Page 81 of Dandelions and Smoke

“Our swim trunks for the Polar Bear Plunge are here.” His face lights up like the Fourth of July with an expression that screams trouble. “And so is Mark’s costume.”

“Costume?” My eyebrows draw together before I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. I’m afraid of what the answer will be, and I already know I’m going to regret asking.

“Welcome, families, friends, locals, and visitors. The Chamber of Commerce would like to thank you for making this year’s Winter Fest a success and one to remember. Before proceeding with our annual Polar Bear Plunge, we’d like to acknowledge and give our appreciation to the generous sponsors of Turtle Bay’s local businesses who’ve made this year’s festival possible.” Linda DuPonce, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce and Callie and Caiden’s mom, waves for all of the local business owners to step up.

Among those supporting the event this year are Remy, owner of The Boozy Bear; Hank from Hank’s Garage; Alesandra Walker, Tom’s older sister and owner of Cozy Pines Collective Gallery; Bentlee, the new owner of the Frosty Mountain Stables and Ranch; and Callie, representing her family, who own Cozy Pines Cafe, Frosty Mountain Resort, Turtle Bay Tavern, and nearly every other business and resort in town.

“Thank you all so much for your support and for giving back to this community that we all adore.”

She claps, and the large crowd that’s gathered here at Turtle Bay Public Beach joins in. Many people in the crowd are ready and eager to jump into this giant ice bath. I can’t say that if the council hadn’t requested that the fire department participate this year, we would be standing here barefoot on snow-covered sand that feels more like glass, wrapped in towels, ready to plunge into Turtle Bay’s icy depths.

Most of the lake is a sheet of ice thick enough that all week long, Winter Fest attendees have been ice fishing and riding snowmobiles on it. Since apparently the town’s preferred method of torture is sacrificing its beloved first responders to bitter cold waters, here we all are. I love the cold, but even this is pushing it for me. If only Rory were here to see this spectacle. She’d have every one of us committed.

“And let’s make some noise for our Turtle Bay Fire Department, who has volunteered to be the first team in the water to help encourage you all and initiate our town’s tradition.”

With no more time left to run, I side-eye my crew. The only one of us not shivering is Levi. When he sees my brow twitch in disbelief, he actually smirks.

“Hypothermia is for the weak,” he grunts before letting his towel fall, exposing the matching, skin-tight snowflake square-leg trunks Billy somehow convinced every one of us men to wear. The women had the good sense to pick out their own swimsuits. Billy, naturally, took one look at ‘polar bear plunge’ and heard ‘group costume’. I swear I never know what to expect from this guy.

As soon as his towel hits the ground, a small gasp breathes through the crowd before everyone erupts in a mix of laughter, cheering, and whistles. The rest of us follow suit. I take mine off and fold it at my feet. Without the towel, there’s nothing to block me from this bitter cold, and goosebumps erupt across my skin. I’m going to want that back as soon as possible. Billy twirls his around his head, eliciting giggles from the women in the crowd, and even Tris and Ainsley give us all a few catcalls.

“Now, ladies, don’t get too excited. Last I checked, most of these handsome firefighters are already spoken for,” Linda chuckles into the mic.

“Daddy!” A familiar little voice calls out, and immediately I lock on to Scout, held in Jasenia’s arms.

He’s here. Excitement rushes through me like the exact shot of adrenaline I needed to help keep me warm. She makes her way to the front as the crowd parts for her, and she lets Scout run the rest of the way to me. He runs toward me, hands flailing in the air like he’s Jack Sparrow. Only, instead of being dressed like a pirate, he’s wearing the cutest firefighter uniform I’ve ever seen, with a firefighter winter hat that looks like our helmets.

My heart melts as I wrap my arms around him.

“Hey, buddy!”

His eyes shine with excitement.

“Aw, see. I told you all. What a beautiful family,” Linda adds, directing everyone’s attention to me, Scout, and Jasenia, who sheepishly walks over with a small smile on her face.

I’m happy that Scout is here, but hearing Linda refer to the three of us as a family churns my stomach. It feels wrong to call us that, and doing so publicly only adds to the way it makes me feel dirty. My smile falters slightly as I look away from Scout and Jasenia to see Blake, Billy, Tris, and Ainsley, all exchanging glances. I’m definitely not the only one who’s uncomfortable with this attention. Here I thought freezing my ass off in front of a crowd would be the worst part of today.

“What you doing, Daddy? You naked?”

The crowd laughs, and it eases some of the anxiety bubbling under my skin.

Remy calls for Linda’s attention and whispers something to her.

“Apparently, I am told that the Fire Department has one more surprise for us.”

She points to where our fire engine is parked on the road at the top of the beach, and from behind it emerges a Mark-sized polar bear, dancing to Ice Ice Baby now playing through the truck’s speakers. The big ham does crowd work the whole way down the beach like he has all the time in the world, while the rest of us stand here wishing that a fire would spontaneously break out beneath us.

“I-I’m g-gonna k-kill him,” Angela says through chattering teeth.

My small laugh turns into a bigger one when Angela’s wish for bodily harm to Mark almost comes true. Ellie, Levi’s and Tris’s sweet firehouse dog, must mistake Mark for a giant chew toy because her tail is wagging as her leash slips from Tris’s hands and she launches herself at Mark, sending the Polar Bear toppling to the sand. His head rolls off, exposing his face to Ellie, who, once she realizes it’s only Mark, pays him a few friendly kisses before returning to her owner.

“Tell Tris I’m paying for a batch of Ellie’s Biscuits to be made as a thank you for Ellie,” I declare to Levi, but loud enough that the whole crew hears it.

“Make that two,” Maria adds.

Mark strips out of his polar bear costume, revealing he has a matching suit, and joins the rest of us. Billy shoves him playfully, and he laughs, waving to the rest of us before giving Remy a wink. To all of our relief, Linda starts the countdown, the whole town joining in, and soon we’re all running toward the ice-cold water.

The second I hit the lake, my soul tries to leave my body. The water feels like liquid ice. I plunge under and come up gasping for air. I don’t linger. As soon as my face emerges from underneath the slush, I’m searching for the shore. Somehow, I manage to get to my towel, all whilst not being able to feel my toes. I wrap it around my shoulders, but it’s nowhere near enough to warm me up.