “Are you really asking that question?”

“I meant what can I make for you? As in beverage?”

“Wishful thinking,” he said with a sigh. I knew I must have been blushing. I would never get used to being flirted with. “How about a caramel latte?”

“Good choice.” I was glad I had an excuse to turn away. My cheeks felt like they were on fire. I made two and joined him at his table.

“Has it been this quiet all day?”

“Ever since I got here. I think you’re my third customer.”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to be a pretty bad storm. Maybe you should close up early.”

“I was thinking about it.” I settled back against the cushions and tried to relax.

“Well, you should. I don’t want you to get caught in that.” His voice was serious and concerned.

“If it’s so dangerous then why did you venture out?”

“I think you know why.” His eyes locked on mine when he said it and I could feel the heat rise back into my cheeks. “So, tell me,” he said as he relaxed a little. “You keep talking about leaving. Where do plan to go?”

“Well, if things go as planned, I hope to attend Brown. Maybe Georgetown.”

“That’s ambitious.”

“Thousands of people go to those schools every year. Why is it so outlandish? My GPA is good enough, I’m a good candidate for financial aide, and I’m already working on my entrance essay.” At this point I was sitting up and in defensive mode.

“Hey, I’m not saying you can’t do it. I’m just impressed that you have a plan. We graduate next year and I’ve changed my mind a dozen times about what I want to do and where I want to go.”

“I’m sorry. I just take it pretty personally. I haven’t had any help. All I can do is hope I’m on the right path.”

“Too bad it’s a path so far away from Flagstaff.” There it was again- that charm making me blush. He must have noticed it too because he smiled when he looked at my face. “That’s adorable,” he said, pointing at my cheeks. His finger grazed my skin and I felt a shock travel through my body.

“I...I should probably clean up,” I said in a whisper. I got up before he could stop me. “You should get home before the snow starts.”

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

“Shut whatever you’re feeling out?” I could see his jaw tighten after he asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t respond with words. Instead he tossed a few dollar bills on the counter and made his way to the door.

“Be safe out there,” was all he said before he walked out. I mentally kicked myself for hurting his feelings. Almost every part of me wanted to chase after him, but the tiny part that knew it would make my escape plan harder kept my feet glued in place.

I made it home just before the snow started to fall. I peeked into my mom’s room and she was out cold, so I decided to grab a snack and watch a little television. Logan texted the moment I sat down.

I’m an asshole

I groaned when I read it. I didn’t want to engage in this conversation, but the movie on the television was about a girl in an impossible relationship and it was making me antsy as I watched it.

What are you talking about?

About how I’m an asshole. Not just today but all the time. Since the 4th grade.

Have you been drinking?

Maybe a little.

I was starting to realize that Logan might have a problem, and I wasn’t about to encourage his booze-fueled confessions.

Talk to me when you’re sober, k?

You hate me don’t you?

Call me, don’t text me, when you’re sober.

I let out a frustrated sigh and tossed my phone on the table. I decided to call it a night and crawled into bed. To my surprise, Jake was the last thing I thought about before I drifted off to sleep.

The morning light seemed brighter than usual when it woke me up the next day. When I sat up in my bed I could see why. The snowstorm delivered as promised, making everything outside a glaring white. I groaned at the thought of putting snow chains on, but I knew I didn’t have time to waste, so I got ready for school quickly and grabbed the chains from the garage.

As soon as I got outside I could see there would be no point in trying to get the chains on. I would have to dig myself out of several feet of snow first, and that wasn’t going to happen, but there was no way I could miss a day of school-not if I wanted to compete for grants or scholarships. I dropped the chains in frustration and just as I was about to set out on foot, I saw an old, blue truck heading my way. I squinted to see inside the cab and it was Jake. I waved and smiled a confused smile. He pulled up to my house and jumped out of the truck.

“Did you get my texts?”

“I haven’t even looked at my phone. What’s going on?”

“Well, I offered to give you a ride to school, but I just got word that we are having a snow day.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep. I’m already dressed, and you look pretty bundled up. Are you hungry?”

The truth was that I was starving. “I am as a matter of fact.”

“Great. Let’s get pancakes.”

That sounded like Heaven on Earth. I hopped into the cab of his truck and it was warm and cozy thanks to the heater blasting.

“Whose truck is this?” I asked as I warmed my fingers in front of the vents.

“It’s my grandpa’s. He’s a mechanic, but he’s not working today, so he let me use it.”

“Oh. Does he live with you?”

“No...,” he hesitated for a moment. “I live with him, and my grandma. They raised me.”

“Wow.” I didn’t know what to say next, or if I should ask about his parents or not, but I didn’t have to.

“My mom took off when I was little and my grandparents have been the only parents I have ever known,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “No idea who my dad is and I really don’t care.”

“You’re lucky you have them.” It occurred to me in that moment that everyone had a story, and a lot of them were rough. I wasn’t the only one who had it bad.

“Whoa, did I over share? The mood just got really serious.”

I had to laugh a little. “You are joking right? Remember me? Girl with a homicidal father and depressed mother?”

He pulled into a parking spot and turned in my direction with a smile on his face that almost made my heart stop. Then it dawned on me- regardless of whether I liked it or not, I probably had feelings for this boy.

The Railroad Cafe was pretty busy for a weekday but we were able to get a cozy table near their stone fireplace, which was great for me since I was always cold. I still wondered how Jake could be warm enough in his thin hoodie. I was in my peacoat and still cold.

