“He had to pick a perfect quote, didn’t he?” she asked herself aloud.
With a final glimpse at the delicate ornament, January pulled the tissue paper to the side tenderly placing the ornament back in the packaging. But as she looked inside the small green box, a piece of glass catches January’s eye, and she sets the star on her kitchen counter.
“What the. . .?” January questioned as she gingerly lifted the weightless glass from the box.
She felt her mouth drop as she stared at the fragile ornament in her hand. A snowflake. A beautiful and flawless glass snowflake that January was so afraid would crumble in her grasp that her hand shook in fear.
Something began to tickle the back of her hand and she almost dropped the ornament until she realized that a small note was dangling from the ribbon tied through a hole at the top of the snowflake.
Make a wish
Say it twice
Close your eyes
And say goodnight.
When you wake
You will see
Just place this snowflake
On your tree.
January reread the note three times and still had no idea what it meant, or why it was with her package, but she knew that it didn’t belong to her.
“Deckard,” she moaned just as her phone in the bedroom began to ring.
“Shit.”
Doing her best to place the snowflake gently back in the box, she waited for it to settle in place before she ran toward the sound.
Tripping over her own feet on her rush to grab the phone before the call ended, January had to catch her breath before she could respond to the call.
“Hey,” January said as she pressed the button on her phone to answer.
“Ms. Douglas, did you forget about the meeting this morning?” her boss, Mr. Roberts, asked with his signature tick sounding in his voice.
“No, sir.” She had most definitely forgotten, but with Deckard making an unscheduled appearance this morning, her schedule was completely thrown out of sorts. “I’m on my way now. I’ll be there before it begins.” January ended the call before her boss could get in another word, probably not the best decision, but it was too late to backtrack.
Grabbing the ornament box along with her purse and jacket, January shuffled out her door and drove toward Nick’s Knacks, determined to return the snowflake back to Deckard and demand an explanation. But as traffic grew heavy on her way, she resigned herself to waiting until after her workday to track him down and give him a piece of her mind.
“He’s on a tirade today,” Samantha whispered as they both scooted into the conference room at the last minute. “And he wants to know where you are with the festival piece.”
“Great,” January groaned. Her day was quickly going downhill as fast as a snowball on a mountaintop.
After the four-hour meeting listening to her boss drone on about the upcoming articles and then another hour listening to him discuss the cruise he and his third wife were leaving for the next day, she was finally free. Or so she thought. As she ducked into her office to avoid the Secret Santa sign up going around, she found a small gift sitting on her desk.
She knew what it was without even having to slip the lid of the box open. Her mother had a particular way of wrapping gift boxes. The top and bottom were always done separately, never together, then tied with a ribbon around the corners to hold it together.
It was another Christmas sweater. The tradition that hadn’t waned in twenty-five years.
January knew that she should call her mother to thank her for the gift and that she was sorry to miss her, but just as she sat at her desk, the phone rang.
“Hello, January Douglas speaking.”
The rest of her afternoon went that way. Interviewees called to add some more information to their story, or members of the festival committee finally returned her messages. It was such a chaotic afternoon that she didn’t have the opportunity to slip out for lunch. Instead, Samantha dropped off a sandwich, even going so far as unwrapping it for her.
When the clock at the bottom of her computer screen changed to 5:30 p.m., January slouched back into her chair with a heavy sigh. The day had been lost in a sea of phone calls and office visits. She barely had time to catch her breath, let alone make a run downtown to confront Deckard about the extra ornament.
“I’m heading out, do you want to grab some dinner?” Samantha asked, even though January knew that Samantha had plans with her boyfriend.
“Thanks for the offer, but I actually need to run over to Nick’s Knacks.”
Samantha’s face lit up and January knew what her friend was thinking.
“No, not to see Deckard. Well, I mean, yes, I am going to see him, but it’s because there was something wrong with the package he dropped off this morning.”
“He was at your house this morning? He personally delivered the ornament?” she squeaked, sounding like a mouse being chased by a cat, but instead of fear, it was elation.
“Yes, but he was just being nice.”
“Maybe you two can go out on that date he asked for yesterday.” She smirked at her statement. A devilish grin spreading across her lips.
“I don’t want to go on a date with Deckard,” January lied even though she know Samantha would be able to detect it. Whenever January wasn’t telling the truth, she made non-blinking eye contact. She was the opposite of other people that diverted their attention away during a lie. January always looked someone dead in the eye. The no blinking tended to scare some people. It was her tell, and she knew it. So did Samantha.
And January had definitely fibbed because she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to Deckard. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, with pale blue eyes that reminded her of the sky right after a snowfall. He made her heart and stomach flutter, which both elated and terrified her.
Those darn butterflies had no business taking up residence, January bemused to herself.
What she wanted was to feel Deckard’s strong arms wrapped around her and feel his smooth skin resting against hers. Feel the press of his full lips as they melded with hers in a heated kiss.
