The Dead of Winter (Seasons of Jefferson: Book 2)

by Julie Solano

  I’m certain it’s taken me a half hour to round our large block. Everyone’s probably back at the house, ready to go. I have to get there first. I can’t let them know that I actually drove, or they’ll expect me to do it again. Probably all the way to Ashland. You’ve got to get home, Caden. Now. I press down a little more firmly on the gas. I accelerate to an uncomfortable level. I’ve got to slow down. Panicked, I stomp on the brake, and find myself skidding. Right through the stop sign. A family of deer try to make a run for it. I feel a thump. I watch his hooves spin out from beneath him. He rolls to the ground, but jumps back up and bounds off.

  When I pull over and get out to look at my bumper I’m relieved that there’s no dent. I must’ve just tapped it. Thank God. I can’t imagine messing up my front end on the maiden voyage. I jump back in the truck, hoping to make it home before my friends get back. I round the corner, and take the road up to my house, just in the nick of time. Jenna pulls up behind me.

  I open my door and step out. She’s already beside me. “You drove?”

  I can’t answer her. I’m still sweating and out of breath.

  “Oh man, you look like a ghost. Are you okay?”

  I shake my head, no. “It’s too much. Too soon. I can’t do it. One block and I almost died three times. There were cars everywhere. And deer. Don’t tell them. I don’t want to do it again.”

  “I’ve got your back. Here, give me your keys.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve got to put your truck back. You didn’t park up far enough. I can still see the tracks in the snow. They’ll know you moved it.”

  I hand Jenna my keys. She jumps in and moves the truck forward about six feet. That’s when Kaitlyn, Brody, and Mason pull up behind her.

  Jenna jumps out, making kind of a big deal. “Great truck, Caden. Thanks for letting me take it for a spin.”

  I know she’s doing it for Brody’s benefit. She’s such a great friend.

  “What? You let her drive it first?” I can tell by his face that Brody’s messing with me. He really doesn’t care about stuff like that. He shakes his head. “Wow, dude.”

  I smile and wink, trying to play off my near nervous breakdown. “You guys all ready? I’m kind of excited. I haven’t been up to Ashland this season.”

  “Yep, let’s load up.”

  “You want me to drive?” Brody asks once more, just to check and see if I’ve changed my mind.

  “Uh, if you don’t mind. I have a few things I’d like to take care of.” I hold up my phone.

  “Oh, the new thing you were talking about?” Kaitlyn questions playfully. “Any hints on who this new person might be?”

  “No hints. I don’t want to jinx it.”

  “Fair enough.” Jenna smiles. “I’m glad you’re moving on. Makes me really happy.”

  Curly hair and sparkly brown eyes cross my mind. “Me too.” I look back down at my phone. Nothing. “I just hope it works out.”

  “T. Go ahead and sit with Brody. I’ll take the back with Jenna and Mason. You okay with the middle, Jenna?” I look at Jenna, who’s wildly tapping away at her phone.

  “Oh yeah, sure. I want to spend some time texting Ty anyway,” she says as we get in and close the doors. “He was going to come, but Aiden was released from the hospital this morning.”

  Brody starts the engine and begins to pull away from the curb. I clench my nervous muscles and look around the cab, trying to keep myself distracted from the road and weather conditions around me.

  “This really is cute.” Kaitlyn holds her arm up in the air, dangling her new charms into the back seat.

  “Yeah.” I roll my eyes.

  Jenna begins picking at hers. “This little castle is cute. I’ve never seen another charm like it.”

  For the love of Pete, will they stop carrying on about those charms? This is so stupid. I huff loudly, knowing that they might just recognize my disgust and stop glorifying Peyton’s gifts right in front of me.

  “Sorry.”

  I look down at my empty phone screen and glance up into the rearview mirror. Anything to distract me. I notice a sports car with tinted windows. It seems a little close.

  “Some people are such assholes.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m sorry about the bracelet thing.” Jenna sounds disappointed in herself. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Not you. There’s a car riding our ass. It’s so rude.”

