Rachel found the stack of mail on the dining room table. She fingered through a few bills and tossed the junk to the side to add to the recycle bin. The box Owen had spoken of didn’t have a mailing label. In fact, all that was written on the plain brown box was her name, her first name.
She peeled away the tape, not knowing what to expect. Once she folded the lid back, she saw a handwritten envelope on top of a white canvas bag. It took a little effort to lift the noisy bag from the box—the sound of metal hitting metal struck her as odd.
Chains.
Chains for the tires on her car.
“Who…?”
She opened the note and a second paper fell out.
Rachel
Thank you for braving this stranger in a storm and keeping me from frostbite. Welcome to Connecticut.
Jason
Below his name was a phone number. Something inside her stomach flipped, the buzz a teenage girl feels when she notices a popular boy watching her from the other side of the classroom. Or maybe she was reading into it. Maybe this was just a thank-you, a friendly gesture from a grateful, stranded traveler.
Her cheeks warmed.
Assuming he gave her a mobile number, Rachel decided to send a text.
Hello Jason. I received your gift. They were incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.
She read her note over, twice, then pressed “Send.” Off it went, in wherever notes went as they traveled faster than Superman in cyberspace.
The phone in her hand buzzed, reminding her she was holding it.
Is this Rachel?
She grinned.
Do you leave gifts on everyone’s doorstep in town?
Dot. Dot. Dot. It is nearly Christmas.
Was he flirting? It had been some time since she’d sent a text to anyone outside of the friend zone, so she couldn’t tell.
So you double as Connecticut’s Santa Claus?
Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
Well, he wasn’t not flirting.
I’ll keep my mouth closed on one condition.
Oh? What’s that?
I want to meet Vixen. She’s always been my favorite.
I thought Vixen was a he.
She giggled.
A boy named Vixen. That’s just cruel.
Good point. I’ll see what I can do. The team is on a strict curfew until after the holiday.
Rachel found a rolling eye emoji.
