“It’s where…forget about it.” I shake my head, reaching for the cocoas. “You don’t have to stay.”
“Really?” He moves the cups out of my reach. “Are you going to tell your family that I popped by in between work just to bring you some hot chocolate, and then I’m leaving again? That’s stupid. Of course I have to stay. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a delivery to make.”
I spin and watch as he walks toward Brian and Hailey with their drink. The rest of my family greets him with smiles while the kids run up and hug his legs. My eyes drift to my mom. She’s already watching me. I lift my chin and smile in an I-told-you-so kind of way, grateful that her prediction of Justin not coming was proved wrong.
Caleb picks up each of my nephews and swings them around. Then he walks over to where Cora and Berkley sit, kneels in front of them, and has a twenty-second conversation with the girls.
He looks around as he stands. “Where’s Carma?”
“She stayed home,” my dad answers. “It’s too cold for her.”
Caleb lifts his hands to the side. “I can’t believe she’s going to miss Donna O’Day singing a Mariah Carey classic.”
“That’s what I said.” My mom wraps a blanket around herself before sitting down.
“What about Bob Irvine’s lights?”
“On the fire truck.” Caleb points at my dad. “I hear it’s going to be epic this year.”
His eyes dart to me, and he winks like he just nailed his big improv moment. I roll my eyes, not giving him any credit for his performance. But inside, I’m smiling.
Police sirens in the distance cause all the little kids to scream with anticipation.
“Summer, you coming?” Caleb grins, giving me the feeling that he’s actually excited to be here. “The parade is starting.”
“Yes, I’m coming.” I walk to his side, watching as a few police motorcycles fly past, clearing the street.
Caleb whistles with enthusiasm.
I eye him. “You act like you’ve never seen a parade before?”
“I’ve never seen aChristmasparade.”
“It’s pretty much the same as a regular parade, just everyone strings Christmas lights on their floats and plays Christmas music as they pass. That’s why they do it when it’s dark.” He nods. “Oh, and at the end, Santa Claus rides on top of the fire truck. He’s the finale.”
“That sounds awesome.” His smile grows. “I bet the kids love it.”
“Yeah, they do.” I stare into his blue eyes, feeling something I can’t place. Mostly gratitude—I think—that I don’t have to be alone.
“Hey, down in front,” Jeff calls behind us. “Nobody can see over you two.”
“Oh, sorry.” I move to my seat, then realize there’s only one chair. Justin was never coming, so why would I bring an extra chair for him?
Caleb sees what I see. “Don’t worry about it. You take the chair, and I’ll stand back behind everyone.”
“No, this is your first time seeing the parade. I want you to have a good view.”
“Hello?” Anna snaps at us. “Why don’t you two just share the chair so we all can see? Summer can sit in your lap.”
Our eyes lock for a second. Caleb is not moving an inch until I do.
“Yeah, sure,” I say.
He leans down, placing his drink in the cupholder, and then takes a seat. I couldn’t be more awkward as I try to find the least-intimate way to sit in his lap with minimal touching. I slowly sink lower, placing my butt on the edge of his kneecap. Nothing about this position is comfortable. His kneecap rolls in between my cheeks as I situate myself, and suddenly this feels more like a proctologist appointment than a holiday parade.
“You can’t sit like that. Your butt is too boney.”
“My butt? What about your boney kneecap?”
