Page 4 of Snowflakes and Sparks

“The Christmas before college, I went on a trip to Old Pine Cove with my friend Rachel and her parents. We signed up for skiing lessons and one of the guys there caught my attention. Alex Denverton. He was kind of a nerd, but in a cute way, not in the awkward I-know-every-Linux-joke-in-the-world kind of way.”

“This sounds more like a story about how you lost your virginity,” Dean said.

“Oh, we’re not at the good bits yet. Trust me,” I said, cringing at the memory of what had happened next. “Besides, I didn’t lose my virginity until I was in college.”

“Okay, so you met this dude, something happened, and it didn’t involve losing your virginity. So what did happen then? Did he push you down the mountain?”

I bit my lip. “Two days before we had to go back to California, Alex said we could help him with the preparations for the annual Snow Ball. He needed to pick up a pallet of snow globes that would be auctioned off for a good cause. The proceedings were meant to go to a summer camp for disabled children.”

“Meant to?” Dean raised his left eyebrow.

“I wanted to impress Alex and lied to him about having a driver’s license. We hit some black ice and crashed right into the town square where the tent for the Snow Ball had just been assembled.”

“You didn’t.”

“And then—”

“Wait, it gets worse?” Dean cut me off. “How can it get worse than that?”

“We got out of the truck, but I had forgotten to put the vehicle in park. It got away from us and crashed straight into the town’s coffee shop, breaking our cargo as well as his truck.”

“So you didn’t only crash some poor guy’s truck, you also broke a ton of snow globes that were meant to be sold for a good cause?”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “I know. I can’t go back there, especially not at Christmas time.”

“Oh, Suze, how long has it been? Ten years? A lot can happen in ten years. People forget, people move to more interesting places, people die. You’re not going to let one mistake you made as a teenager stop you from reaching your adult dreams, right?”

“Maybe Kate will give me Linda’s job regardless of what I do.”

“And what if she doesn’t? You know that she doesn’t have the last say in this, the board does. Look, you’ve worked way too hard for this. Plus, getting that promotion would also mean you can finally afford quality food. And then you can stop ordering takeout from that place on Eleventh Street. Their sushi tastes like rubber,” Dean said, scrunching his nose.

“You’re right, that’s my number one motivation for wanting to move up the corporate ladder,” I said.

I stared at the melted ice cubes in my drink. Dean was right, but I had promised myself I’d never go back. I was positive the people of Old Pine Cove didn’t want to see me again either. Especially not Alex. I hadn’t told Dean the whole truth, but me crashing Alex’s car was nothing compared to how I had broken his heart afterward.

“Just rip the Band-Aid off and give Kate a call. I swear I don’t believe you’ll run into any trouble during your short stay in that town. If you do, hit me up and I’ll support you.”

“I thought you hated snow?”

“I’ll support you from afar. Obviously, I won’t come and save you while the temperature is below forty degrees,” Dean said. “Sorry.”

I wondered how on earth I would decide what I’d tell Kate the next day. Should I pack my bags or stay put?

Staying in L.A. could mean not getting the job I had been dreaming of for years. The board wanted someone who was dedicated and had experience managing a store. But going to Old Pine Cove would mean having to face Alex again. If he still lived there of course.

“Well? Should I flip a coin for you?” Dean asked.

I shook my head. “No. I think I know what I’m going to do.”

I just hoped I wouldn’t regret my decision.

Chapter Two

One short week later, I was parked at the side of the road in snowy Wisconsin. Dean had been right. I couldn’t let one mistake I made years ago stand between me and my dreams. So what if this whole endeavor made my stomach twist and turn? I was sure my time here would be overin a jiffy, as my dentist liked to tell me before a painful five minutes of deep cleaning. And if Alex was still living in Old Pine Cove, I’d just never leave the bookstore and get a pizza delivered every night. It was the best way to avoid him. Easy peasy.

But before I could indulge in a slice of hot pizza, I had to actually make it to Old Pine Cove before my limbs froze off. After going in circles for way too long, I still couldn’t figure out what road to take. I hoped it was a sign from the gods, telling me to give up already and return home to California.

I turned my old-school map ninety degrees and sighed. If only I could’ve swapped the frustration of a paper map for the gloriousness that was the internet and map apps. But no such luck was on my side. It turned out that traveling back to Old Pine Cove also meant traveling back in time.

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