2
Eunice
“OHHH… YOU’RE SNOWED in with your lover boy in a cozy little town.”
Tara’s voice crackled through the phone speaker, cutting in and out. I brought my knees up, pressed them against my chest, and dug my fingers into the patchwork quilt covering the bed. The smile trying to break free was impossible to stop.
“It’s work,” I said, though I didn’t sound very convincing even to myself. “This is a very important case.”
“Sure.” The word dripped with disbelief even through the spotty signal. “Nothing says ‘work trip’ like thermal underwear.”
My neck flushed hot, the heat climbing until my ears were on fire. I looked over at my suitcase sitting in the corner. Buried beneath my thick wool sweaters was the black lace set I’d bought just for this.
“They’re not thermal,” I mumbled.
“Aha! So youdidpack something special?” Her laugh dissolved into static before coming back. “I knew it. What else did you bring? Please tell me you at least brought that red lipstick I bought you.”
I rolled off the bed and walked to the window to avoid answering. Outside, snowflakes drifted down lazily, like someone was sprinkling caster sugar from the sky. The whole town of Hope Peak looked like those Christmas movies whereeverything works out in the end, where the girl always gets her happy ending.
“It’s so beautiful here, Tars.”
“Don’t change the subject. How’s Derek been? Is he making moves yet?”
My stomach did a nervous flip. “He’s been...” I paused, searching for the right word.Distant?No, that wasn’t right. “Focused. Rigid, almost.”
“Rigid, huh?”
“Stop it,” I laughed, my breath fogging the glass. I wiped it away with my sleeve. “I mean... It’s like he’s holding himself back. We’re at work. He has to be professional. It probably takes a lot of effort for him… working together, and having to act like nothing happened.”
“So he’s being a gentleman. Being considerate.”
“Exactly. Especially with office gossip, the woman always takes the hit.”
Derek was ambitious, careful. He wouldn’t want to mess things up by assuming too much, not when he wasn’t sure howIfelt. Maybe he thought it was just a onetime thing for me. Maybe he was waiting for a sign that I wanted more.
“Look at this,” I whispered, holding my phone up to the window. “It’s magical. It feels like… a sign.”
“Oh my God, yes.”
“I keep wanting to go outside and just stand in it, but Derek said I’d catch pneumonia.”
“Aww. He’s being protective.”
“He is.” I leaned my forehead against the cold glass. “He’s just waiting for the right moment. I know he is.”
“Well? Don’t make him do all the work. Give him the green light.”
“I’m going to tell him tonight.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I don’t know yet. Something simple. Maybe just… that I’ve been thinking about that night. That I’d like to have more nights like that.”
“Yeah, keep it light but clear. Give him permission to want you back.”
When we hung up, I sat in the quiet, and a giddy, nervous energy buzzed under my skin.
A knock jolted me, pulling me from my spiral of happy thoughts.
