My name is Jack, Jack Frost and I promise not to nip at your nose. Yeah, I know, a bit contrived for a Christmas story, but it is my name, and I can't help it that my parents had that kind of sense of humor. I've been putting up with jokes about it my whole life; so, go ahead have your laugh. I mean who else would you expect to encounter at the start of a winter's tale.

This winter was proving to be a very treacherous one. The snows here in Lake Tahoe had started in October and all the ski resorts were open by Thanksgiving. Great news for skiers less so for travelers who needed to negotiate the high altitude passes.

Joe just hired me two months ago as an extra bartender to help out during the holidays and busy ski season. Everyone had already made me feel part of the family. Then Joe hired Nicki and things got tricky.

Yes, I was as much to blame as anyone for Nicki being hired. I was a bit too generous with my palliative potation pours, but like I said the regulars were like family. How could I not? Nicki's job was to put a stop to my generosity. Like most men I did not particularly enjoy hearing a woman telling me, "That's enough" even if she was just talking about my plentiful pours.

Otherwise, Nicki and I should have hit it off right away. We were about the same age and we were both new to our jobs. Also, I was currently running away from a disastrous relationship and was eagerly seeking out new friendships.

Did I say, "Disastrous relationship?" I guess that is what you call it when the girl with whom you thought you were in a relationship is caught in flagrante delicto with her previous boyfriend who also happens to be the guy you thought was your best friend. Actually, I probably regret the loss of the friend more than the girl.

Also, Nicki seemed to be "my type." We both were into skiing and Wattpad. I caught her reading on her phone once and discovered her Wattpad username. I checked her out online and found she had posted a romance novel. Who would have thought someone so pragmatic in real life could be so romantic on the written page?

Admittedly, the bar was currently set quite low for what constituted "my type." In fact, any female not currently screwing my best friend cleared that bar.