  “Well, it won’t be for long. He’ll have to stop to chain up in about a mile,” Brody snickers, watching me through the rearview mirror.

  “Want me to lose him?”

  “Yeah.” I forget about my new fear of speed when Brody steps on the gas and pulls out into the middle lane.

  I find myself grabbing onto the handle on one side and Jenna’s leg on the other.

  “Ouch.” Jenna whispers, “Are you okay?”

  “I will be as soon as we’re at the park.”

  “You look green. Do you need to pull over?”

  I feel my stomach begin to churn. My cheeks quiver and sweat starts seeping from my forehead. “I think I’m going to puke.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. We’d better pull over.”

  “Hey Brody.” Jenna pats our fearless driver on the shoulder. “We need to pull over.”

  Brody slows and pulls off to the side of the road. I throw open the door and lean over the side. Quiche and cinnamon rolls splatter all over the ground beneath me.

  I can hear my sister gag in response to the sound of vomit hitting the road. “Is he okay? Do you think he has the flu? Oh my gosh. We’d better take him home.”

  “It’s not the flu, T. The back seat makes me sick … especially the way this guy drives.” I laugh, just so Brody knows I’m messing with him.

  “Let me trade you places. The park’s only about ten minutes away.”

  When I get out to exchange seats, I notice the little sports car making its way back up the mountain. Hmm. That was quick. He must have those easy cables. I get back in the truck. “Sorry about the delay. Let’s go.”

  Within fifteen minutes, my stomach has settled, and we’re up at the ski park. I clear my mind of all distractions and hike the hill, ready to conquer another mountain.

  THE RUNS ARE UNBELIEVABLE. THE powder is so thick, it’s darn near up to my thighs. The girls are having a tough time keeping up. It takes a lot of strength to jump through this stuff. Kaitlyn’s skis keep popping off, so she decides she wants to hit a different run. One that’s been recently groomed.

  “How about if we hook up in about forty-five minutes? That should give us all enough time to get a few good runs in.” I look down at my phone to check the time. I have to admit, I’m pretty bummed that there’s still no text from Avery. Guess she’s just not that into me.

  Kaitlyn and Jenna split off. Mason, Brody, and I decide to go for the hard stuff. We hit the terrain park first. “Careful with that arm,” Brody warns. “You don’t want to mess it up again.”

  “Oh, yeah. Seeing you out here like this, I forgot you jacked it up pretty bad. How is it?” Mason questions.

  I lift my arm, spinning it in a circle. “Way better. I’m starting to be able to use it a lot more. You should’ve seen me chopping wood with Tangles last night.”

  “Tangles? Who’s that?”

  “Oh, just this girl I met.” I turn to Brody and can’t help but laugh at the image running through my mind. “Brody, you’ve met her.”

  “What? I’ve met her?”

  “Yeah, you plowed her over at the snowmobile park.”

  “Oh shit! Oh shit!” His mouth falls open, as he booms with laughter. “You’re hooking up with that spicy country girl? The one who called us city boys? How the hell did that happen?”

  “I’ve just run into her a few times here and there.”

  Brody is still in awe of this new revelation. He slaps Mason on the arm, chuckling, “You should see her, dude. I mean the chick is hot.”

  �
�Oh, you haven’t seen anything. You should’ve seen her chopping wood last night.” I can feel my temperature rise in my face, just thinking about it.

  “Are you blushing?” Brody laughs. “You must have it bad. Wait til I tell T.”

  “No! Don’t tell her. I don’t want anyone to know. They don’t know her anyway. She lives in South County.”

  “So, how are you ever going to see her?” Mason questions.

  Mason is so analytical. He’s always thinking. Questioning. “Dude, she’s on the race team. I’ll probably see her every day next week during practice.”

  “Probably? So you haven’t actually hooked up yet?”

  I think about it. Think about the near kiss. The group text. There’s not a whole lot there to show we’ve hooked up. That’s for sure. “Well, not exactly.”

  “So, how do you know she’s your new thing?”

  “Well, I don’t. Not yet. Umm. Let’s just say, there’s definite chemistry there. She flirts with me … I think.”

