Page 13 of Mr. Winter
She fidgets with a pen on her desk. “Texas, but in Houston, so a lot of our accents aren’t as pronounced.”
“It’s still cute nonetheless, darlin’.”
“What are you two up to?” she asks.
“Shopping and then some wedding planning.”
“Wow. Okay. Well, I’ll leave you two to it. I’ll call you in a couple of hours. Love you.”
She’s gone before I can respond. “Magazine emergency?” Mack quips.
“I guess so. I still don’t know why she called.”
“Girl talk maybe. She’s pretty. I guess it runs in the family. Although, she seems markedly less greedy and annoying as you are.”
I stand up to get in the pretzel line. “Oh, work those backhanded compliments, Daddy.”
“You know what I mean. It’s amazing how people think we’d be a couple. We’d kill each other, and you know it.”
“Duh.” I order my pretzel and the asshole takes half the moment it’s in my fingers. “This is a prime example. You’re buying the cocoa, bitch.”
We get our drinks, mine has extra marshmallows, and start with the first item on the list. I pop into the drugstore first, and that’s when I see the waves I used to like. Myron is in the next aisle and hugged up with some other girl. His mom is white, and his dad is black, so he looks like a younger and much shorter Rick Fox.
“Duck, Mack,” I say as I crouch down in the aisle like the travel shampoos at the bottom are so interesting.
“The hell I will. I thought you were going to beat his ass.”
“We’re in the mall during December. Too many eyes and too much security. I wanted to catch his assoutside.”
I have a one-track mind, and my eyes fall on one of a favorite body wash scents that have been discontinued. There are only four left, and I must have them all. The subtle jasmine and blossom scent smells wonderful on me. Not caring that I’m practically eye-level with Mack’s dick, I begin stacking the soap in the shopping basket he’s holding as he sips his drink.
“Why am I not surprised to find you face to dick with Mack,” Myron drawls from behind me.
“That’s it,” I mumble.
Pivoting, I turn and punch him in the dick. That’s what he gets for standing so close. He yelps and bends over in pain while Mack chokes on his cocoa from laughing. I’m standing by the time his new woman runs over.
“What did you do? she hisses.
“None of your fucking business. If he were minding his, he’d be alright. I don’t know why you’re so concerned. You can get three minutes’ worth of sex from anyone. I may have done you a favor. He might last longer now.”
I use two fingers and push Myron on the temple for him to fall over. “Stop spreading rumors about me, asshole. Consider this as me being nice.”
Mack follows me as we go to pay for the body wash. When the transaction is done, I give the teenager two hundred dollars to read something on the loudspeaker twice. Chuckling, he does as I ask.
“That’s cold, Arden,” Mack teases as I hear the announcement.
“Myron Kent, the penis enlargement cream is out of stock. Myron Kent, the penis enlargement cream is out of stock.”
The satisfaction is almost as sweet as my cocoa.
Chapter 7
Espen
Something is off. I know it because I can feel it—not with the town; that’s fine. It’s Arden. She is in danger. My senses are much stronger than humans. I can hear and see far beyond normal human abilities, but that’s not it. She’s not speaking to Espen. It’s Jack Frost. She’s beginning to believe in my existence. Right now, it’s hope. Hope is good for us magical beings. We can feed off of it. Jumping out the window, I ride that hope straight to her.
Arden is on the frozen lake. She’s standing with her feet shoulder-width apart, trying not to move, but a little girl a few feet away from her is holding a puppy and looks terrified. This would be terrible if I weren’t here. Since I’m moving on hope, only the person who believes in me can see me. Arden glances in my direction and double-takes when she sees me. It’s a cross between shock and relief. My hood and jacket make it hard for her to see my face, but I know my eyes are glowing. Bending, I put my hand on the thin ice and fortify it, making it thicker and strong enough to hold anyone’s weight. The small crowd looks at Arden who’s hyper-focused on me. I can see their confusion. To them, she’s just staring into thin air.
