The Dead of Winter (Seasons of Jefferson: Book 2) (28 page)

I make an effort to tickle her cheek with a warm trail of breath, as I move across her blushing, mocha skin. I brush her hair away from her face and cup my hand around her ear. I feel her body tighten beneath me. It takes every ounce of restraint I’ve got not to kiss her, as I watch her gently bite at her bottom lip.
I’m actually making her nervous.
I can feel her heartbeat pounding against my cradling arms.
I’d better let her off the hook.

Again, I lean into her, pushing my face into her ear. I want her to feel my smile. I wish I could see her face right now.
Let the games begin.
Again, I pull my face away, letting her watch me lick my lips. Then I look down at her, like I’m going in for the kiss. I have to laugh to myself. I spit my gum over her shoulder, and wipe my mouth on her collar. I know I’m killing the moment, and probably any chance I ever had of a real kiss, but for once, I feel like I have the upper hand.

Disgust covers her face. Her mouth drops. She shakes her head in disbelief.

“Gotcha!” I chuckle, pulling away, and bringing her to her feet.

“Got me? What the hell was that?”

“You thought I was gonna kiss you, and you know it.”

“Whatever! You’re a jackass! I wouldn’t kiss you even if you tried. Especially not with those moves.”

“We’ll see about that. Challenge accepted.”

Tangles doesn’t even have time to react. Jessie May runs up, grabbing her by the arm. “Come on! Do you want to lose? Stop flirting, and let’s go do what we came here to do.”

Silence lingers between us, but I still feel sparks flying from my chest as we run up to the school and find our way to the kitchen. I don’t know why, but I feel bad about what I just did to her.
Should I have kissed her? Did I screw up?
The look on her face, when I pulled away was something I’ve never seen before. She almost looked … hurt.
Did she really want to kiss me?
I glance over at her, just to see if she’s okay. No sooner does she catch my glimpse, than she looks the other direction. I want to say something, anything, but when we enter the building we’re met by the principal and a huge pile of undecorated sugar cookies. There’s no time to make things right.

“You kids have some work to do. Two dozen of those have your team’s name on them. They need to be decorated and transported downtown in time for the holiday auction tonight.”

Aside from a tiny frosting fight between Jessie May and me, we make quick work of the task. Tangles barely looks up. She looks flustered. I can tell that the attention I’m giving Jessie May has her on edge. “Let’s do what we came to do, Jessie May,” she barks out. “That’s what you told me, isn’t it?”

Jessie May apologizes, “You’re right. I’m sorry. We’re almost done, and I think we’ve got a good shot at that prize. All that’s left after this is to wrap and deliver toys.” She turns toward me. “Do you think your friend is still waiting for us?”

“I know she is. She’d never let me down,” I say as I plop a bit of frosting on the last cookie. “Done!” I set it gently on the plate. We run to the principal for the check, and to collect our final toy.

He gives us our last task. It’s directions for the toy delivery. “Looks like all you have left is to do is figure out a way to get these gifts wrapped and delivered to the resource center.” He smiles and looks down at his watch. “I think a few stores might still be open. You kids have a real shot. Good luck making it into the top ten. See you at the pole.”

We grab the toy, and run out to the jeep, where Sandy is waiting with a huge smile on her face. “What’s got you so happy?” I ask, opening the door to find a seat full of wrapped gifts.

“Oh, I’ve played this game before. I know how hard it is to try to get the wrapping done, especially if the store is closed. This task could make or break you.”

“But isn’t it cheating?”

“There’s nothing in the rules that says how to get ‘em wrapped. Trust me, I checked into it after it cost me the challenge last year. I ran down to Eleanor’s and wrapped them while you were decorating. Surprise! You can thank me later.” She holds up a square of wrapping paper and some tape. “You can take care of the last one, while I get you back to the resource center.” We barely have the doors shut, when she steps on the gas, racing to our last destination. We arrive in no time and run to the store entrance, delivering the beautifully wrapped presents. We practically throw the gifts at the employee and race back to the jeep.