  “You think?” The guys’ faces look doubtful.

  “I think it’s her way of flirting. She challenges me. Like all the time. It’s so much fun. She’s feisty as hell. Witty. I love it.” I can’t believe I’m telling them all this crap. It feels good to finally get it off my chest.

  “So, you really think you found a new girl? She doesn’t sound anything like Peyton.”

  “Good. I don’t want another Peyton. This girl is different. She’s more … like me. Ornery. Stubborn as hell. But in a good way. I love it. She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met.” She smells like vanilla cupcakes. Looks like a rodeo queen. Rides like lightning. My pulse picks up as the butterflies start to take flight inside of me. “I don’t know, guys. I might’ve met my dream girl.”

  The guys start chuckling. “Have fun with that one. She sounds like she could be a handful,” Mason laughs out. “But if that’s what you’re looking for, good luck to you.” He pats me on the back and looks up toward the lift. “So you boys ready to hit it?”

  “Let’s go.”

  We take off and hit the rail first. My tricks feel pretty solid. I think I’ve got my balance back. I’m strong. Much stronger than even a week ago. I think I’m ready to move on. Test out my skills. “I’m feeling some jumps, guys. You in?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  We get down to the lifts and load up for another run. On our way up, I feel my phone ding in my jacket pocket. I don’t take it all the way out. With my thick gloves I don’t want to chance dropping it from the lift. I unzip my pocket and peek in, just to see if I can see the screen. Still lit up, there’s a notification banner.

  TANGLES: HI ;)

  Hot damn. It’s her. Should I chance it? Take my phone out? I can’t. Not now. Maybe later at the lodge. Later, when we meet up with the girls. I zip my pocket, securing my phone, just as we get to the top to unload. Inside, I’m a blustering mess of hormones. I can’t let the guys see me like this. I’m almost positive my face is red. It’s going to give me away, for sure. Holy crap. She texted! SHE! Texted!

  Come up with something to say. Something that doesn’t involve the word Tangles, or vanilla cupcakes. “How’s your board feeling, Ma?”

  “Dude, it’s sweet. I want to try the dog house. You think you can handle it with that arm?”

  “Right now, I feel like I can handle just about anything.” I glance down at the trail in front of us. Maybe some challenging jumps are just what I need to forget about the unanswered text waiting for me.

  I stand in line behind both Mason and Brody. They do some pretty cool jumps. But me, I take it like a madman. I am pumped up. When I hit that roof, I fly into a 360, kicking my legs back and grabbing the tip of my board. When I land it, the boarders on the side of the run cheer. I can hear voices blending into the background. “Dude, did you see that gnarly turn? That boarder is rad.”

  Mason and Brody meet me at the bottom. “Well, looks like you’re back to the old Caden.” Brody pats me on the back. “Good to see, man.”

  “Speaking of good to see, I need to go see if Jenna and Kaitlyn are waiting for us at the lodge. We’re probably late.”

  “Shoot, I’m just getting started. Mind if I take a couple more runs while you look for them?” Mason asks.

  “Yeah, I want to hang out with Ma for a bit. Meet you back at the lodge in fifteen?”

  “Sounds good.” I take off down the hill, zigzagging in and out. I have to pee. I pull over behind a bush, lodged in between two trees. No one will see me here. As I stand, taking care of business, I watch the skiers and boarders as they travel down the mountain. That one looks like Jenna. She looks like she’s with a guy. Where’s T? She must’ve gone down to meet Brody. There’s no way she could be away from him this long. I button up. I’m going to sneak up on her and blast her with snow.

  I take off in the direction I saw her skiing. Just as I spot her, she begins to stop. It looks like she’s with a guy. That’s weird. I decide to go check it out. I want to make sure my friend is safe. It’s not like her to hang out with random guys. And it’s especially not like her to ditch my sister for them. She knows T’s not supposed to be alone. I take it slow, until I’m within earshot. She’s facing downhill. She doesn’t see me. I unstrap, and push off to the side, so I can get a better look at who she’s with.

