about you here all by yourself.”
He didn’t like being the object of anyone’s pity. For reasons he couldn’t have explained, it bothered him more, coming from her. “I’ve got a phone. I should be fine.”
“Have you arranged with anyone to shovel the walks for you?”
He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “No. I’ll call around, see if I can find a service to take care of it for me.”
“Or you could ask a neighbor boy,” she suggested. “Louise and Herm Jacobs have a grandson who probably could use the cash, especially just before the holidays.”
He stiffened at the suggestion. “That might work,” he said slowly, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it himself.
“His name is Christopher. He’s got a...bit of an attitude, but he’s basically a good kid. He’s had a rough time of things lately. His mother died this summer, which is why he’s living with his grandparents. Oh, you probably know that already.”
“Why would I?” he asked.
She looked briefly confused at his tone, which he just realized sounded abrupt and almost angry. “You’re from Haven Point and I know Louise is friends with your mom. You probably knew Christopher’s mom, Nicole, their daughter.”
For a tense, weird moment, he didn’t know how to answer that. “Not well,” he finally said. “She was five or six years older than me.”
“It’s so sad, about her car accident.”
She’d had a blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit and had driven head-on into oncoming traffic. The tragedy was the young couple who had died, as well.
“So do you want me to ask Louise about having Christopher keep your walks clear for the next few weeks?” she asked when he didn’t respond.
That might be easier. He couldn’t imagine picking up the phone and asking for Christopher. He just couldn’t do it.
No. This wasn’t something he wanted to leave to anyone else. “I’ll give her a call.”
“Fine. Well, we’ll be back tomorrow, bearing snowflakes and paper chains and enough Christmas spirit to power all the boats in the Lights on the Lake parade.”
“Can’t wait,” he answered. Much to his surprise, the words weren’t even a lie.
“OH, I’M SO GLAD you could make it, Andie.” McKenzie Shaw Kilpatrick beamed at her as she opened the door to her beautiful lakeside house. “Hazel will be so thrilled.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it. I’ve been looking forward to this all week long.”
“And hello, Mr. Will and Miss Chloe. Welcome to my home.”
Chloe giggled at the dramatic greeting and shook McKenzie’s hand solemnly while Will just craned his neck to look behind her.
“Where is Rika?” Will demanded. “I want to give her a great big hug.”
“Hey, no fair.” Kenzie gave a pretend pout as she bent down to his level. “Where’s mine first?”
Will beamed and threw his arms around her neck.
“You give the best hugs of any four-year-old boy I know, sir,” Kenzie said. “Let me take your coats, and then you can go find Rika and Hondo. They’re hanging out with the kids back in the den.”
“Yay! Hondo looks scary, but he’s not at all.”
“You’ve got his number, don’t you? That guy is nothing but a big old softy.”
Until that summer, Will had been terrified of big dogs after he’d been bitten by one in the neighborhood. Thanks to Wynona and her gentle dog, Young Pete, Will had been able to lose his fear and now he embraced all things canine—especially the little Havachon they had rescued from the shelter before Thanksgiving.
“Just head down that hall and you’ll find dogs and kids and toys. Maddie Hayward is here and so are Ty and Jazmyn Barrett. I do believe there might be a movie playing, if you want to watch it.”
“Can we, Mama?” Chloe asked. Though she wasn’t typically nervous around Kenzie, large groups could bring out her anxiety—at least until she found her friends and settled in.
“Sure. You guys have fun. I’ll be right here.”
Will raced down the hall and Chloe followed at a more subdued pace. She watched them, her heart pinching with worry for her sweet little girl.
“Don’t worry. You know Jenna, the high school girl who works for me at the shop after school? I asked her to come out and keep an eye on the kids so the moms can enjoy the party in exchange for my help decorating for her birthday party in January.”
McKenzie thought of everything. It was what made her a good businesswoman and a dedicated mayor of Haven Point. “Thank you. I’ll still worry, but probably a little less, knowing that. Call me when the birthday party comes around and I’ll help you decorate.”
“I just might take you up on that.”
“Not that you need my help.” She looked around at the entryway, decorated in glittering white, blue and silver. She particularly admired a trio of thick candles spearing up from an elaborate arrangement of twigs, berry picks and pinecones, all spray-painted to match the color theme. “Your house looks beautiful. It should be in a home decor magazine.”
“Ben calls it Christmas on crack,” she said with a smile.
“Hey. I only said that once.”
Both she and Kenzie looked up when Ben Kilpatrick spoke from the doorway. He wore a leather jacket and had car keys in his hand.
“You did,” Kenzie said. “But it was memorable.”
“I love our house. It’s my favorite place in the world,” he said. “Hi, Andrea.”
He leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, then stepped quickly away, making her face heat. Ben was always so careful with her, treating her like those delicate ornaments hanging in the front window. It was clear he didn’t want to crowd her or make her feel threatened—or maybe he was that way with everyone and she was looking for layered subtext where none existed.
She would have greatly preferred that no one in Haven Point had ever found out what happened to her, but Rob Warren had made that impossible.
“You look lovely tonight, as always,” he told her.
“Thank you. I hope we’re not chasing you away.”
“Not really—though I’d like to think I’m smart enough to duck and run when the Helping Hands are around.”
McKenzie gave him a mock scowl. “You love the Helping Hands.”
