She reached his side, grabbed his arm, and led him away from the small group. “If you ever usurp my authority again, you won’t live to regret it.”
“Okay. But take it out on me, not on Chantal. This was one hundred percent my idea.”
She glared. He knew he should be cowed by her ire, but dang, she was adorable in her defense of her daughter. Another chip of ice fell off his heart. Not as big as the one that had clattered to the ground as he watched Chantal on stage. Both mother and daughter were magnificent.
“Fine. This is all you.” She shook her finger in his face. She opened her mouth, snapped it shut, and finally said, “Ugh,” and stomped off.
Seth breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t think for a single moment that he’d heard the last of this. He rejoined the group in time to hear Joy praising Chantal’s performance.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen, Mama. I just wanted this so much. Don’t be mad at Mr. Mathison. It was my idea.” She clasped her hands together and looked apologetic. “It was all my idea, not Mr. Mathison’s.”
Joy smiled at Chantal and glared at him. It didn’t matter. He was happy to take the blame because it had been his idea. He’d have to talk to Chantal about little white lies.
“We should celebrate your success,” Jenny said. “Why don’t we all go to the park and check out the food trucks and the Lyons Christmas Fair?” She turned to Chris and Maddie. “You should come too. It’s warm tonight, and I know a lot of the other passengers are coming. We’re making a public announcement of the groups who completed their challenges.”
“Can we Mama? Please.” Chantal gave her mother puppy dog eyes.
“I already said no.” She sighed.
Seth felt bad for Chantal. She’d been amazing through shopping and the rehearsals. Unless he missed his guess, they didn’t get to have much fun time. To his surprise, Chantal didn’t complain. She just stood silently, her eyes moist.
Joy looked around the group. Seth followed her gaze. Nobody met her eyes, and he could tell they didn’t like her answer. She must have realized it, too.
“Do you promise not to wander off and to listen to me? No mistakes. No pleading. No disobeying or making little deals with Mr. Mathison?”
Chantal frowned. Then nodded. “Yes, Mama. I’ll be good.”
They returned to the train for proper outerwear, and before he knew it, they were at the park.
The Christmas fair was set up in a large open area not far from the Santa Train on the outskirts of Lyons. Thousands of feet had packed down the snow. Brightly lit trees surrounded the entire clearing. Between the trees, food trucks were parked, and open for business.
The enticing aroma of fried foods and chocolate immediately tantalized Joy. Tonight was going to be murder on her waistline. Jenny had given her a stack of gift certificates good for any of the food vendors. A roving band of carolers dressed in period costumes strolled the path, pausing here and there to serenade guests.
To their left was an area surrounded by a picket fence with the area inside divided into sections. In each section was an enormous pile of snow. The sign announced a snowman building competition. They watched for a few minutes and moved on.
They indulged in burgers and fries and ate them under a heat lamp. She shivered in the cold. “How can you not be cold?” she asked Seth, who had his gloves off and jacket open.
He laughed. “I’m from Canada. This is mild winter weather for me. If I were working outside, I’d ditch my jacket.”
“I’m cold too,” Chantal agreed.
“Hang tight, I have an idea.” He shoved the last bite of his burger into his mouth and took off. He was back in five minutes and dumped some packets on the table.
“Heat packets. Break them open, like this.” He demonstrated. “Slip them in your gloves, pockets, boots. Whatever’s cold.” He helped Chantal put them in her gloves and down the front of her winter boots.
“Oh.” She grinned. “That’s so warm. Can we walk around some more?” she begged.
The joy on her daughter’s face had Joy agreeing instantly. “Sure, why not? But not much longer,” she warned. She didn’t have a reason for ending the evening early, she just wanted to reinforce the fact that she was in charge. They took frequent breaks as they toured the vendors. Joy bought herself a lovely hand-knit scarf for almost nothing and let herself be talked into another toque for Chantal. What she would do with it back in California, Joy didn’t know, but this was a vacation, and she was doing her best to have fun and stay on budget.
They were passing a small stage when they noticed Jenny climbing the steps. A large group of television cameramen and people with their phones out were gathered in front. The mayor introduced Jenny, who smiled widely at the audience.
Seth leaned close to Joy and whispered, “Do you think she’s the benefactor?”
“That would make sense. It seems like she’s everywhere. But I’ve also seen that couple several times since we left the train.” She pointed to a middle-aged man and woman wearing matching jackets and hats. “They were in the mall, and at the concert. They’re here too. It could be them.”
“I hadn’t noticed them,” Seth said. “You might be right. I wonder why the benefactor wants to remain a secret. You’d think the publicity would be a good thing.” He paused. “They had camera crews here, and I saw Jenny on the news last night doing an update on the contestants. I guess Team Bevin made their goal, and I’m assuming we did. I hope.” He raised his crossed fingers to reinforce his hopes.
“Seth, Joy, Chantal, can you come up here?”