January could feel her cheeks flush at her inner thoughts and she hoped that Samantha missed it.
“I’m just going to ask him a question, leave, and heat up something in the microwave at home. I need to pull out my box of ornaments from the attic for the tree decorating at my parents’ house tomorrow.”
“Fine. I’ll let it go this time. But I think you should give Deckard a shot. Think of how cute your babies would be?”
“Wow, you’re definitely getting ahead of yourself. Plus, he’s just here to help out his grandparents during the holidays. He’s not staying in Pineville.”
“But he could if someone that was kind and beautiful asked him to stay.”
Chuckling to herself, January added, “Good luck finding her. I’ll be leaving right behind you.”
Samantha shook her long brown locks as she left the office and January did her best to tidy up her desk before heading out, but her mind was focused on the images of her and Deckard lying naked in her bed. It was just her imagination, but it was one heck of a fantasy.
~
The chime of a bell sounded as January stepped over the threshold of Nick’s Knacks. The teenager from the other day stood behind the register ringing up a customer as January slipped toward the back of the store in search of Deckard.
She thought it would take a while to locate him, especially if he was in the back doing inventory or stocking up. But she should have known that he would be easy to spot. Deckard was standing next to Santa’s mailbox handing out candy canes to the little boys and girls as they placed their letters in the red metal box.
January thought better of interrupting him, but as she took a few steps backward to obscure herself from his sight, she ran into the end cap of one of the aisles knocking down a display of snow scrapers.
She knew better than to look up at him as she tried to shove
the scrapers back to their original placements, but for every one she was able to get to stand up another fell.
“Here, let me,” his deep voice washed over her and January’s breath caught in her throat.
“Thanks,” she wheezed.
She watched as Deckard flawlessly stacked the scrapers back onto the end cap – not a single one tilted or appeared to fall. Even the pieces of plastic obeyed his command.
When every piece was aligned perfectly, they stood up in unison, and January was fascinated to see Deckard’s eyes stray downward as if he was reserved. “I won’t lie, I’m kind of surprised to see you right now.”
Darn, I should apologize for this morning, January contemplated.
“I. . .uh. . .can be a bit moody in the morning.”
There, that is sort of an apology.
As his eyes trailed up her body, they paused at the green box under her arm. In alarm, his gaze bolted up to hers. “Did you not like what I had engraved?”
“No!” she rushed. “I mean, yes. It was beautiful and perfect.” January felt a sense of pride at being able to assure him that he had chosen well, and as his stiff body relaxed at her compliment, she felt her own body react. Except hers wanted to rip off the brown sweater and jeans the man was wearing.
“Then what brings you by?”
“I wanted to return the extra ornament you snuck inside.”
“January, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What extra ornament?”
“The snowflake. I mean, it’s lovely, but I can’t accept it, Deckard.”
His strong hand reached out, grasping her elbow and used his hold to steer her away from the children crowded around them. He was guiding her to the back corner of the tree display where they had met yesterday.
“I can assure you that I did not place a snowflake ornament in the package. And I’m the one that did the engraving, so no one else has touched that box.”
“You did the engraving? Wow.”
“Yes, with the help of a laser engraver. Now, focus. Can I see the ornament?”
Nodding her head, January opened the box and wrapped her fingers around the fragile piece. Slowly she brought it out of the box and let it rest on the palm of her hand.
“Wow,” Deckard replied in amazement as he took in the glass ornament and his large fingers reaching out to take it from her. January worried that he would break the delicate piece, but she should have realized that he would handle it with the utmost care. “This is magnificent. The glass is hollow on the inside and that’s what keeps it so light. Someone spent a lot of time to shape this. You can see here by the wisps along the edges that it was hand blown. But the glass itself is flawless.” She was in awe of him as he spoke of the snowflake as if it were a long lost treasure. January couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he spoke.
His gaze traveled away from the snowflake and rested on her as he asked, “Where did you find this?”
“I didn’t,” she huffed. “That’s why I’m here. It was in the box with the star.”
“That can’t be. It just can’t. I packaged the entire thing myself, and believe me when I say, this piece was not in there.”
“I don’t understand,” January whispered in complete shock.
Deckard turned his head to glance around at the trees on display, the snowflake still held within his grasp. She could see that he was looking to see if the ornament happened to fit alongside any of the other decorations, but they could both tell that it didn’t belong on any of the trees. It was a piece of art that someone wouldn’t find precariously placed on a branch, it would need a place of purpose. And that place wasn’t in a general store.
“I guess I’ll just take it home and put it on my tree.”
“You could do that.”
She could feel his eyes boring into her as she lightly took the snowflake from him and dropped it in the box, trying her damndest to ignore the sizzle from touching his skin.
“So, now that you know I didn’t slip something so erroneous into your package, I suppose that you will let me escort you to dinner tonight?”