“Done!” We jump back in the jeep after delivering the bag of toys. I can tell Sandy’s surprised by our speedy return. “Let’s go!”

Within three minutes, Sandy has us to the finish. “Go! Go!” she yells, pushing me out the door. “I’ve got to find a parking spot. Text me so I know how you placed!” She crosses her fingers and takes off, leaving us to run across the street to the pole.

“You got the proof that we finished our tasks?”

“Right here!” Jessie May holds up all the cards.

I grab the girls’ hands so we can run across the line together. To my left, Jessie May wraps her fingers around mine. My right, however, is a different story. Tangles, tries to tug her hand from mine. “Do we really have to hold hands?”

Jessie May, uncharacteristically roars, “You have to be holding hands when you cross, or it doesn’t count!”

“Fine.” Tangles crunches my fingers in her tight grip, as we cross together.

Cheers boom out all around us. I can barely hear the judge over the roar of the crowd. He looks down at us from his riser, and holds out his hand. “May I see your cards?”

Jessie May releases my hand, so she can hand them over. The sudden release, allows me time to focus on my other hand. It still feels like it’s being gripped in a vice. I try to let go, but Tangles won’t release me from her death grip. I work to open and close my fingers. She looks over at me smirking, “What? I thought you wanted to hold hands.”

“Yeah, hold it. Not be eaten by it. Do you mind?” I try again to pull my hand away.

“Fine. But only because I never wanted to hold it in the first place. Not because you told me to let it go.”

Damn, this girl is a firecracker.
It’s clear that with Tangles, everything is on her terms.
Or, at least it used to be.
I smile, and grab her hand again, curling my fingers around hers. I look over, wink, and click my tongue.

“What are you doing?” she whines.

“Seems to me, my hand has a mind of its own. If it was up to me, there’s no way I’d be doing this right now.” Smiling, I hold our locked hands in front of her face.

“Your hand has a mind of its own, huh? Well, so does mine.”

Before I know it, I’m leaping forward in pain. It feels like a fire ant has just bitten me right on my seat. I pull my hand from hers and rub at my bottom. “What was that?”

She holds up her tiny, left claw, pinching her fingers together. “That’ll teach you not to mess with me.”

My bottom is stinging, when I redirect my attention up to the judge. I watch as he flips through the cards, inspecting each signature carefully. “Well, it seems that everything is in order.” He lifts a microphone and turns toward the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen. We have team number three.”

The crowd goes wild. “Yes!” We jump up and down. I grab Jessie May, twirl her around, and set her back down. Then I look at Tangles, silently asking her permission to celebrate with a hug. She shakes her head back and forth, but I grab her up in my arms anyway. As I swing her around, I feel her vibration. She’s literally buzzing underneath me.

“Put me down!” she yells.

Slowly, I slide her down, dangling her feet just above the ground. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” I smile, finally allowing her to step down onto the sidewalk. I don’t want to let her go. For some reason, my hands just can’t make the break. Instead, I hold her shoulders at arm’s length. Looking into her eyes, my heart pops in my chest.
I’m going to the New Year’s Party with Tangles and Jessie May?
“We won! I’m so excited! Aren’t you?”

I slide my hands down to her waist, still unable to release her. Her breath hitches, as I pull her in tighter.
Is that her pulse?
“So you are excited. I can feel your heart beat!”

“You’re kidding me, right? Are all city boys this overconfident?” Her dimple pops, so I know she’s half joking.
She must have some idea by now that I’m not a city boy.

“What? That’s not your heart racing at the thought of accompanying me to the New Year’s party?”

“No, silly. It’s my phone!” she laughs out, grabbing it from her pocket. When she looks up, the mocha color has faded from her face. She gently grabs my hand from her waist, giving it a tiny squeeze. She looks at me once more, apologetically. “I’ve got to take this.” She shakes her head. Something seems wrong. I watch intently as she walks away from the crowd.

