“Well, that was eventful,” she said, not bothering with a microphone. There weren’t enough people to require one, and the remaining dogs were sound asleep at their owners’ feet. “The trophy may have toppled, but it didn’t break. We’d like to award it to the most outstanding combination of training and tricks.”
Benny looked at Gracie, the competitive spark gone from his eyes. “’Sokay, Mom,” he whispered. “Olivia and Kat deserve it. They were an outstanding combination.”
“So that award,” Miss Renee continued, “goes to Olivia Hampton?—”
Benny gave a gracious, “Woot!” and clapped, turning to smile at the girl.
“—and Benny McBride.”
He froze. “Me? I caused the problems!”
“Uh, I think I did,” Red mumbled.
“For outstanding rescue efforts using homemade dog whistles!” Renee continued cheerfully.
Behind him, Olivia stood and gave his shoulder a nudge. “Come on, Dr. Smartypants. Sharing is caring and all that.”
Benny looked up at her, a blush that he surely inherited from his mother coloring his cheeks. “Okay.” He stood. “How do we share it?”
“Joint custody, like my parents do.” She flicked her hand for him to come with her.
As they did, Nicole slid a sneaky glance to Gracie and lifted a brow, not having to say a word. Joint custody? Okay, he was divorced and probably, maybe, single.
While the kids accepted the trophy and Olivia gave a short speech about teamwork with friends, the parents clapped. Red gave them a standing ovation and Jack whistled.
The whole thing ended on a high note with some cookies, lemonade, and friendly chatter.
As the small group began to disperse, it only took one more “Do it or die!” look from Nicole for Gracie to suck in a breath, tamp down her nerves, and walk over to Marshall.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, chatting with Renee when Gracie joined them.
“You two have the most amazing kids,” the woman cooed. “Both so smart and resourceful. It’s been a pleasure to have them at camp. I dare say they’ll be counselors soon.”
“Thank you,” Gracie said, smiling at her. “You know I was worried about Benny making friends.”
“No need to worry about that. Oh!” She pointed her cookie across the room. “There’s Annie’s grandmother. I’ll go get her.”
When she left, they stood quietly for a beat, then Marshall sighed. “Kids as smart as ours are a blessing, although sometimes I wonder what God was thinking.”
She smiled. “He was thinking that we needed them to complete our lives.”
His dark eyes flashed. “Olivia certainly does that for me. Although you seem to have a large and vibrant family.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Some a little too vibrant…ahem, my grandfather.”
He cracked up. “He’s a hoot. And Jack Kessler is your uncle? He’s a local legend who was in the Olympics and on ESPN.”
“I understand you’re kind of famous yourself.”
“Only if you follow football, and I’ve been retired for a while, so no autographs, please.”
She smiled and saw her opening. “But you might get a free cream puff and coffee from Sugarfall. You’re welcome to one anytime.”
He held her gaze, a gleam in his eye that had to be…mutual attraction. “That’s nice, Gracie. Thank you.”
She let out the breath she’d been holding. “But…no,” she finished for him. “That’s fine. I?—”
He held out a hand, stopping her. “Gracie, I haven’t been completely honest with you. Well, I haven’t had a chance but that’s my doing.”
