“What’s with the snowman?” asked a loudmouth who had heckled Breck for the first five minutes of his routine.
Breck glanced over his shoulder and saw his melting snowman standing a few feet away. “When did that get here?” he asked the crowd.
They chuckled. “Like you don’t know!” yelled the heckler.
Breck didn’t have to fake confusion. He shook his head. If John thought it was funny to mess around with his props, he was going to have to have a serious talk about boundaries.
Or move out.
Great, now he’d be jobandapartment hunting in the dead of winter.
He stomped over to the snowman. “Get out of the suit,” he said low through his teeth. The last thing he needed was to reveal this trick on the street corner. A part of him hoped to salvage it—for what, he didn’t know.
“Say the magic word,” came the reply from inside the suit. That soft, melodious sound most definitely wasn’t made by John. Wait—was that Harmony? What was she doing inside … His heart rate spiked.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered out of the side of his cheek. He didn’t know why she was there, but his heart hurt from growing so fast. The stiffness in his cheeks disappeared and he felt like he was twenty pounds lighter.
There was no reply, so he went on with the act.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” He dragged Harmony in front of the crowd. She couldn’t walk fast because her feet were restricted by the 8” circle at the bottom of the costume. “This is Frosty. He’s only got one fear; can anyone guess what it is?”
“Summer!” called several people. Already, they were more involved in the act. Breck’s smile came easily and naturally, his muscles falling into it like they were made of marshmallows.
“Thaaat’s right!” He shoved his finger in the air, all while placing Harmony near the flash pot. He hadn’t thought he’d need it but had set up the top hat version as part of his backdrop. Now, he was glad he’d thought to fill it up. “We’re going to give him a little scare and see what happens. Are you ready to help?”
The applause was thick with anticipation. More people stopped, curious. Several held up phones, filming.
He cupped his hand around his mouth. “When I count to three, we’re going to yellsummerand see what happens.”
He held up one finger. The group took a breath. 2 fingers. They opened their mouths. Three fingers and they unleashed, “SUMMER!”
Breck stepped on the button to set off the flash pot, and a puff of smoke filled the air. The people on the front row coughed and waved their hands in front of their faces. Breck held his breath. This was the moment when Harmony slipped away and joined the back of the crowd.
He could just make out her form … shoot. She missed the cue. He didn’t even care! He was so happy to see her. She stood there holding a big sign that said “You Melted My Frozen Heart.”
He blinked. Wait. That wasn’t supposed to happen. What?
You melted …
Suddenly, it dawned on him. She hadn’t come to help him finish his last show. She’d come forhim. He rushed her, picking her up around the middle and spinning in a circle. The melting snowman fabric ripped beneath his big boots. Oh well. He’d have to come up with another trick—although Harmony had made this one a thousand times better than he had imagined.
Harmony dropped the sign and framed his face in her gloves. “Will you come home with me for Christmas?”
He laughed. “Yes!” Setting her down, he fanned his face and turned towards the crowd. “I thought she’d never ask,” he said playfully. They laughed. Ladies put their hands over their hearts and oohed and aahed. Men nodded their approval—looking at him like he had game. He wouldn’t correct them, but his secret was caring about Harmony more than he could tell.
Harmony leaned into his side. “And we can talk about after Christmas over eggnog.”
“It sounds like heaven.”
The crowd began to disperse. “I’ll help you clean up,” Harmony offered.
Breck gave her another kiss on the cheek—just to make sure she was real and not some figment of Christmas magic that would melt with the snow. “I’ll go get the cameras.”
He reached for the one on the store lamp and cut the zip tie. As he turned around, he saw Harmony talking to a man in black winter boots and a tan coat. A sense of familiarity washed over him as the man lifted his hat in goodbye and white hair appeared.
“Who was that?” he asked as she came over, her arms full of fabric.
“It was the same guy who was at your first show. He was standing in front of me, and when you called me up, he pushed me forward.” She looked over her shoulder. “He’s gone …”
