Page 42 of A Bright Winter Season

“I’m okay, thanks.” He smiled at her. “These tater tots are hitting the spot, and then I have a ham sandwich calling my name when I get home. With mustard. And some potato chips on top.” His stomach grumbled at the thought. He loved ham.

“On the sandwich?”

“Oh, yeah, haven’t you ever tried that? It’s fantastic.”

“I haven’t, but I see what you mean. An added crunch and saltiness? Samantha would love that.”

“I don’t recommend potato chips in peanut butter and jelly though.”

“You know what is really great in that? M&Ms.”

They continued to talk and laugh while they ate, and even though there was a dish of ketchup and a dish of garlic aioli between their plates, Jacob never dipped his tater tots in the ketchup, only the aioli.

“You only like the aioli, huh?” she teased. “What did ketchup ever do to you?”

He laughed. “I get to eat ketchup all the time. I’ve got like four bottles of it in my refrigerator, and one of them is probably expired. Garlic aioli, on the other hand, is amazing and I hardly ever get to eat it.”

“I can teach you how to make it if you want! It’s not that hard.”

“You make garlic aioli, huh? I should have known. You’ve got all kinds of magical skills like that, don’t you?”

She shook her head, laughing. “Not magical. Just skills. Skills that you too can have. And it sounds like you’re going to need them, if you have such a refined palate. You’re clearly more hotsy-totsy than I’d thought.”

Jacob shook his head, suddenly in a more serious mood. The lateness of the hour and his fatigue made him more inclined to be free with his words. He’d never been one to share his heart at the drop of a hat, but he found himself saying, “I’m not hotsy-totsy at all. That’s exactly why I never made a move on you.”

Hazel stared at him with wide eyes. “What?” she stammered after a moment.

“I mean it,” he said, leaning forward a little and looking right into her eyes. “I always pictured you with someone sophisticated—some kind of cool, successful guy. That’s why I never asked you out.”

Hazel cleared her throat, blinking rapidly. “I mean—you’re a great guy, Jacob. A really great guy. And you are successful! Besides, I’m certainly nothing fancy myself.”

“I think you’re amazing,” he said. “You’ve always been so kind and energetic. And smart. You were always reading those really thick books when we were in high school.”

“They weren’t anything really impressive, just fantasy books,” she said in a small voice.

“But you are smart. And you carry this kind, genuine energy with you wherever you go. You brighten up a room. And you’re beautiful.”

Hazel, who was blushing furiously, shook her head. “Jacob, stop. Please stop.”

“Why?”

“You… it’s not okay to say things like this to me when you have a girlfriend.”

He froze for a second, and then he grinned. “I thought you knew. I don’t have a girlfriend, not anymore. She and I haven’t been together for months.”

She stared at him, and he had no idea what she was thinking. Her eyes were wide and she took a couple of deep breaths.

“Well, you—looks like we’re both done with our tater tots.” She cleared her throat. “It’s late. We should all head home.”

“I think Terrence might still be checking those vents.”

“Maybe. I’ll go check on him and my mom.” She stood up, smiled in a way that seemed very forced, and slipped out of the kitchen.

Oh no, Jacob thought.Clearly that wasn’t the right thing to say. I hope I didn’t ruin our friendship by saying that to her.

Sighing, he stood up and carried their plates over to the dishwashing area, hoping that he hadn’t just totally screwed things up.

CHAPTER TWENTY

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