Jack pulled her closer and kissed her cheek. “That got me, too,” he said, wiping his cheeks with a knuckle.
At intermission, the family stood to stretch their legs, and friends surrounded Ginger. Marina loved these moments with family, friends, and music under the stars.
Jack stood and rolled his shoulders. “Chip and I can bring drinks for everyone. How many hot cocoas and coffees do we need?”
“I’ll help,” Blake said, rising to his feet.
“And I need to check on things backstage,” Axe said.
After the men left, Marina turned to Ginger. “What an incredible show. Everyone in the choir is so talented.”
“They clearly love what they do,” Ginger said. “That’s the secret to life.”
Kai leaned into the conversation. “Axe always loved singing with them. I still swoon over his rich baritone.”
A thought came to Marina. “Do you think we might see him on the stage tonight?”
Kai shook her head. “He said they asked him to sing with them, but he didn’t have time to rehearse because of that big job. I know he wanted to.” She brightened. “But next year, we’ll put on another musical. How about Sandy the Sandman? A beach relative of Frosty?”
Marina grinned. “That’s close to ‘Mr. Sandman,’ isn’t it?”
Kai snapped her fingers and hummed the tune. “You’re right. We could play with that.”
A young man with a blond ponytail approached them. “Hey, everyone,” Cruise said. “There’s such a long line that Jack asked me to bring the cocoa and coffee out.”
“Where is he?” Marina asked.
“Men’s room. Long line there, too.” Cruise shrugged.
“That’s a first,” Kai said, raising her eyebrows.
Before long, the lights blinked, and Marina glanced around. Still, there was no sign of Jack. Blake and Chip were missing, too. She sighed. They would find their way back.
“Where are they?” Kai craned her neck, looking. “I’m disappointed they’re not back yet,” she whispered.
Onstage, the lights went up, and the music soared. Men in tuxedos stepped out from behind set pieces, singing “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
“Oh, my gosh, it’s Axe,” Kai cried, clapping. “And there’s Jack.”
Marina gasped and nudged Ginger. “Oliver is up there, too.”
Ginger laughed. “I think they all are. Even the boys.”
Sure enough, Leo led Alder, Rowan, and Oakley onto the stage, and all the girls in the crowd screamed.
Marina and her sisters broke into laughter. “Do we have a new boy band in the making?”
“Maybe I should book them now,” Kai said, clapping along.
“What a surprise,” Marina said, blowing Jack a kiss. With love blooming in her heart, she thought about the time they must have devoted to practicing and the effort required to keep this a secret.
“I have a feeling Axe’s client wasn’t as demanding as I thought,” Kai said happily.
Marina tapped Ginger on the shoulder. “Did you know about this?”
She shook her head. “I suspected something, but never this. Isn’t it clever?”
Marina loved the performance, and each of the men pointed to their sweethearts on the song’s last line.
