“Maybe,” Marley mused. “I’d like that.”
We hummed softly with the Christmas tunes playing over the speaker, waving as more of the guests departed. There hadn’t been an end time on the invitation because Coleman Creek didn’t operate like that. Fingers crossed, the stragglers would clear out by midnight.
Will sat at one of the round tables with Travis, Vivienne, and their kids. They all held playing cards, engaged in an intense game of Go Fish. I watched Will offer Connor a fist bump, stopping about an inch short of actually touching the boy’s hand, respecting his sensory issues. Seeing Connor’s wide smile in return made my heart stutter.
When Will caught my gaze on them, his eyes softened. He gestured to Scarlett. The table was too far away for me to hear him, so he mouthed exaggeratedly, “She’s kicking my ass.”
I shook my head, grinning.
“Marley?” I asked.
“Yeah?”
“What did you mean when you said Will and I have a lot in common?”
She sat up triumphantly. “I knew it! You’re interested in him.”
I glowered at her. “I promise you I’m not. Just curious.”
“If you say so. But since you asked, I’ve gotten to spend more time with Will over the past year, and you’re just very similar in your approach to things. Like how it’s obvious why Miranda and Leo are friends. And how James and I are sort of evenlymatched. Will’s creative, like you, and he’s witty, always with the sarcastic comebacks. He doesn’t suffer fools. But then he can also be really sweet and take care of people, like he did for James at the reunion. Or like he’s doing for the Bloxhams right now.”
The air swirled in my lungs. She was describing the Will I’d gotten to know five years ago over endless hours of coffee and carbs.Billy.Would my curiosity to find out how that man had turned into Rosalyn’s fiancé,William,eventually outweigh my instinct for self-preservation? Should I take him up on his suggestion to spend some time together? To Marley, this was all straightforward, but to me, the Will she described still felt like an enigma. I knew there was much more to him than she had ever seen.
“Maybe we’re a bit alike,” I conceded, since my sister expected a reply.
“More than a little.”
I scooted closer to her. “Do you know what happened to his hand? His, uh, fingers?”
Marley’s features tightened. “No. I only know he had an accident. I don’t know when or what it was. He once told James he never goes bike riding, so maybe it has something to do with that. Whatever happened, he’s so adept with only the three fingers, I never notice.”
“Same.”
James came over to pull Marleyto the dance floor. With both my sisters occupied, I figured I could slip away and start cleaning up inside.
I found Vivienne in the kitchen, wrapping some of the food and getting the first load of dishes started.
“Didn’t I just see you outside?” I asked.
“I was, but Travis and the kids were doing fine without me. Katy was in here a minute ago, but she needed to get her babies home, so I volunteered to keep the process moving along so she wouldn’t feel bad.”
I pulled on an apron and tied it behind my waist. “I’d love to get everything done without Marley having to lift a finger.”
“Agreed.”
We worked side by side for a while, hand-washing plates and organizing the casserole dishes neighbors would come by to pick up over the next few days. Vivienne monitored her family through the laundry room window.
“Will has been great with the kids tonight,” she remarked. “Especially considering he hasn’t met them before. Connor never takes to new adults like this. And when Scarlett got squirmy during the toasts, Will found one of James’s puzzle books and spent half an hour with her doing Christmas word searches.”
Ugh. I needed fewer people telling me what a great guy Will was. It messed with my head.
As did Will walking into the kitchen twenty minutes later, looking chivalrous and adorable with a sleeping Scarlett in his arms. “Out like a light,” he whispered to Vivienne. “Travis said to tell you he’s rounding up the other three to get them into the car, but he’s fine if you want to stay.”
Vivienne ran a gentle finger along Scarlett’s cheek. “Honestly, I’m beat too.” She turned to me. “You okay if I take off?”
“No problem. We’re almost done here, anyway.”
She tsked cheerfully. “Well, I know that’s not true, but I appreciate you saying it.”
