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I burst onto the street; the silence of the night was a stark contrast to the mayhem inside the bar. I took a deep breath; that scene definitely wouldn’t have happened in the Christmas movie. I shook off the adrenaline that was rushing through my body, then headed north on the main street to the pub where I was to meet Charlotte.
My stomach flip flopped and I realized that I still hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, but it wasn’t hunger that was churning in my stomach. It was butterflies. I was on my way to interview Charlotte at the Beardog Brewery, but that wasn’t the reason the whiskey was threatening to make an appearance.
It was nerves and excitement wrapped into a ball that was bouncing around in my stomach.
It was the man whose jacket had protected me from the elements, and humans all day long. Jack. I was going to see Jack again, and I felt like I was going to puke.
TEN
JACK
The Beardog Brewerywas new in town. At least new to me. When I grew up there was only one bar in town, The Last Chance. It had been a dive fifteen years ago and it was even worse now, so the trendy new bar was a welcome addition to the sleepy Chance Rapids scene.
I’d been so preoccupied with the business deal, and helping out at my parent’s house, that I hadn’t had a chance to visit the Brewery. When I stepped inside, I felt like I’d gone back to the city, but in a good way. Where the Last Chance had faded linoleum floors and smelled like stale beer, the Beardog had trendy exposed brick walls, gorgeous hand carved chairs and tables, and soaring glass panels that gave a full view of the microbrewery next door.
A man I didn’t recognize was playing the acoustic guitar on a small stage in the corner.
“Jack!” Charlotte waved from a table near the back. She stood as I reached the table and introduced me to the group of her friends. “You know Logan,” she put her hand on his back.
“Of course, nice to see you again, Logan.” I shook his hand. Charlotte went around the table and I tried to think of a way to remember each person she’d introduced. Logan was easy, he was a retired NHL player and I’d already met him. I remembered Freddie from high school, and he was with a beautiful blond woman who looked like Taylor Swift, named Serena. Charlotte’s sister Lauren was there with her husband, a man named Baxter, and Emma, who I recognized from the flower shop, was there too.
I sat in the empty seat across from Charlotte while she ordered a round of pitchers for the table. “I think that everyone is here, except Henri.” Charlotte checked her watch. “Josh got called out with Search and Rescue, so Megan had to stay home with the baby.”
Henri wouldn’t bail, would she? I had been a bit of jerk to her earlier, but I felt like we cleared the air in the afternoon. “Have you heard from Henri?” Charlotte asked as though reading my mind.
“No. The last time I saw her she was heading out on foot to work on her story. Her car is in the shop.”
“Who’s Henri?” Freddie asked. “And what’s with her name?”
I laughed. “Her name is Henrietta. She showed up in town yesterday for some writing assignment and wrecked her car. My mom is letting her stay out at the farm while she’s here.”
A man wearing a plaid shirt and suspenders with a man bun delivered two huge pitchers of beer to the table. Then, he leaned down and kissed Emma, the florist. “Charlie,” she held onto his forearm before he could rush back to the bar. “Have you met Jack? He grew up here and just moved back.”
Charlie shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, and welcome home.” He had a big genuine smile with bright white teeth. “I’ve gotta get back behind the bar. The cops showed up at the Last Chance and we’re about to get slammed.”
“Do you need my help?” Emma asked him.
“I’ve got it babe.” He kissed her before rushing off. I felt a pang of jealousy at the ease and obvious love in their relationship. Then, looking around the table, I realized that all of the other couples seemed perfect too.
I reminded myself that things aren’t always what they seemed. Maybe they were all pretending to be ridiculously in love with each other, but it didn’t seem like anyone was pretending.
Freddie filled us in on the details from the avalanches. He knew one of the plow truck drivers and apparently the road to the east wasn’t going to be open for a couple of days, and the road to the west might be closed even be longer. “I still can’t believe not one person was hurt when all that snow came down.” He shook his head in disbelief. “That would’ve been a Christmas nightmare.”
“There are people who are stuck on the other side though. Families who are separated right now.” Serena pointed out.
“I guess that’s better than the alternative. I mean, temporarily being stuck on the other side of a pile of snow is better than being permanently stuck underneath it.” Lauren’s voice was very matter-of-fact.
Charlotte picked up one of the heavy leather-bound menus. “There’s my dark sister.”
“Your pragmatic sister.” Lauren smiled. “Charlotte, I’m starving, are we going to wait for this Henrietta?”
Charlotte looked up from her menu and then waved wildly. “She’s here. I’ll go get her.”
My back was to the door, so I didn’t see Henri until she was at the table. Her face looked a little pale and she seemed smaller than I remembered, then I realized that she was wearing my coat. A warmth rushed through me, seeing Henri in my clothes – it felt…good. Like I’d staked my claim on her, but not in a creepy way. I shook my head trying to rid myself of that thought - she wasn’t a gold claim in the woods, and I wasn’t a prospector.
Charlotte did the round of introductions, saving me for the end. “And, of course, you know Jack.”
“I do know Jack.” She gave me a wave. “His mom has been my guardian angel.”
