“Why are the two of you sitting?” Caleb asked. He lightly kicked Landon with his shoe. “It’s a lot of fun out there.”
Landon wrinkled his nose. “Too many steps to learn. I’m content just to watch.”
“I’m not,” Hattie said. “I’ve been waiting for the perfect song to join in on the action. Jacques just went over to request my favorite line dancing song.” Hattie had a huge grin on her face, which made Caleb happy. She deserved every ounce of joy the world had to offer. He had a feeling it was Jacques bringing her the smiles. Clearly, she was a woman in love. Seeing their love story play out was a wonderful gift for him. Each and every day he was learning more and more about life and love. Between Hattie, Jacques, True, and Xavier, he was getting a master class in how to find a soulmate. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
He’d never thought about love at Hattie’s stage in life, but Hattie and Jacques were the real deal. Their devotion to each other was touching.
Suddenly, Jacques was standing there with an identical grin on his face. “Done, milady,” he announced as the musicfor the Electric Boogie filled the tavern. “Let me escort you out there.”
Hattie let out a squeal of excitement as Jacques pulled her gently to a standing position before dipping his head down and planting a kiss on her lips. She looped her arm through his before turning toward the group. “I expect to see all of you out there on the dance floor,” Hattie said in a no-nonsense tone as she took off.
“I can do this one with my eyes closed,” Sophia said, following after Hattie.
Caleb turned to Landon. “You can’t disappoint Hattie. Come on!” He beckoned him to join in. When Landon stubbornly shook his head and folded his arms across his chest, Caleb reached out and pulled him to his feet by his shirt.
“I don’t want to dance,” Landon protested. “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not a dancer.”
“Do it for Hattie,” Caleb insisted. “It means a lot to her to have us all out there doing the Electric Slide. That might seem silly to you. All I know is that we have to make sure she’s surrounded by love for every moment that she has left.”
Suddenly, all the fight went out of Landon. “Okay, I’ll do it. I understand. Even if I make a colossal fool of myself, I want to make our grandmother happy.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Caleb said as he put his arm around Landon and pulled him into his side as they joined the dancers. Once they got in step with everyone else, Caleb could see that Landon was way better than he’d let on. That was the thing about his baby brother. He kept things close to the vest. If he asked him, he knew Landon would say that simply because he didn’t want to dance didn’t mean he couldn’t dance. He was that kind of frustrating.
The floor was packed, and Hattie was right in the thick of it, beaming as she perfectly executed the moves. All eyeswere on his grandmother. The crowd parted, and Hattie was in the center. Everyone stopped dancing and began to cheer Hattie on.
“Hattie! Hattie!” The crowd chanted and clapped as Hattie danced the Electric Slide. She loved the attention, preening and posing as everyone looked on.
Jacques was standing nearby, watching his lady like a hawk. Despite her illness, Hattie was killing the dance moves. Her vivacity was deceiving. Because of her kidney disease, she’d been doing dialysis treatments for decades. At this point, her condition was terminal.
All of a sudden Hattie wobbled as if she’d lost her balance.
“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Jacques said, moving quickly toward Hattie’s side and clutching her by the arm. His brow was furrowed, and his features were tightly drawn.
“But I’m not tired,” Hattie protested. “I could cut a rug all night long.”
“I bet you could, sweetheart, but I think you should quit while you’re ahead,” Jacques suggested. He wasn’t easily swayed by Hattie, despite the pleading tone in her voice.
A mutinous expression was etched on her face. “I don’t want to be treated like an invalid. I’m feeling terrific.”
Uh-oh. She was being feisty with Jacques. Caleb knew that Hattie was struggling to maintain her independence while dealing with the realities of her terminal illness. His heart went out to her. If he were in her shoes, he might not get out of bed in the morning. His grandmother continued to walk around with a smile on her face and an iron will, as well as continuing her leadership role at Yukon Cider. Her fortitude was spectacular.
“I bet you’re feeling on top of the world,” Jacques said to Hattie in a low voice that was barely audible to Caleb. “You love being the center of attention.”
“It’s not my fault I’m fabulous,” Hattie said as she stopped dancing and leaned on Jacques. For all her protestations, she looked winded.
“I would never dispute that in a million years,” Jacques said, leaning down and kissing Hattie on the lips. Once again, the crowd roared. Everyone enjoyed seeing a love story up close and personal.
Caleb could see the signs of wear and tear on his grandmother’s face, as well as noticing her labored breathing. Jacques, who knew her better than anyone, had made a good call. Everyone knew that he cared deeply for Hattie and always watched out for her best interests.
“Come on, Grandmother,” Caleb said, lending her his arm. “Give other people a chance to shine. With you on the dance floor, no one else stands a chance of being a breakout star.”
Hattie patted his cheek. “Oh, you silver-tongued flatterer.”
He winked at her. “You know I’m simply speaking the truth.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll go sit down and take a break.” She looked around the tavern. “This is quite a crowd. True really has done wonders with the place. I’m so glad Northern Exposure will be in good hands.”
Caleb didn’t miss the wistful tone that laced her voice. Hattie knew she wouldn’t be around much longer. She wasn’t the sort of woman to sugarcoat things.
