Page 1 of Taken Home By the Grizzly

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Zoe

Iswear it’s cold enough to freeze the nards off an elk this morning. I’m huddled in my ugly-but-warm parka and knitted hat, but I’m still shivering as I shuffle along the sidewalk, trying my best not to faceplant in the snow.

The café I’m heading to is just across the little town square, but it might as well be on the other side of the Arctic. In between is a dazzling, sparkling display of festive lights and decorations. Real pretty, except that every little thing I see taunts me, reminding me,Christmas is over, and you don’t live here anymore, Zoe.

I pass the huge Christmas tree in the center, trying not to look at its gorgeous glittery splendor, and I’m less than fifty yards from the café when…

Thunk!something hits me right in the face.

“What the—?” White powder explodes in front of my eyes.A snowball?My cheek stings like crazy. Feels like there was plenty of ice packed into it.

I clutch my face and look around wildly, trying to identify the thrower of the missile.

“Ha-hah!” comes a loud voice off to my left. A child stands, right arm raised, poised to lob another snow rocket at me. I say child. He’s almost my height.

“You little…!” I holler. I crouch down, snatch up a handful of snow and pack it into a hard sphere. Then I straighten up and prepare to launch.

He gives a shriek of fear.

Oh God,he’s actually pretty young. He’s probably only ten or something.What am I doing?I drop the snowball in horror.Always on the defensive, Zoe. Always ready to act first, think later.

A lady rushes over. She’s wearing an expensive-looking coat and tall leather boots. “Oh, there you are Lucas!” she exclaims.

To my dismay, the little brat starts whimpering.

“What’s the matter, honey?”

He jabs a quivering finger at me. “That mean lady was about to hurt me.”

“What?” I squeak in outrage. “He started it!”

She looks me up and down with disdain. “You should know better at your age.”

I open my mouth to point out that her little angel almost blinded me with a mini iceberg.

What’s the point, though? Some people only see what they want to see.

Instead, I hunch my shoulders and leave them to their charade.

When I pull open the door of the café, a waft of warm air and the smell of freshly baked cookies greets me. I love this dang place. It’s buzzing, but right away, I locate my best friend, Chrissie. That’s because she’s sitting in our usual corner. She looks up at the same moment and we give each other a sad little wave. When I arrive at the table, I see that Chrissie has already ordered a coffee for me. And donuts. It’s so sweet, my eyes sting. I blink fast before I start crying like an idiot.

“Why is your cheek all red?” she asks as I sit down.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” I wave my hand. “I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” Like the fact we both got laid off from our jobs yesterday.

“Been doing some thinking?” she asks.

“Yup. I’m thinking there’s no way I’m going to get another job right after the holidays. You?”

“Yeah, same.” She laces her fingers together and stares into the middle distance. “Soo… I’ve been talking to Jack. His family always rents out a cabin in Vermont in January, and they do a ton of skiing. He’s invited me to go stay with them for the month.”

“That’s… that’s great, Chrissie,” I say, my chest warming. “I’m really happy for you.” She and Jack haven’t had an easy ride. He’s been the definition of emotionally unavailable so far. But sounds like things are finally coming together for them.

Chrissie reaches out and lays her hand on mine. “And I want you to come, too, Zoe. There’ll be tons of space, and Jack says they’re good people?—”

“No.” I cut her off. “That’s so, so kind of you, but no way am I gatecrashing your first visit with your boyfriend’s family.”

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