She rushed off, but Marshall didn’t seem in a hurry to continue toward the chairs. Instead, he gave her an odd look with an expression she couldn’t quite identify.
“Don’t think for a minute I missed what you did there.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He simply shook his head, still with that odd expression. He maneuvered toward the chairs and a moment later sank into a seat with a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
“Oh, I’m so glad you made it on time!” Charlene enthused. “Isn’t it a beautiful evening? This is the best weather we’ve had for the festival in forever. Did you have a hard time finding a place to park?”
“No, actually. We were lucky.”
“Where are your cute kids?”
“The Barrett children are showing them the cookie selection.”
Andie scanned the area with studied casualness. “Are Louise and Herm still joining us?”
“Supposed to be. I just texted her and she said they got a late start. Apparently that rascal grandson of theirs didn’t come home when he was supposed to, but they eventually found him at a friend’s house. They’re all on their way.”
The moment Andie had spoken the Jacobses’ name, Marshall tensed beside her and the rest of his mother’s words didn’t do anything to ease it. Andie wanted to give his arm a reassuring squeeze but, for multiple reasons, was hesitant to draw his mother’s attention.
“We’ll be sure to save them seats, then,” Andie answered, then casually changed the subject. “So tell me about your honeymoon cruise.”
“Oh, we had the best time—isn’t that right, honey?”
Mike nodded, giving his new wife a besotted sort of look. “I’ll be working off all the food we ate until our first anniversary,” he said. “Two entrées and three desserts every night for a week. Good thing I’m not riding one of those boats in the parade or the thing would sink.”
She laughed, charmed by Marshall’s uncle. Her impression of him was of a sweet, quiet man who simply adored Charlene.
“What ports did you stop at? Did you do much shopping? What were your favorite excursions?”
Charlene launched into a long travelogue, which carried the conversation until the children returned and the parade began to start.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MARSHALL COULDN’T REMEMBER when he had last sat on the sidelines to enjoy the Lights on the Lake parade.
It had probably been back in high school, when he had been dating a girl in Shelter Springs and they had watched it with some of her friends around a bonfire in somebody’s backyard. In the years since, he’d either been away in the military or been helping out with crowd and traffic control—a sometimes cold job on a Lake Haven December evening.
He had forgotten how charming the parade could be, when boat owners in Haven Point and Shelter Springs would decorate their watercraft with fanciful holiday lights and motor from the marina here to the one five nautical miles away in Shelter Springs.
He could get used to enjoying it this way, with propane heaters all around and mugs of hot cocoa and the extra blankets Andie had brought. Not that he would likely have the chance. Next year, everything would be back to normal. He certainly wouldn’t be here with Andrea Montgomery and her cute kids, though that thought caused a sharp little pang in his chest.
“The boats are so beautiful,” Chloe breathed, her eyes huge.
A big part of his own enjoyment had been watching her and her brother. They both seemed enchanted, just like every other child he could see.
“I wish we had a boat parade every night,” Will said from his mother’s lap, where he was snuggled under a blanket.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Andie agreed. With her eyes sparkling with the reflection of the lights and her cheeks pink from the cold and a cute little blue knit cap with a tasseled pompom on top, she was every bit as enchanting as the parade.
“We never saw anything like this in Portland,” Chloe said softly. “I’m so glad we moved here, Mama.”
“I am, too, honey.” Andie’s chin wobbled a little and her eyes looked suspiciously bright for a moment. He couldn’t resist nudging her shoulder with his and she gave him a tremulous smile.
Marshall gazed down at her, aware of a weird shifting and settling in his chest. It took about five more boats passing by before he identified the feeling.
Tenderness. That’s what it was.
He frowned. He was starting to have feelings for Andie and for her kids. When he wasn’t looking, they had started to sneak their way into his life, into his heart.