“Oh, dear,” she murmured.
“What? You don’t want me to know your thoughts and feelings?”
“If you did, it would be…” She closed her eyes, no doubt scarlet by now.
He closed the space between them by putting his mouth next to her ear to whisper, “It would be game over?”
She bit her lip. “At least…a penalty.”
“Are you really going to use football analogies? Because…” He put a hand on her shoulder, and she darn melted onto the snow-covered ground.
“Because you’ll win?” she finished for him, her whole body humming with the flirtatious exchange.
“I’ll lose…the thing I’m trying so hard to hang on to.”
She searched his face.
He just tapped his chest with one finger, right over his heart. And Gracie was…yeah. She was done. Finished.His. Did he have any idea?—
“Whoa!” Olivia cried out, making them both whip around. “Don’t touch that bridge!”
Another little boy was instantly pulled back from the display by his mother, who apologized and reminded him not to touch.
“It’s fine,” Gracie assured the mom, waving off her worries. “I’d be shocked if the bridge lasts the whole night.”
“It’ll last,” Marshall said, putting a light hand on her back and adding a smile.
Olivia sighed in resignation and came closer. “I don’t want it to break under my watch,” she said.
“Then let’s end your watch, young lady.” Her father reached for her hand. “And let’s walk around and see the other displays. Roberto will warn off wayward little kids.”
From behind the table, Roberto gave a playful salute. “We got this, boss. Go enjoy the night.”
Next to him, Amanda nodded. “By the way, ‘sweet’ is winning by a slim margin.”
“Very slim,” Roberto added, giving her a playful elbow as some more people came up to the table for samples.
A minute later, Gracie, Marshall, and Olivia meandered down the middle of Main Street, with Kat leading on her leash. They passed carolers in Victorian costumes singing under astring of twinkle lights, and a vendor dressed as an elf handing out paper cones of caramel corn.
Gracie’s heart felt light, her cheeks still warm from the exchange with Marshall that couldn’t be described as anything but romantic.
They walked like, well, a family, making her miss Benny with a sudden pang. Theycouldbe a family—Marshall, Gracie, Olivia, and Benny.
Could that happen? Could that dream actually happen?
Yes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt thissteadywith someone. Around most men, her nerves twisted into a tight knot—too much small talk, too much wondering if she was saying the wrong thing. But not now, not with Marshall.
They turned a corner, following the crowd streaming toward the rink. Olivia trotted ahead, her pom-pom hat bobbing, Kat sniffing happily at her boots.
“I see Benny and Red,” she called, pointing toward the ice. “They’re getting ready!”
Gracie smiled, catching sight of her son in his own elf costume—green tunic, red hat, socks with bells that hung over his skates. He was buzzing with energy, his glasses crooked under the hat, his cheeks rosy and merry.
Red sat on a bench, hunched over, looking the part of Grumpy Santa. In fact, he didn’t even smile when Olivia called their names, but he gave a wave to her. Then his eyes lit when he saw Gracie and Marshall not far behind.
“I’ll be back, Benny,” Olivia called, then whipped around. “I reserved you two seats, so you must follow me, Dad and Miss Gracie.”
They shared a look and a laugh.
