Page 64 of My Secret Snowflake
“But you just questioned my intentions,” I say.
“Well, I’d hoped youhadintentions,” she says grumpily.
“Shouldn’t I keep it to business? Isn’t she interested in Ernest?” I ask.
Jazmine’s head whips around to face me. “You know that?”
Well, that confirms my suspicion. I can’t say I’m happy about it.
“I suspected it,” I say.
“She’s only asking you questions about Ernest because she’s the secret snowflake for him,” Jazmine says.
“I don’t think that’s the sole reason,” I say.
“Maybe she thinks he’s good boyfriend material, but Aaron doesn’t like him, so I don’t think so.”
“Aaron doesn’t like him?” I ask.
“Aaron says that Ernest is too subservient to management,” she says.
Okay, so maybe Bob was right and I should socialize more if I can get this kind of on-the-ground intelligence.
“In what way?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she says. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Don’t tell Aaron I said anything.”
“I won’t. But I may indirectly follow up with him in case there’s something I should know. You should skate with him, though, not with me, because he looks lonely over there. And I should hang out with my little sibling.”
I catch up to Jamal, who introduces his group of friends.
“Do you want to take a break and get some hot chocolate?” I ask. “We can talk.”
“You may not be good on the ice, but you got two of the prettiest women at the company to skate with you,” he says. “Not bad, bro.”
“I can’t say it was intentional. I’m not that clever. But…”
“I think you’re definitely milking it,” he says.
“Just a little.” I grin. “And not to set a bad example. I thought I wasn’t that obvious.”
We sit down with hot chocolate. Iris, Aaron, and Jazmine join us with their siblings.
“Jazmine and I are going to go shopping for her secret snowflake this weekend,” Nora says.
“After we look at your homework.” Jazmine explains what the Secret Snowflake program is. We all admit that we’ve signed up.
“Do you know who your Secret Snowflake is?” Faith asks Iris.
She shakes her head. “I’ve received so many gifts that I think I must have more than one.”
“We do secret snowflakes too, but we just exchange a gift on a certain day, so it’s not really a secret,” Jamal says.
“And it usually ends up being candy,” says Faith.
“Which I give to my mom,” Jamal says.
“What your mom would really like is for you to get top honors in math,” Faith says.