“No way,” she protested.
“Look, I don’t want to pressure you or anything. But it’s a free meal and I’m told that I’m fairly good company.”
“And how many women would say that?”
“My grandma? If you asked my ex-girlfriends, they would probably say differently.”
January tried to hide her smirk. He was handsome, and she knew that she felt an unnerving spark of attraction when he was close.
“Well. . . I suppose. . .”
“And you can tell me more about why you hate Christmas?” he probes.
“Fine. I guess I do owe it to you.”
January felt her body recoil as Deckard softly pressed his hand at the small of her back to guide her from the store. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to feel Deckard’s touch, but anyone’s touch simply felt unfamiliar to her.
She could tell that Deckard felt her body flinch, and she murmured an apology, but January knew that her reaction only caused more questions to arise.
He grabbed a dark gray wool coat on their way out the door and wrapped his large frame in its warmth as they stepped over the threshold. She thought better than to let him know that she missed his touch already, but she didn’t have to wait long before he seemed to miss touching her as well.
Deckard slid his hand down her arm to capture her free hand in his. Had anyone ever taken the chance to merely hold her hand, share a quiet strength with her? For some reason, January couldn’t shake the feeling that if she needed someone, Deckard would be there.
“So, where are you taking me?” January inquired just as her stomach grumbled in response. Luckily, there were too many people milling about on the sidewalks for Deckard to hear.
“My grandmother mentioned a new sushi place a few blocks over. Is that okay?”
She was surprised he asked. Most men didn’t care about her opinion on where to eat. She was more or less just a trophy on their arm – a pretty thing for them to look at.
“Sushi sounds great, actually. I don’t go out to eat very often unless it’s somewhere with Samantha, and she’s not a very adventurous eater.”
“Really? You seem like a worldly woman,” Deckard pointed out as they waited at a crosswalk for the light to change.
“I wish. I actually get pretty homesick when I go away to follow a lead on a story. I work for the newspaper, by the way.”
“I see. So leaving Pineville for, say a boyfriend, isn’t something you’d be interested in?”
She looked up at Deckard after his assessment. His face didn’t show any emotion, except maybe a hint of curiosity.
“Um. . .I don’t know. I’ve never given much thought to it, and I’d like to say that I’d follow my heart wherever it may take me. But honestly, you’re probably right.”
He squeezed her hand gently as they crossed the street toward the next block.
“Good to know,” he said, then winked at her. Freaking winked with that same knowing smirk that he had given her this morning. It had the same effect on her as watching a sexy man wear gray sweatpants. January wanted to see Deckard in a pair of gray sweatpants with nothing else on underneath. She was confident that he had that deep V-cut on his hips that guided onlookers to the best part of his maleness.
January’s cheeks heated at her dirty thoughts of the man walking beside her just as snow flurries began to lightly fall around them.
“Tell me about where you’re from,” January prompted, trying to distract herself from her heated thoughts.
Deckard told her that he grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and how he had always wished that he had grown up in a small town like Pineville. When his grandparents moved up this way a few years back, he had been the first one to hop on a plane to visit them. He had fallen in love with the town at first glance.
His dental practice operated as a partnership, which he explained meant that he could always leave to open his o
wn practice if he wanted. Deckard told her that was what he had been saving toward, but as he crept toward the age of thirty his mother had been on him to settle down.
“She would like you.”
Curious, January asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Because you don’t seem to be the kind of person to take shit from anyone. And from what I can tell, and what my grandparents have said, you’re honest and caring. And quite beautiful.” She blushed again this time at his words and not at her internal musings. She didn’t know what to say. Compliments always made her feel uncomfortable, even when she won prom queen her senior year of high school, she barely looked up at the crowd when she crossed the stage to get her crown. “Hey, we’re here.”
“Thank goodness. I’m starving.”
Together Deckard and January shared a platter of sushi and enjoyed a Japanese beer as they shared little anecdotes of their time as children. January felt that she shared more of herself than Deckard had. But it wasn’t that Deckard was holding anything back, January could tell based on her instincts, he just didn’t have any thrilling stories as an only child. She had three other siblings, and as the youngest by almost ten years, she had numerous stories where hilarity ensued. She also enjoyed watching his face morph with each story she divulged. He was an expressive listener, and she liked that about him.
The sun had set a couple hours ago and the snow had fallen steadily while they ate. As the server took away their plates, Deckard and January both glanced out the window and watched as the streets lit up with Christmas lights and decorations. Deckard’s face morphed into utter happiness. His smile widened and eyes began to sparkle, January witnessed it all in his reflection in the glass pane. Then she took in her own expression, her downturned lips with a slight snarl and her narrowed eyes. She was the complete opposite of Deckard. January silently wished that she could understand how Christmas could bring people so much joy and happiness – she had hated the holiday for so long that it seemed impossible to change.
A Snowflake Wish Page 3