I watch Tangles huddle in the corner, back by the gift store. Her face twists into a painful looking grimace. Her hand comes to her mouth, as she bobs her head up and down. I watch her slide down the wall into a fetal position. Worry crosses Jessie May’s face.

This doesn’t look good. Tangles looks like she’s just entered her own private hell. “Is everything okay?” I ask.

“I don’t think so. That could be the call she’s been waiting for.”

“Can I help?” I begin walking toward her.

Jessie May stops me. “No. Stay here. I’ve got this. She’s a private person. Wait! There is something you can do. Could you collect the prize and get a hold of us later.”

I nod. “I can do that. How do I get a hold of you?”

“Let me see your phone.”

I pull it out. She takes it from my hand, and turns it on. “Uh, you have a ton of notifications on here. Don’t you ever check your phone?”

I suddenly remember a missed call from Officer Marnia.
I’d better take care of that when I get home.
“Guess I’ve been a little distracted.”

Before she says another word, Tangles’s panicked voice interrupts. “Jessie May! Hurry!” I glance over to see her, still huddled in the corner by the gift store.

“I’ll check ‘em later. Go ahead and do what you need to do.”

Jessie May clears the screen and starts tapping away. “Here you go.” She hands me my phone. “Our numbers are in there. Don’t forget about us.”

“Not a chance.”

I watch Jessie May scoop Tangles from the ground, as they make their way down Mount Shasta Boulevard. I’m unsettled, as I shove my phone back in my pocket, and collect our prize.
I wonder what’s wrong with her. Must be something awful. She’s too tough to break down like that for no reason.

I follow behind for a few moments, just to make sure she’s okay. I can still feel her warmth on my hands. I can still smell the scent of her perfume.
Damn. That perfume. Vanilla, my favorite.
It must have rubbed off on my jacket while I was twirling her around. I roll my head down to smell my collar, when my eyes catch a shiny piece of silver, glinting under the streetlight. There on my lapel, I notice a little sterling silver spur, dangling by a metal hook. I pull it from my jacket, hold it up to the light, and inspect it. It’s an earring. Engraved inside are what looks to be initials. AGB.
A? Avery? It’s her earring. A piece of her.

I should run and catch up. Give it to her. But I can’t. Something stops me. I don’t know why, but it’s comforting to hold this little piece of her in my hand. I stop right there. Right in front of the railroad tracks. The whistle blows as the train begins to move between us. I move left and right, trying to watch the tail lights through the blurring boxcars. It’s too hard. The extra bows, bells, and garland, decorating the mock Polar Express, block her from my view. I look down at the earring, then back up through the passing train. It’s too late to see her again tonight. But there’s no way in hell I’m passing up a chance to see her again. I’ve got to give this back to her, after all. I shove the earring in my pocket, right next to my phone. It’s time to go home and celebrate Christmas with the family. The way it should be celebrated.

“GET UP, SLEEPY HEAD!”

Here we go again.
Every year for the past seventeen years, I’ve been woken up the same way on Christmas morning.
Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.
“Enough already, T! Aren’t you ever going to outgrow this stage?”

“But Santa came, and we have awesome stockings sitting out by the fireplace!” She grabs my t-shirt and pulls me back and forth, until I’m swaying like a ship in a storm. “And I have the biggest present under the tree, and you don’t!” she giggles. “Come.”
Tug
. “On!”

Ugh.
It’s the first time I can remember sleeping through the night without one of those damn nightmares, and I have to be woken like this? I flip the covers off and roll out of bed. “Okay, show me,” I groan, shuffling my way down the hallway. “Wait, I have to pee.”

“Make it quick. I really want to see what’s in that box!”

I can’t handle all the Christmas cheer so early in the morning. She needs to take it down a notch. Just to mess with her, I take a little longer than I need to. I can picture her standing with her back to the wall as I listen to her hand slapping against it. She keeps groaning, “Come on! Hurrrrry up.”