02

02

Summer paused for a second. « Jack… Frost ? »

« Jack… Frost ? »

« That’s me. »

Jeez. And Summer thought her parents had fun choosing her name. « Please tell me Jack is short for Jackson. »

« Nope, just Jack. »

« Huh, well what do you know. Jack Frost is in town. »

« He sure is, » Jack said and gave a tiny smile. « Have you been waiting for me ? »

« On the contrary, » She replied. « I’ve been hoping you’d stay away this year. »

« Oh ? » He cocked a brow. « Not a fan of the cold ? »

« Nope. »

« Well that’s unfortunate, » He said and sighed exasperatedly. « Because I’m going to be here until Santa Claus has swung by and done his merry job. »

Summer chuckled. At least he wasn’t too humorless when it came to his name. « Well in that case, tell Santa I want that iPhone 7 I’ve been dreaming about ever since I dropped my iPhone 6 on the blasted ice. »

« I’ll make sure he gets the message. »

« Thanks. So, one iced caramel macchiato with extra ice coming right up, » She smiled, writing his name on a cup. « I’m assuming you want that to go ? »

« Yes, please. »

« Okay, it’ll just be a few minutes, Mr Frost. »

« I’ll wait outside then, » He said. « I just have to make a call. »

« Sure, no problem. » Mr Frost walked back outside, walking with that cane of his. Summer watched as he leaned up against the wall outside her shop and then glanced up at the sky. He then pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

Summer didn’t give herself more time to spy on him, but instead turned to prepare the drink orders that now were piling up. The first Jack still hadn’t gotten his drink yet.

She was just in the middle of pouring milk decoratively into the coffee cup to make it look like a flower when someone suddenly exclaimed, « Look, the first snow ! »

People begun muttering and looked out of the windows as gentle snowflakes started dancing down from the sky. They fell to the ground and stayed there.

« Christmas is officially here ! » Bev cheered, some people joining in on her enthusiasm while others didn’t really seem to care – Summer being one of them. Instead she groaned silently and turned back to finish her job with the coffee. She garnished it with a few sprinkles of cinnamon and then turned to ‘lumberjack-Jack’ who was waiting by the door.

« Jack ! »

He came up and took his drink, fishing out a 10 dollar bill, told her to keep the change before thanking and leaving. Summer cashed the money into the register and then turned to continue with Jack Frost’s drink.

Jack Frost… Well, now she’d heard that, too. Who named their kid Jack when their last name was Frost ? Someone with great humor, obviously.

Summer was coating the plastic cup with caramel sauce when the door went again and the air changed. Without even looking over her shoulder, she knew Jack Frost had walked inside again.

So that was a bit freaky ; She’d met him just five minutes ago and she could already tell when it was him. Yup, good thing her shift ended soon. She needed some sleep.

Now mixing the coffee with the ice, she shook the mixing cup thoroughly, making sure to crush the ice as well as she could. She then poured the mixture into the cup halfway, added a few whole ice cubes, then poured some more. As she poured some milk over the top and added a decorative layer of caramel sauce and some small, chewy caramel bits, she was positive she could feel Jack’s eyes on her, watching her. Her skin was tingling and she felt a chill go up her spine.

Finally she put the lid on, popped in a straw and then turned to Jack, who true enough was watching her from the door. « Mr Frost ! »

He sauntered up to the counter, simultaneously pulling his wallet out of his pocket. « How much ? »

« 7,75. »

He laid down an even 10 bucks. « Keep the change. »

Summer took the bill and smiled. « Thank you very much. Have a nice day. »

« You, too. Oh, one more thing… » He said, stopping as he was about to spin around. He turned and gave her a tiny smile. « It’s going to get cold tonight, so my advice, get out your gloves. »

She frowned a little. The weather forecast said it would be a warmer night compared to the others they’d been having, but then again, they didn’t mention snow either. « Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind when I’m driving home later. »

« Excellent. Merry Christmas, Summer. »

« You, too ! »

It was only after he left, she suddenly stopped up when something suddenly occurred to her ; She never told him her name.

Summer really hated winter.

As she woke up that Saturday morning and looked out her window, the earth was covered in a medium thick layer of snow. The air in her bedroom was cold and nibbled at her exposed skin, making small goosebumps dance across it.

After a hot shower to warm up her body for the day, she got dressed in a thickly knitted sweater and put on her usual simple makeup consisting of just mascara and a bit of concealer here and there. She ate a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast and then bundled up in thick layers as she headed out the door. Driving to work today was going to be a bitch.

The snowplow machines had already been there and the roads had been salted, but Summer still didn’t dare go one mile above 10 on the small town roads. Whitefish was a tiny town in Montana with a population just reaching 6,500. Everyone basically knew each other, and as all small towners, nobody ever seemed to leave. So when new people passed through or moved in, gossip went wide and fast.

« I heard that he’s in town to do some landscape constructions, » Bev said while they were setting up the last preparations before opening up the coffee shop. They had baked fresh pumpkin pies yesterday which happy customers now could enjoy today. « Apparently, he’s from somewhere north and he’s actually very well accomplished for someone his age. »

« What is his age ? »

« Don’t know, » Bev shrugged while fixing a Christmas flower decoration on the counter. « But he can’t be above thirty with that face, can he ? »

« I honestly don’t really care, he’s just another customer, » Summer replied while setting up the cash register. « He seemed a little strange though, I mean, he bought an iced caramel macchiato with extra ice ? That’s a strange order in this weather. »

« Yeah, and what is with that cane ? He seems to walk just fine, why does he need a cane, then ? »

Summer just shrugged indifferently. « Maybe it’s a trend where he comes from, I don’t know. Again, I don’t really care. »

« Oh come on, you so care, » Bev chuckled, bumping her hip against hers teasingly. « I saw the way you looked at him, you were totally digging him. I don’t blame you, he’s rocking that silver-hair-silver-flair. Kinda reminds you of Zayn, doesn’t it ? I mean, before he let that razor violate his hair. »

« Alright, enough, » Summer said, closing the register. « Let’s get the shop open for business. If you want me to buy you an expensive Christmas present, we better get selling. »

« I’ll flip the sign then, » Bev said and then opened up for the shop.