Page 3 of Snowflakes and Sparks

“Old Pine Cove, Wisconsin?”

“That’s the one. Apparently the town is known for its ski resorts and snow globe industry.”

“Ski resorts and snow globes,” I repeated back to her.And Alex Denverton.

“Look, I know this comes out of the blue, and it might be far away,” Kate said with a look of concern on her face, probably because I was giving her a top-notch impression of a deer in headlights. “But if you could help me out here, the board will be impressed and I promise you that it will help tremendously with landing Linda’s job. After she retires, of course. The Old Pine Cove bookstore has only been open for six months. We’ve pumped a lot of money into it. It’s a small town, but a lot of tourists love going there to buy exclusive snow globes. Plus, they all need to have something to read on those cold winter nights or lazy spring mornings.”

I nodded, still not able to utter any words.

“Why don’t you think it over and let me know your answer by tomorrow morning? And remember, it’ll only be a temporary thing until we find a replacement. All I’m asking for is some patience. This time of year is not the best period to find someone who’s in need of a job in a small town and who also happens to have the right qualifications. It would be great to have you hold down the fort for us while we start looking for a suitable candidate. I believe you have the potential to turn it into a lucrative store before handing it over to the new store manager. So, see you tomorrow?”

“Okay,” I uttered and got up. I made my way to the bathroom where I splashed some water on my face. Not that it made any difference. My heart kept beating just as fast, with or without copious amounts of water landing on my face.

They wanted me to become the temporary store manager in Old Pine Cove? It was the one place on earth I’d sworn I would never return to. Of all the places Kate could’ve sent me to, Old Pine Cove was it?

This had to be some weird universal fluke. Managing a small-town bookstore sounded like a fun challenge and right up my alley. But the Old Pine Cove part? That made me sick to my stomach.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. It was almost eight at night when Dean and I were finally seated at a table in The Velvet Straw.

“I really don’t see the problem, honey,” Dean said, dipping some chips into our shared bowl of salsa. “You go to that sleepy town for a few weeks, surround yourself with real snow instead of the fake kind, take some skiing lessons on the weekend or go ice skating. And when you return to sunny L.A., you get that promotion. Plus, it’ll be great for boosting your Instagram profile. Just think about all the gorgeous pictures you’ll be able to take. What’s so difficult about this decision?”

“I don’t think you understand. I can’t do it. I’ve been there once before and it’s not everything you make it out to be.”

Dean laughed. “What are you talking about? It’s not like Kate’s asked you to go to the fiery pits of Mordor.”

“Let me put it this way. I’d rather drink a pitcher of poison while hiking to Mordor than return to Old Pine Cove,” I said, taking a large gulp of my cocktail.

“Wow, these Old Pine Cove villagers must’ve made quite the impression on you back in the day. Were they all serial killers or something? Did they fold back the spines of their books like savages?”

“No. They were a nice bunch of people. I don’t know what their book treatment habits are like, though.”

“Then what’s the big deal? You’re not making any sense, honey.”

“Well, maybe you should go then,” I said, hoping he’d agree and nothing would have to change for me.

Dean laughed so hard, he almost choked on a handful of nacho chips. “Me? You know that the only snow I tolerate is the fake kind.”

“It would be a great way to escape Christmas with your family,” I said.

“Nice try, but I’m not traveling north during the winter months. Just let me in on the dirt of why you don’t want to go back to Old Pine Cove. Please?” he added.

I fidgeted with my paper napkin. I’d never told anyone about my experience there and my friend Rachel had promised me she’d never reveal anything about it either. But Dean wasn’t going to let this go.

“Let’s just say that something happened there when I was seventeen. Something so embarrassing that I can never show my face in Old Pine Cove again.”

I downed my cocktail and placed it back on the little white napkin.

Dean leaned in, his gaze full of anticipation. “You’ve got to give me more details than that, hon.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

He held his hands up. “Fine. Suit yourself. But I can’t help you make an informed decision without all the information. That means you can’t come crying if you don’t get old Linda’s job, all because of some silly thing you did when you were a teenager.”

I sighed. Maybe I could give him the basics, nothing more.

“Promise not to tell anyone?”

Dean pretended to lock his mouth and dramatically threw away the non-existent key.

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