Troping Through the Snow by Alexa Riley

“I did a little digging on your background.” She tries to put her feet up on her desk but misses and nearly falls over backwards in her chair. “Turns out you were in the military.” She doesn’t miss a beat in conversation as she straightens up.

“Yes, I was.”

“So you’re admitting it.” She points a finger right at me, and she might be funny if I wasn’t still so damn sad about Frostie.

“You’re her best friend,” I say, ignoring her line of inquisition.

“I see you’ve done your own homework too.” Tinsel takes a sip of what looks like hot cocoa and waits for me to finish.

I’m not used to doing anything like this, so it’s hard to open myself up in this way. But getting Frostie to come be with me again is all I care about. So I decide to sacrifice what little fear I have about talking and messing up my words so I can do this right.

“In the rush for her to leave this morning, I messed up, and I think I hurt her feelings.” Before Tinsel can start talking, I hold up my hands. “It wasn’t intentional. I just don’t always say things the right way.”

“Okay, go on.” She puts her elbows on her desk, waiting for me to finish.

“What can I do to make things right?” There it is, me laying it out and asking for help. It’s not something I’ve ever done before, but desperate times and all that.

Last night and this morning were the single greatest hours of my life, and it all came crashing down around me with the dawning of the sun. I need to get that time back and fix what I’ve screwed up.

“Well, if it were me—which I would never ever do because I’m amazing and she loves me,” Tinsel rambles to herself. “But if I was possessed by aliens and somehow fucked up, I think she would need some kind of grand gesture.”

“Oh,” I say, thinking this is probably the worst case scenario. Grand gestures aren’t in my operation manual.

“Or maybe just leave her alone,” Tinsel suggests, and I see her trying to hide a smile. I can’t tell if she’s fucking with me or telling me the truth.

Just then the door to her office opens, and Jack is carrying a bag of sandwiches from the deli along with a bag from Frostie’s.

“Good to see you again,” Jack says and looks at my clothes. “With a shirt on.”

“I’m on my way out,” I say and get up from the chair. “I was just asking Tinsel for advice on how to patch things up with Frostie,” I mumble as I try to think of something that might work.

“Well, when she’s mad at Tinsel, all it takes is a drive down Canterberry lane to look at the Christmas lights,” Jack offers, and Tinsel smacks his chest.

“That’s a secret,” she hisses, and Jack shrugs. “He’s the enemy.”

“Thanks for the talk,” I say to the two of them, and Tinsel narrows her eyes at me as I exit her office.

Once I’m outside, I take a walk to the bakery and see there’s a line of people inside. Of course there is. When I walk in, Frostie looks up and stares right at me. She was in the middle of helping a customer and ends up dropping something onto the counter. She apologizes, and I stand in line while she and another person behind the counter take orders.

It doesn't take long, and when I’m the next in line, she looks over at the girl working with her and whispers that she’s taking a quick break.

“Come on back,” she says, and I follow her around the counter and to the rear of the bakery.

Once the kitchen door closes behind us, we both start to talk right away.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“About this morning,” she says at the same time, and then I see a little smile. “You first.”

“I didn’t mean what I said about not coming back. I just meant I didn’t want to pressure you. It was a lot and…”

“And I liked it,” she finishes for me.

“I’d like to take you out after you close,” I say, and she nods while tucking her chin in the cutest way.

“I can bring dessert,” she offers, and feeling brave, I reach out and put my hand on her hip before pulling her closer to me.

“I think I’ve already got something sweet.” She tilts her head back, and I cup her cheek before bending down and kissing her.

“We’re out of snickerdoo—”

Frostie and I jump apart when the girl from the counter comes around the corner, and I realize the door to the kitchen is standing wide open, and the whole bakery can see us.

“Gotta go,” Frostie says with her face flushed and her lips glossy from our kiss. “See you at close.”

Then that beautiful woman who has become my obsession disappears into the crowd.





CHAPTER 9





FROSTIE





If I thought I was busy before, I was wrong. My foot traffic only picked up after Clause left, and I’m not sure what people thought they were going to see. They do, however, ask questions, and they’re terrible at it too. Everyone is trying to be sneaky and failing.

Anything new, Frostie? What’s going on in your life, Frostie? Have you been dating? Who will you be spending Christmas with?

It was one after another, but I dodged them the best I could because the reality is, I don’t know what Clause and I are. He’s always so private and when he realized people were watching, he jumped back quickly. It makes me wonder how much experience he has with women.