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.”
She took Eliza’s nearly empty water glass to refill from the fruit-infused supply. She picked out a slice of crumb-topped pie for Eliza and a fork and carried them to her, then returned to the table for herself, studying the other desserts as she tried to decide which indulgence would be most worth the calories.
“You can’t lose with Barbara’s stacked chocolate cake.”
She turned at the voice. “Louise! I didn’t know you were coming. I should have thought to ask when I was at your house earlier, and then we could have ridden together.”
Now her neighbor mustered a weak smile. “To be honest, I didn’t know whether I would be able to make it until the last minute.”
Louise hadn’t been to many of the social gatherings for the Helping Hands and the women who participated in the group, at least not in the six months Andie had lived in Haven Point. Andie assumed her life was too chaotic for now, with her daughter’s death and the stress and turmoil of her grandson moving in.
“I’m very glad you did. How is Christopher feeling?”
Louise released a heavy sigh. “Right now he’s home sulking. I wouldn’t let him go hang out with his friends. I told him, if he’s too sick for school, he’s too sick for friends. That’s what my mother always said to me and what I, in turn, always said to Christopher’s mother. He doesn’t agree. We had a huge fight. Slamming doors, swearing, telling me how much he hates it here and hates me most of all. That’s why I’m late.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said, giving Louise an impulsive hug. “That must be so difficult for you.”
“I’m fine, really. It’s all part of the joy of raising a teenager, right?”
Andie could remember plenty of times when she strongly disagreed with the strict rules at her grandparents’ house, but she never would have dared slam doors or talk back. She didn’t advocate her grandfather’s way of handling things, but there had to be a difference between harsh discipline and making sure a child understood there were lovingly considered consequences for misbehavior.
She didn’t feel it was her right to give advice to Louise about how to deal with her grandchild, though.
“I need to tell you, your shortbread was a huge hit next door,” she said to change the subject. “Sheriff Bailey loved it.”
Some of the tightness eased from Louise’s features. “Oh, I’m so glad.”
“Oh, you’ve been to see Marshall?” Megan Hamilton turned from picking out a piece of powder-dusted lemon cake. “I heard about his accident. How is he?”
She pictured the sheriff as she had found him earlier that day, rumpled and sleepy and gorgeous. Those dratted butterflies sashayed through her stomach again and she scowled. When would she stop having this ridiculous reaction to him?
“Oh no. Are things that bad?” Megan asked, obviously misinterpreting Andie’s expression.
“No. At least I don’t think so. He’s in pain, but he’s doing his best not to show it. Mostly, he’s frustrated and annoyed at the inconvenience of having a broken leg, I think.”
“That sounds like Marshall,” Megan said.
“I don’t really know him, so I don’t have a baseline to compare to. Wyn just asked me to keep an eye on him, since I live so close. I’ve stopped in a few times since he came home from the hospital and he seems to be feeling better each time.”
“Good. I can’t believe someone would just hit him with their car and leave him lying in the snow like that. Who knows how long he would have been there if he hadn’t had a cell phone on him?”
An involuntary shiver rippled down her spine, picturing him broken and bleeding in the cold and snow and wind that could be brutal coming off the lake.
“Knowing Marshall, he probably would have patched himself up, dragged himself to the nearest busy road and hitchhiked to the hospital,” McKenzie said with a laugh.
Considering the man had a compound fracture, that would have been quite a Herculean feat, though she wouldn’t put it past him. Something told her when Marshall put his mind to something, he didn’t let too many things stand in his way.
“Marsh is a few years older than me, but he was kind of a legend at HPHS,” Megan said, confirming Andie’s suspicion. “He played the entire last ten minutes of a state championship football game without telling the coach his shoulder had been dislocated by a bad hit.”
“I remember that,” Louise said. “Charlene was livid!”
“Marshall was always the strong silent brother,” Megan said. “Funny how different they were. Elliot always had his head