“Oh, that sounds fun. Maybe we’ll find you and tag along. I’m sure Brittany would love to have a picture with Hudson and Lyd together on Santa’s lap.”
She instinctively wanted to protest that Lydia was more than a photo prop but she forced down the words.
“Great. I believe Amanda told me they were moving Santa’s workshop back inside this year.”
“We saw it when we came in. You can’t miss it, with the flashing lights and the long line of kids.”
“Okay. We’ll find you after Audrey’s friend performs.”
He frowned. “Can’t I just take her now, after I grab my Diet Coke?”
Lydia skipped back to their table and picked up herquesadilla again. “I want to see the singers, too. They might sing ‘Jingle Bells.’ I love ‘Jingle Bells.’”
Troy looked as if he wanted to argue but he seemed to reconsider when Ryan gave him a cool look.
“Give us maybe forty-five minutes,” Holly said. “We can meet you over by the Santa line.”
He gave a reluctant nod, waved to Lydia again and then picked the shortest queue to grab his drink.
Suddenly her flavorful carne asada tasted like floral foam but she made herself nibble another bite.
“So. That’s your ex.” Ryan’s tone was bland but she didn’t miss the unimpressed look in his eyes.
After she made sure Audrey and Lydia were not paying them any attention, engaged in a discussion about whether green or red salsa tasted better, she turned back to Ryan.
“Yes. That’s why my sister stopped at the store earlier, to let me know Troy was back in town.”
“Lydia seems happy to see him.”
“She loves her dad. I try not to do anything to stand in the way of that.”
“Even when it’s hard?”
“Especiallywhen it’s hard.”
After a moment, he gave her a smile that made her feel like all the sparkly lights of the Christmas market were glowing inside her and they returned to their meal, which suddenly tasted much better.
Chapter Fifteen
HOW, EXACTLY, HAD HIS LIFE COME TO THIS?
He had been asking himself that same question since he arrived in Shelter Springs and had yet to find an answer.
A few short months ago he had been flying training missions miles offshore above the Pacific Ocean. Now he was sitting in a crowded Christmas market in a small Idaho town, listening to a bunch of off-key, squeaky-voiced kids sing carols.
What was he doinghere, first of all? And what was he doing sitting next to a woman who smelled like flowers, holding an adorable little girl who had climbed into his lap and snuggled against him without waiting for any kind of invitation?
The bigger question, he supposed, was why on earth would he feel so content at the status quo?
He tried to relax into the moment. The kids really weren’t that bad. They had some nice harmony and Audrey’s friend Megan sang a solo in a song he had never heard before about angels and animals.
The crowd clapped with enthusiasm after their final number and Ryan set Lydia on her feet so he could stand.
“Now Santa!” she exclaimed.
Audrey made a face. “Can I go talk to Megan while you guys go do that?”
“You have to tell Santa what you want,” Lydia insisted, her eyes troubled.
