Zeke

The door to The Snowball's Chance chimed as they entered. The place was quiet, with only a few regulars dotted around, as the post-Games crowd was not yet here. Olly was alone behind the bar and looked up as he heard the door.

His eyes went wide.

"What in St. Frick happened to you guys?" he asked, looking between each of them.

Zeke, Alicia, Sterling, and Celeste shared a look. Snow clung to their hair, and their clothes were askew and soaked.

"I thought you guys were just supposed to be making snowmen," Olly added, aghast.

"The snowmen fought back," Zeke said.

Next to him, Alicia let out a giggle.

Olly raised an eyebrow, then his eyes shifted to Zeke... and narrowed.

Though at first glance, the guy looked harmless—lithe frame, bleached hair, Santa hat, and dorky sweater—Zeke could see something sharper in his eyes, lingering under the surface. His look was both a judgment and a warning.

Olly wasn't the only one looking at him. Zeke caught his sister, giving him a sideways glance.

Alicia seemed to feel their stares, too. Her cheeks deepened in color, and she cleared her throat as though she could pretend that laugh hadn't come from her.

"And it looks like they put up quite the fight," Olly said, his stare now zeroed in on Alicia. "Did you at least win?"

"No, they were both disqualified," his dad said as he pushed between them, his mother coming up behind. They were in much better shape, as they had stayed far away from the snowy carnage. "for turning their snowmen into snowballs."

"Children can be so unruly," Olly said with an affected sigh, then reached across the bar. "Hi, there! You must be Celeste's parents."

"That's right!" his dad said, his mustache bristling as he smiled. He took Olly's hand and gave it a hearty shake. "I'm Herb, and this is my wife Lydia. And you must be Olly."

"The one and only."

"We've heard so many good things about you!"

Olly beamed. "I'm not surprised."

"Don't compliment him too much," Sterling said. "Or it'll go to his head, which is already big enough."

Olly adjusted his Santa hat and stuck his tongue out at Sterling.

They all laughed.

Zeke's parents claimed spots at the bar while the rest of them went to hang up their wet coats by the radiator. Zeke watched as Sterling carefully helped Celeste out of her coat. It made Zeke pause. It was such a little thing, but he would not have thought a guy like Sterling knew how to act like such a gentleman. Most men—men with a thousand times his potential, a million times his worth—never bothered with such things. Even he had never bothered with Nancy...

He hadn't even considered it.

But Sterling had.

"Now, what can I get you?" Olly asked as they made their way back to the bar. They all sat in a row next to his parents and Alicia at the end. He could sit next to her or... He looked down the bar. There was a spot at the far end, on the other side of his parents...

Alicia turned, looking back at him.

For the first time in days, her look was something other than hostile. She even gave him a hint of a smile.

He took the seat next to hers.

"So, does this mean I am no longer banned?" he said.

"This is just a one time exception," she said. "One wrong move and Olly will toss you out on your butt himself."

"Hey, I behaved tonight," he said, dropping his voice. "Does that mean I'll be allowed back in? You got your proof!"

"And you got your deal. The Snowball wasn't part of it." She smirked.

"Is that so?" he said. "Maybe we should renegotiate?"

"Oh? And what do you have to offer to sweeten to deal?"

Zeke grinned. "I'm sure I could think of something..."

"Oh, I don't know!" his mom said, her voice carrying over them. She was studying the chalkboard menu behind the bar like her life decided on it. "I just can't decide. What do you suggest?"

Olly leaned back and tapped his finger on his chin. "Well, what about—"

"The peppermint hot chocolate," Zeke offered.

Everyone looked his way.

"I highly recommend it. And I'll buy the round, to make up for our bad behavior tonight."

His dad smiled his way. "Then that sounds lovely. Six of those, please!"

Olly's face fell. "Unfortunately, we don't have those right now."

His mom's smile dropped. "Oh, no! That's too bad."

"What?" Sterling asked. "Why don't we have any? I left—"

Olly turned his way. "It wasn't enough. We're completely out. I told you, we needed extra—it's very popular."

Sterling shook his head. "In that case..."

He stood up from his spot next to Celeste and headed through the door behind the bar.

Olly grinned and feigned a swoon. "Super Sterling to the rescue! He sure is a good one," he said as he turned to the Brightons, shooting a quick look Zeke's way, "ain't he?"

"I sure think so," Celeste said, beaming and proud.

Thinking of his deal with Alicia, Zeke pressed his lips together, not wanting to put his foot in his mouth again...

Sterling returned, arms laden with ingredients and supplies. He dropped it all down on the bar in front of him.

"What's the hotplate for?" Olly said as he inspected Sterling's haul. "You usually make it in the slow cooker."

"The slow cooker method takes a couple of hours," Sterling explained. "But I can make it faster in a pot. And don't worry, Olly, I'll make more for the other customers, too."

"My hero!" Olly cheered, swooning again.

"Sterling made that hot chocolate?" Zeke muttered to himself.

"We told you," Alicia said. She had heard him. "Sterling's a great bartender. One of the best."

Zeke wanted to sneer, but as he watched Sterling work, he was beginning to see what Alicia meant. Sterling was almost gentle as he shaved down the chocolate bars, sliced into vanilla beans, and stirred it all in a mixture of condensed milk and cream.

He really knew what he was doing.

One might even say he had a talent for it, or...

"Sterling puts a lot of care into the things... the people that are important to him," Alicia said. Her smug tone was gone, her look serious.

He looked back at Sterling. As he worked, he joked with Olly, Celeste, and his parents. They were the picture of holiday cheer. And Zeke was starting to see what they all saw in Sterling...

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