Snowfall On Haven Point

“Aidan and Liam aren’t exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, though.”

“Oh?”

“I need a favor.”

“Sure,” Andie said. She was feeling so warm and content right about now with adorable Liam in her arms, she would have agreed to just about anything.

She had the random stray brainstorm that warring parties ought to take note and consider passing around sleepy, cuddly babies during complicated negotiation sessions. It would make the world a much more gentle place.

“It’s not a huge favor. You might actually enjoy it. From what I hear, most women would.”

“What is it?”

Eliza let out a breath. “Aidan has this younger brother who’s coming to town for the holidays,” she began.

Cute baby notwithstanding, Andie’s stomach did a crazy somersault, as if she’d just jumped off a ski lift without her skis. She knew what was coming and she didn’t want Eliza to go on. Why couldn’t she just sit here and hold the baby?

“How nice for Aidan to have family here,” she said cautiously. “He comes from a large one, doesn’t he?”

“An understatement. He’s the third of seven and they’re all wonderful. Truly wonderful, though a little overwhelming. It’s our year for hosting everyone, but Aidan was worried it would be too much this year, with a new baby and all. It worked out because he’s got a sister and a sister-in-law who are both expecting and due next month, so they all decided to stay in Hope’s Crossing and will come out this summer.”

“Where does the brother fit in?”

“Oh. Jamie. He called last week and asked if he could spend a few days with us, and of course we were thrilled.”

“I thought Aidan didn’t want his family to overwhelm you.”

“This is just Jamie. He and Aidan have always been close and we haven’t seen him in a year, since he’s been deployed overseas. Jamie is a pilot and he’s thinking about getting out of the military and maybe taking a job flying Caine Tech execs around.”

“Oh. That would be nice for Aidan, to have his brother working with him.” If Andie could keep Eliza talking, maybe her friend would forget to ask the favor Andie was very much afraid she didn’t want to hear.

“It would be great. The thing is, Jamie doesn’t know anybody in Haven Point except us and he’s used to a pretty active social life.”

By that, Andie inferred Aidan’s brother was a player. This just kept getting better and better. She wanted to get up and walk to the other side of the room, but she had a feeling Eliza might protest if she kidnapped cute little Liam.

“So here’s the thing,” Eliza finally said slowly, “I was wondering if you might be interested in showing Jamie around town a little, maybe go to the movies with him or up to the dinner theater in Shelter Springs.”

She let out a breath as her somersaulting stomach started rolling with wild abandon. “I, um...” she began, then stopped, not sure what to say.

“If you’re worried about the kids, Aidan and I would be happy to have Will and Chloe hang out with Maddie at Snow Angel Cove anytime and I know she would love having friends over.”

Oh, this was awkward. She treasured her friendship with Aidan and Eliza—and his company was her biggest client. How could she possibly refuse in a graceful way?

Yet how could she possibly agree?

“Why me?” she finally said.

Eliza gave a sheepish sort of smile. “I thought it might be good for both of you. Jamie is charming and sweet and very kindhearted. He might seem a little on the shallow side, but he’s really not. He’s been through a rough time lately and could use a friend, someone different from the kind of girls he usually dates.”

He definitely sounded like a player—exactly the sort of guy she had always tried to avoid.

“You, on the other hand, can be entirely too serious and you don’t take nearly enough time for yourself,” Eliza went on. “We thought maybe a few dates with someone sweet and funny and gorgeous like Jamie might be good for you.”

“Who is we?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine Aidan had anything to do with this. If it wasn’t a computer screen or his beloved family, Aidan had a hard time focusing.

Eliza’s smile was more than sheepish this time. “A few of us. Wyn and McKenzie and Meg,” she said, confirming Andie’s worst suspicions. “When I mentioned that Jamie was coming to stay for a while and I wanted to set him up with exactly the right person, your name was the first one that came to mind.”

“How could I be the right person for anyone?” she murmured, unable to meet her friend’s gaze. “You know I’m a hot mess.”

“Oh, honey,” Eliza exclaimed. “You are not. You’re not.”

She squeezed Andie’s shoulder. “You’ve had a terrible time of things, a truly terrible time, none of which was your fault. You deserve to be happy, and I thought—we thought—that after everything you’ve been through, you could use a little fun in your life.”

Oh, how she wished she could have come to Haven Point and left her past completely behind her. She drew in a breath, wishing also that she could find a corner somewhere and just hug this sweet, innocent baby until all the ugliness of the world faded into insignificance.

She couldn’t. This summer, she had learned that when a person tried to run and hide from her problems, they eventually grew out of control and tried to swallow her whole.

“It’s really kind of you to think of me, but...I’m not ready yet, you know?”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Eliza studied her for a long moment and finally nodded. “Okay. I get it. Honestly, I do. I completely understand. The last thing I want to do is push you into something. I just love Jamie so much. He’s a great guy and I want him to have someone like you in his life. And vice versa, honey. You deserve to be happy.”

“I’m happy,” she protested. “If you want the truth, I’m in a better place right now than I’ve been since Jason died.”

Things weren’t perfect, but she was doing her best to put the past behind her. With Rob Warren now serving prison time, she felt safe for the first time in a year. She and the children were building a new life here, with new friends and activities and challenges.

“That’s good to hear,” Eliza said. “When you think you’re ready to enter the dating world again, you need to let the Helping Hands know.”

“Don’t you think having everyone try to find me eligible dates is taking the group’s name a little too literally? I didn’t realize matchmaking services were offered by the Helping Hands.”

“Why not? We know just about everybody in town and plenty in Shelter Springs, too. We can tell about the guy who might still be getting over a bad breakup, the one who is a little too comfortable still living with his mother, the whack job you should avoid categorically.”

“Wow. You certainly know how to make dating again sound delightful.”

Eliza gave a rueful smile. “I’m sorry. That’s not my intention. There are some great guys out there, too. Guys like Jamie, who are just waiting for the right woman. I know it’s tough to think about. Believe me, I know. After my first husband died, I told myself Maddie and I were fine, just the two of us. We were, for a long time, but that baby in your arms is proof that sometimes life has other plans for us.”

The baby in question mewed a little and turned his head to nuzzle at Andie. “I’m afraid he’s looking for something I can’t deliver right now,” she said, aware of a little pang of loss that her days of holding babies of her own were likely over.

“What a little piglet. If I let him, he would nurse twenty-four hours a day. I suppose he is due for some dinner, though.”

With regret, Andie pressed a kiss on Liam’s forehead, then handed him back to his mother. “Can I get you anything? One of those fabulous-looking desserts Barbara is setting out?”

“A piece of caramel apple pie would be fantastic right about now.”

“You got it.”