Chapter One
COLE
I tooka step forward as I spotted my suitcase coming around the carousel. The woman beside me raised a questioning eyebrow as I reached for the black suitcase which sported a large, pink unicorn name tag on the handle.
“Gag gift from my brother,” I explained to her. “Jokes on him, though, because it actually comes in quite handy when I’m trying to figure out which bag is mine in a sea of nondescript, black luggage.”
Her face smoothed out into a broad grin. “That’s a great idea. I may have to look for one of those myself.”
“Just don’t get the pink. I’d hate to mix our luggage up if we’re ever on the same flight again,” I teased as I raised the handle on my suitcase. Her tinkling laugh followed me as I turned and walked away.
As I made my way to the front of the airport, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. According to the app, the Uber I'd ordered while waiting for my luggage was only two minutes away, so I decided to wait outside by the curb. Cold wind whipped around me, and I shivered as I zipped up my coat, thankful for its thick, wool lining.
Living the past few years in New York, I'd experienced subzero temperatures that we rarely ever saw in North Carolina. Still, it was cold enough that the forecast was calling for snow. I smiled as a memory popped into my head; one that I hadn't thought of in years.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked skeptically as I twisted and turned, trying to reach my arms far enough behind me to zip up my jeans, the movements made even more difficult since they were inside out. "I don't know what wearing our clothes backwards and inside out while doing a crazy dance has to do with snow."
"Of course, I'm sure. Jeffrey Scott told me about it, and he's one of the smartest kids in my class. He said he's done it three times, and every time, there was snow when he woke up the next morning," my brother assured me. He brushed my hands out of the way and finished zipping and buttoning my pants for me.
I had never met Jeffrey Scott before, but Jayce was eleven years old, three years older than me, and knew a lot more about the world than I did. If he trusted Jeffrey, then that was good enough for me.
"Okay, but let's hurry. It feels weird having my clothes on backwards," I grumbled as I yanked at the collar of my shirt for the hundredth time.
Jayce swiped his shirt off and turned it inside out before pulling it back over his head. When he was finished, we turned and looked at ourselves in the mirror. My eyes traveled over the two of us, and I couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up.
"We look ridiculous!" I exclaimed.
Jayce laughed. "Especially you with your pockets hanging on the outside of your jeans. But it'll all be worth it if we get a snow day tomorrow."
"You think it'll snow enough for school to get canceled?" I looked at his reflection hopefully.
"With you and me working on this together? You bet." He ruffled his hand over my head, and I smiled up at him.
I shook my head with a grin as I pictured the two of us running down the stairs and into the living room where our parents were watching TV on the couch. They'd listened as we'd explained Jeffrey Scott's theory, and even though I was sure they'd wanted to laugh, they'd hid it well. Then Jayce and I proceeded to shimmy and shake all around the house to some imaginary tune, giving the snow dance everything we had.
Sure enough, the next morning, there was snow. Just as Jayce had predicted, school was canceled, and we spent the entire day building snow forts, having snowball fights, and making snowmen that looked like each member of our family. It was a great day, but best of all, it solidified Jayce's image as a hero in my mind.
I looked up as a car honked its horn. It pulled up alongside the curb, and the passenger window slid down. "Are you Cole?"
I glanced down at the app on my phone, checking to make sure the driver's picture matched the man in front of me before answering. Seeing that it was in fact the car I'd ordered, I nodded. "Yeah. George?"
"That's me," he answered as he climbed out of the car. He rushed around to my side, taking the suitcase out of my hand and lifting it as if it weighed nothing. "Go ahead and hop in. I'm just gonna stick this in the trunk then we'll get going."
I felt bad having him carry my luggage for me, but he'd already walked away before I could argue. With no other choice, I slid into the back seat, setting my laptop bag beside me. A few seconds later, he was back behind the wheel and we were leaving the airport.
"So, where are you from?" George asked cheerfully.
I glanced out the window, the traffic thinning the farther away we got from the airport. "I'm actually from around here, born and raised, but I’ve spent the last few years at college in New York."
George let out a low whistle. "New York, huh? I've been there once. It was a bit too much if you ask me. Too much noise, too many lights, and way too many people. I guess I'm just a simple guy. Give me a stretch of sand and some gentle waves and I'm happy."
I nodded my head in agreement. It had been hard to leave my hometown after graduating high school, but the excitement and opportunities in New York City were too much to resist and I'd taken off with all the hope and enthusiasm of someone that age, ready to take on the world. And while New York followed through on its promises, after a while the lights and the crowds began to grate on my nerves and I longed for the fresh air and open spaces of home.
"What’s your area of study?" he asked, keeping the conversation going as he checked his side mirrors before sliding easily into the high-speed lane. At this time of night, there wasn't much traffic on the interstate.
“Chiropractic,” I answered absently as I shot off a quick text to my family to let them know I was on my way. They’d all offered to pick me up at the airport, but I knew from talking with my mother that things had been a bit crazy at home lately, so I’d insisted on getting my own ride. It only took a few seconds for Dad to respond that dinner was in the oven and they couldn’t wait to see me.
"What are you here for? Business or pleasure?" George asked, moving on to a new topic seamlessly. With his friendly and outgoing personality, I was sure he made a lot of money in tips. I watched out the window as he turned off the exit that would lead us to the small town where I’d grown up.
