Christmas Connection

Jackson could picture her smile. “I think I'm a new fan too.” He rubbed the back of his head.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “Something wrong?”

Jackson cleared his table of trash and threw it away in a nearby trash bin. What did he want to say? “Not sure.”

“You want to talk?”

Talk about what? Did it matter that he saw himself with her? While they were different, they were the same. Their love of music. Their dreams of a better future.

“What have you always wanted to say?” Bailey asked.

Jackson exited the deli, hearing the bell chime above his head. He walked down the sidewalk hearing the brittle crunching of snow with his footsteps. Thick layers of it accumulated on the roofs of the various businesses, cars, and the walkways.

“The truth?” Why did he want to tell her everything? He couldn't. What if she used it against him later? Was she worth him opening up to? Could he trust her? The gnawing feeling in his gut told him he could. Within the first hour of them talking on the phone, he knew there was something different about Bailey.

“Yes,” she said.

“I guess with music... I wonder if it's what I want sometimes.”

“Don't you love it?”

“I do, but... so did my brother. I wonder if it's his...” he said. He rubbed at his chest as the sensation of his heavy heart increased. He'd never forget the bruising pain.

“His what?” Bailey asked.

Jackson paused at a light post decorated with garland snaked around it. He sighed. This was too much too soon. “One day I'll tell you.”

****

Bridge Point had its sights but Bailey loved the lake. Her eyes stared at the dark skeletal trees edged in white, as she sipped her hot chocolate. Her fingers tingled along with her toes, but she couldn't deny her love for the winter.

In the last few weeks, her life changed. She would have invited Jackson to her favorite

spot, but she needed time to think. The more she sang with the band, the more she contemplated quitting her mother's salon. While she loved her customers, Bailey didn't want to be there for the rest of her life. Would her mother support her decision if she quit?

The band members were great. She loved the music, including the original songs Jackson taught her. She smiled at the thought of him. Then her eyebrows furrowed. Did she know him from somewhere? Why did he seem so familiar? Was it their connection?

She blinked. She didn't know him. He was a random connection online. Online. She went online to find a date. What would her family think? Thank goodness Kenya didn’t pry with questions. It was a matter of time though, despite swearing her cousin to secrecy.

Why did she care? Jackson wasn't a bad guy. In fact, he proved to be a gentleman. Would that change the longer she got to know him? Would he change in the next few months? People always showed their best side in the beginning. Would it end?

Her cell rang, and Bailey jumped. Thankfully, she didn't spill her hot cocoa.

“Hey?” she said.

“You're not busy are you?” Jackson asked.

“No. Enjoying my day off. How are you?”

“I'm okay. Out and about. This weather is no joke.”

“I thought you liked snow.” She leaned over the bridge, watching as the sun set. The rays reflected off the frozen water. Still as a mirror.

“I do but it's freezing.”

She giggled. “What did you expect? I love it. It's not Christmas to me without snow.”

“Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow.”