  I’m about four feet away, standing in back of them, when the guy turns toward Jenna. I can see his profile now. I have to laugh when I see who it is. It’s Daemon. Is he following her? Seriously, I don’t want them to hear me laughing, but now I know. He has it bad for her. I watch as Jenna slides her gloves off and drops them to the ground. What is she doing? I watch as she digs into her pocket and pulls out her phone. She leans into him, and holds it up. A selfie? She’s seriously taking a selfie with Daemon, the French dude? This is great. Oh, wait until the ride home. I’m going to rub it in hard.

  I continue to watch. This is too much fun to interfere now. He’s taking her by the hand. “Ziz iz zoooo beautiful. Oh look. It’z zee Kremlin. I went there wiz my program. Before I got here. Where did you get zis?”

  By now, I notice Jenna looks a little uncomfortable. Daemon is practically pawing at her hand. It’s strange, the way he’s lifting it up and twirling his head beneath it. He seems to be scoping out the charms on her bracelet. I could swear he would lick her like an ice cream cone if he could. Should I let her off the hook? Save my bestie? Nah. Maybe in a few minutes.

  “It’s from my friend. She gave it to me for Christmas.”

  “She?” His voice sounds oddly high pitched. Is his voice still changing? It’s a little late for puberty.

  “Peyton. You might remember her. She went to our school first quarter.”

  “Aww. Zuch a zweet friend. I would never take it off. The Kremlin. What a special place. It’z known for its miraculous powers.”

  I watch Daemon bow before her. Oh shit. I have to laugh. This is the cheesiest, funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I literally fall to the ground. Jenna snaps her head over her shoulder.

  “Caden! What are you doing here?”

  “Apparently, I’m here to teach Daemon some new moves.” I still can’t stop laughing.

  Daemon looks embarrassed that I witnessed his sorry moves. I can see him fidget and start to back away. “I’ll catch up weez you later. Oh wait. Text me the picture. I want to show my host family.”

  “I don’t have your phone number.”

  “Here, I’ll do it. May I zee your phone?”

  Jenna hands him the phone. “Very good. Zere we go. Zankz, Jenna. I’ll zee you at zchool next week.” He looks down at me and grunts. “By Ca-don.”

  “Oh, Jenna. How did you hook up with him?” I’m roaring with laughter. That accent. Holy crap. I’ve never heard anything like it.

  “Hook up? Seriously? Geez. Give me a little credit. He skied up behind us when we were getting off the lift and asked if he could take a couple runs with us. Kaitlyn had to go to the bathroom, so I took a run w
ith him. That’s it.”

  “You took a selfie with him!” I clamp my lips together, trying not to laugh. “What’s he going to do with that? Post it on Facebook?” I shake my head. “There goes your chance at Winter Court!”

  I can’t control it any longer. I’m doubled over laughing.

  “I’m just trying to be nice. It’s Christmas. He’s away from his family. I wanted him to feel like he had someone. Have a heart.”

  “Speaking of hearts. You know who’s in his?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Get a clue, Jenna. He’s totally into you. As a matter of fact, I have a little secret I’ve been keeping from you.”

  “Really? What’s that?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “Tell me.” Jenna bends down and starts pawing at the snow. When she stands up, she’s holding a big, round snowball. “Or I’ll shove this down your pants.”

  “Okay. You’re his background picture.”

  “What? I’ve worked with him on his laptop, and I am not. His background picture is one of the Rocky movies or something.”

  “Not his laptop background. His phone.”

  She crinkles her nose and twists her face into a grimace. “How do you know? Is he your new BFF or something?”

  Seriously, does she not believe me? “I know because I saw it. On our last race. If you don’t believe me, ask Lennart. He saw it too.”

  “Lennart?”

  “Yeah, our German exchange student. The really smart guy in our physics class. You know, he thinks Daemon is weird too. It’s not just me.”

  Jenna huffs and rolls her eyes. “It’s just his culture. You should give him a chance. He really helped me out with the whole heritage thing.”

  “So, it doesn’t bother you?”

  “What?”

  “Having your picture on his screen?”