“How are you not freezing in that?” I asked, motioning to his jacket.

He looked down at what he was wearing then he bit his lip for a second. “I get hot when I get nervous.”

I was confused at that. “Nervous? What are you nervous about?”

He only shook his head with a grin, but didn’t answer my question. The waitress came and took our order, pouring us each a steaming cup of coffee. It felt god to wrap my fingers around the mug.

“Do you have to work later?” He was changing the subject.

“Good question.” I took my phone out and checked for messages. There was one from the coffee shop.

“Megs, we are snowed in. Do something fun with your day. Make a snowman, or watch trashy television and eat junk food,” Betsy said with a laugh.

“I guess I have the day off.”

He smiled at me again and my body reacted immediately.

“Seriously adorable.”

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“When you blush. It’s adorable.”

I instinctively looked down at the table, not knowing what to say.

“And I’m making it worse. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m just....I’m not used to this.”

I was thankful that our food arrived and the mood relaxed. We chatted about school and goals as we ate and it was easy to be in his company. I learned a lot about his childhood, and told him stories about mine and all of the crazy antics we would pull as kids. He sat back against the booth and wiped his mouth.

“I’m surprised you and Logan drifted apart like that.”

“I’m not. It was traumatic and I only thought of my brother when I saw him and how incomplete everything seemed,” I said between bites. “I’m pretty sure he felt the same. Sorry, I take forever to eat,” I said as I noticed I was only about halfway into my stack of pancakes.

“That’s too bad. You lost a lot more than your brother.”

I only nodded as I chewed. He studied me a little and I started to feel a tiny bit self-conscious. I finished up my bite and pushed my plate away.

“This was a great idea. Thanks for getting me out of the house.”

“Ditto. I really don’t want to go home.”

“Neither do I,” I confessed.

“Well, then...shall we play in the snow?”

I had to laugh at this. The idea was absurd, but perfect.

“I’ll take that as a yes!”

11

We drove to a popular clearing for snow play. There were small hills for sledding, and plenty of room to make a snowman. We got to work on making our own little character, and I laughed out loud at the fact that I was doing exactly what Betsy had told me to do with my day. “Hang on- I need to take a picture for my boss.” I grabbed my phone, but my mood went sour when I saw the text waiting for me. Jake must have seen it on my face.

“Everything ok?”

“Yeah, it’s just Logan. It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

I looked at the message. He was clearly drunk texting me and I decided not to let it ruin my day.

“I’m positive.” I tossed my phone in his truck and when I turned around I was smacked on the shoulder with a snowball. After a moment of stunned shock I laughed harder than I could ever remember laughing. “Oh, you’ll pay. You might want to start running,” I threatened as I formed my own snowball. I tossed it and it hit him in the chest.

“Nice shot,” he complimented as he laughed at me, and suddenly I was stunned again. His green eyes lit up as he laughed, and I was helplessly in awe of them. He made his way toward me and wiped some of the snow off of my shoulder, but his eyes were locked on mine. “Maybe we should go,” I said just above a whisper. He didn’t answer right away, but he didn’t take his eyes off of mine.

“Maybe,” he agreed. His fingers grazed my neck, and chills rang out all over my skin. “You’re freezing. Let’s go somewhere warm.” I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded.

I had no idea of where we were headed when he started driving, but I could tell that the buildings of our small town were fading in the distance. I wasn’t even curious. Every part of me wanted to stay in his warm truck with him. We had been on the road, driving through mostly forest for a while, when he finally spoke.

“My grandparents have a tiny cabin my grandpa uses when he fishes. Sometimes he gets too tired to drive home, so he built this place,” he said as he drove. Just then a tiny cottage came into view. It looked like something out of a fairytale. “I wanted to show you the lake after a snowfall. It’s beautiful.”

We hopped out and stepped onto the wrap around porch. Once we were on the side of the house, I could see what he wanted me to see. The sight was breathtaking. We were surrounded by snow-covered trees and in the middle sat a clear, blue lake. “This is amazing,” I said, thinking back to my time at the ravine with Logan. I had been missing all of the wonders right in front of my eyes.

“I’ve been coming here all my life. I love it.”

“I can see why.”

“It’s freezing. Let’s get inside.” He grabbed a few logs from a firewood bin, and unlocked the door.

“Are you sure they won’t mind if we’re here?”

“I’m positive,” he said as he opened the door.

The inside of the cottage was warm and inviting. Overstuffed sofas sat against the walls, and there was a large, rustic looking dining table sitting near a small kitchen that occupied a corner of the main room. The wood paneled walls were painted white and gave the space a “beachy” feel. A large fireplace took up one of the walls, and above it a mantel displayed family pictures in miss-matched frames.

Jake got the fire going right away then headed to the fridge. “They were just here last week, so the fridge should still be stocked. Aha!” He pulled out whatever he was looking for. It was apple cider. He took a pot off of a hook on the wall and poured some of the cider in, then sat it on the stove to heat up. It made the room smell amazing. He handed me my mug and I inhaled the scent before I tasted it. We made our way over to one of the sofas and sat down.

“Thank you,” I said between sips.

“Oh, you’re welcome. My grandparents get the cider from an orchard up the road.”

“No, I mean thank you for bringing me here. I really didn’t want to go home. But the cider is good too.”