“The Jacobses’ grandson. Nikki’s son.”
You know. The one who looks exactly like Wyatt—you’ve just never noticed.
His mother made a small sympathetic sound. “Oh, that poor boy. Can you imagine, losing his mother so young. But at least he’s got good grandparents who love him. How kind of him to take care of a neighbor.”
“Isn’t it?” he said without a trace of dryness, though Christopher’s kindness extended only as far as Marshall’s wallet.
“That’s odd, actually,” Charlene said. “Louise didn’t say a word to me about Christopher taking care of your sidewalk when I talked to her earlier today.”
“You talked to Louise?” He tried to ask casually. He knew his mother was friendly with Louise Jacobs, though not bosom buddies.
“I bumped into her at the dollar store. We were both buying wrapping paper, scissors and tape. It was funny—we had almost the exact same items in our basket!”
Christmas was only a week away. No doubt they weren’t the only ones in town in need of those particular items.
“We got talking about the Lights on the Lake parade and she mentioned that Christopher hasn’t seen it yet as this is his first Christmas in Haven Point, so of course I offered to let them sit with us. With Mike being on the town council, we get VIP seats for up to ten guests and we’ve got plenty of room, since otherwise it would just be the six of us.”
“The six of us?” Where did that come from?
“Yes! You were planning to go, weren’t you? I hope so, because I’ve already talked to Andrea about picking you up.”
“Andrea.”
Apparently he wasn’t capable of doing anything but echoing his mother, but he couldn’t seem to make sense of her words. Hearing Andrea’s name made him ache all over again, to remember their kiss and how perfect she had felt in his arms.
“Well, yes. This is her and her darling children’s first Christmas in Haven Point as well, which means they haven’t seen the Lights on the Lake parade, either, have they?”
“I suppose that’s right.”
“I’m so happy she’s taken such good care of you these last few days. Having them along to sit with us in our VIP seating area is a tiny thing, really. A very small way of repaying all she has done, but I think that cute little boy and girl of hers will just eat it up. Don’t you agree?”
He pictured Chloe and Will, eyes bright as they watched the wildly illuminated boats float past on the last big event on the lake before the shallow edges froze up in January.
His mother was matchmaking, he realized, doing everything she could to throw him together with Andrea Montgomery. And it was his own damn fault.
“So let me get this straight. You called Andie and told her she could sit with you in the VIP seating as long as she stops first to pick up your poor helpless son.”
“Not in so many words.”
“But that was the gist.”
“Did I do something wrong? I thought you would be happy for the chance to spend a little more time with her.”
This was his own fault, he thought again. Andie had warned him what would happen if he intentionally fed his mother misinformation. Now she thought the two of them had a budding romance and she would consider it her maternal duty to twist and turn every circumstance so she could facilitate a relationship that didn’t exist.
What was he supposed to do now? If he told Charlene the two of them were merely neighbors, she would be upset at his deliberate deception, yes. Worse, she would feel obligated to jump in and smother him with her solicitude.
The alternative meant going along with the pretense he had created. He was stuck.
Rock, meet hard place.
“Sure. It will be fun.”
As fun as somebody running you down with a stolen SUV on a cold December night.
“I agree. Mike and I will have hot drinks and snacks for the parade, and then we’re invited to a party at Ben and McKenzie’s house to watch the boats sail back from the warmth of their family room, the one with the big windows overlooking Redemption Bay. Kenzie said dinner will be provided. Are you sure that won’t be too much for you?” she asked, voice suddenly anxious.
He had a broken leg. He wasn’t dying.
“I don’t know. Maybe I better bring an oxygen tank, just in case.”
As usual, Charlene missed the joke. “I didn’t see you using oxygen the other day when I stopped by,” she said, her voice perfectly serious.
He immediately felt guilty. It really wasn’t fair to yank her chain when she was already so concerned about his health.
“I’m just kidding, Mom. I don’t need oxygen. I’m fine, actually. Better every day.”