Page 12 of Snowballed

I glance over at Zoe. Her cheeks are red, and that huge smile is gone. She jerks the wheel, and the car screeches to a stop. She leans over me and opens the passenger side door.

“Get out,” she hisses.

“What?”

“I’ve had enough of your arrogance and superiority. If Burlington is such a tiny hick town, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding your way home.”

She shoves me out before I even finish unbuckling my seat belt. And she’s pretty strong. I half-stumble out and land on the sidewalk. She takes off before I’ve even righted myself.

Then the Explorer stops. Has Cracky come to her senses? The passenger side door opens again, and I lurch towards the car. My backpack sails out and lands on the sidewalk. The door closes, and she peels out in a cloud of exhaust.

I brush myself off and pick up my backpack, avoiding the curious looks of every person on this block.

Well, shit. The only good news is that she’s kicked me out in front of a coffee place. I go inside to get a coffee and ask about buses.

4

Zoe

How hard can it be to find a guy in a pink hoodie?

I keep asking myself this as I cruise through downtown Burlington. I regretted getting mad almost immediately, but he was already gone.

What have I done? Yes, he acted like a sulky toddler, but I should not have let him press my buttons. What is my mom going to say if I arrive home without our new tenant? And what if Noah decides to wash his hands of me? All the awful possibilities are making me panic. I’ve got zero other options for farm help right now. I need Noah, and now I’ve completely alienated him.

Ugh. I hate to admit this because he’s such a jerk, but he is gorgeous. Even in his ridiculous surfer-dude clothing, he is stunning. Dark hair flopping onto his forehead, brown eyes with lashes longer than mine, and a lush, scowling mouth.

Of course, his good looks made me nervous, and then it was like watching a car crash in slow motion. I could see that I was bugging him, yet I still could not shut up. Is there some kind of surgery I can get to lock my mouth in case of emergencies?

Despite Noah’s remark, Burlington is a very big place when you’re looking for a lost hockey player. I park the car and start searching on foot. As I speed-walk the main street, I call Rocky.

“I’ve lost Noah,” I say as soon as she answers.

“Already? Where?” she asks.

“If I knew, he wouldn’t be lost.” My normal speech patterns are back now that Noah is not here.

“No, no. I meant where did you last see him?” From the noise at her end, I know she’s putting on shoes and getting ready to help. This is why I love Rocky.

“I shoved him out of the car on Church Street,” I say.

Rocky laughs. “Mon dieu, why did you do that?”

“He’s very irritating. And he insulted Burlington.”

“Oh no. That’s a federal offense for sure. All right, I’m heading out onto campus. Where should I look?”

“Maybe the arena? It’s the natural habitat of hockey players.” I have no idea where Noah might go, and again panic grips me. Why did I throw him out? What is wrong with me?

“What’s he wearing?”

“A pink hoodie, board shorts, and flip-flops. All he’s missing is a surfboard.” It’s a look that would be ridiculous on anyone else but looked perfect on Noah. His tanned skin against the pink cotton, his muscular legs in the board shorts, even the hair on his calves looked hot. Is it any wonder I was reduced to a babbling mess?

“Well, he shouldn’t be too hard to find,” Rocky says. “Should I send out an S.O.S. to the whole team?”

“No. Please don’t. I’m really hoping to find him, apologize, and make like this never happened.”

She laughs again. “I can’t believe you got mad at him. You’re always so nice. Okay, I’m looking through the Green Bean now.”

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