so glad. You can’t miss the Lights on the Lake! I was just telling Tom—that’s my husband over there—this is my favorite night of the whole year. We’re lucky. The weather’s perfect for it this year, even above freezing. Two years ago, we had to cancel the whole thing because of a blizzard. Be glad the last storm we had hit early in the week instead of now. I was worried for a bit there. And who is this? You look just the age of my granddaughter Lacy.”
“Hello. Pleased to meet you. I’m Madeline Elizabeth Hayward and I am five years old.”
Barbara grinned at Maddie’s formal self-introduction. “Hello, Madeline Elizabeth Hayward. I’m Barbara Renee Serrano.”
Apparently her daughter had better manners than she did. “I’m sorry. Barbara, this is my daughter Maddie and this is, er, my employer, Aidan Caine. Aidan, Barbara and her husband own Serrano’s, up on Main Street.”
He smiled. “Hello. I’m happy to meet you. I’ve heard good things about your restaurant.”
“Have you?”
She wasn’t exactly cold to him but the friendly welcome she had given Eliza and Maddie was now nowhere in evidence.
“Serrano’s is obviously popular with the locals. Every time I drive past, the place looks like it’s hopping. That’s always a good sign. It reminds me a lot of my father’s café in Colorado.”
Dropping that little tidbit of information, that his father had a café, pushed just the right button. The wariness in Barbara’s gaze seemed to fade. “Next time, pull in instead of driving past. See what all the fuss is.”
“I will do that. Thanks. Actually, I’ll bring my father over the holidays when he comes to town. He loves to see what other successful restaurants are doing right.”
This time she even gave him a smile. “We’ve got a booth over at the fair, where we’re selling chili and fry bread. Old family recipe. All profits go to the Lake Haven Public Library.”
“Sounds great,” Eliza said. “Thanks for the tip.”
“Oh, and make sure you stop by the Helping Hands booth for any last-minute shopping.”
“We will definitely check it out. Thanks.”
Maddie tugged on Eliza’s coat. “When will the boat parade start, Mama? We haven’t missed it, have we?”
“You haven’t missed a thing,” Barbara said cheerfully. “Now, you watch closely. My son and grandsons have their little pontoon boat all decked out with red chili pepper lights and a big snowman.”
“We’ll watch for it.”
“And on the very last boat,” Barbara informed her, “you just might see a special visitor.”
“Who is it?” Maddie asked, eyes wide.
“I’ll give you a hint. He likes to dress in red and hang around with reindeer.”
“Santa Claus?” Maddie breathed.
“Bingo,” Barbara beamed at her.
“Barbie, where’s the hot chocolate?” her husband called.
“Check my bag. I know it’s there.”
“I did. I can’t find it. I bet you left it on the kitchen counter.”
“I didn’t leave it on the kitchen counter.” She sighed. “I better go before he dumps my whole bag in the snow. Enjoy the parade.”
“Thanks. You, too,” Eliza said.
After she walked away, Aidan pointed toward the lakeshore, where waves licked at the rocks. “Looks like there’s a bench open over there.”
With all these people around, nobody had claimed the perfect spot, with a great view of the lake and even one of those portable propane heaters nearby? Had people deliberately left it available for him?
“What are the odds that you would find an empty bench tonight, amid all this chaos? I’m telling you, that kind of luck is unnatural.”
He chuckled a little but his expression grew quickly serious again. “I’ll remind you, you’re speaking of luck to a man who just had surgery to remove a brain tumor. Plenty of things have gone my way in this life. But not everything.”
It would be easy to think his world was perfect, without stress or challenge, but she definitely knew better. “Point taken. But tonight, you have to admit, you’re lucky.”
He smiled at her and Maddie, a warm light in those eyes that seemed to match the lake, glowing silver now in the dying rays of the sun. “Right now, I feel like the luckiest man in town.”
She had expected him to use one of the blankets and give the other one to her and Maddie. Instead, he folded one for them to sit on and wrapped the other blanket around all three of them, enfolding them in a cozy little nest.
Oh, this was dangerous, for a woman already in danger of falling hard for him.
Easy, girl.
She tried to ignore the heat coming from him and the delicious scent that reminded her forcefully of that kiss.
“Tell me this,” he said as they waited for the boat parade to start. “How is it you’ve spent less time in Haven Point than I have but you seem to have made friends with half the town?”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration. I’ve only met the people I told you about, at the mayor’s store yesterday. Everyone has been very kind.”
“Not to me. I’m getting the skunk-eye from half the people here.”
She looked around and saw he was right. People obviously knew exactly who he was. What would they think of her snuggling in a blanket with him?
She didn’t have time to worry about it.
“Look, Mama!” Maddie, sandwiched between them, suddenly pointed. “Can you see the boats way down there? I think it’s starting!”
She looked in the direction Maddie indicated and saw a glitter of lights on the horizon, growing larger by the moment.
“I do. Look at that!”
Maddie clasped her hands together. “Here they come! Here they come!”
By the time the boats actually approached their spot on the bench, Maddie was practically jumping up and down with excitement.
“Oh. Oh, they’re so beautiful! It’s like a fairy lake! Like Rapunzel and the lights in the sky on her birthday,” she exclaimed, citing one of her favorite Disney animated movies.
Eliza’s gaze met Aidan’s and they shared a smile. She couldn’t seem to look away and after a moment she could feel her smile slide away. She wanted him to kiss her again. Right now, even with Maddie squished between them.
She jerked her gaze back to the lake, horrified at herself, and tried
