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Our knees touched beneath the table. For a few minutes, we gobbled up grilled cheese fingers without talking.
Across the room, Madeleine stood beside Martha King, who wore a lovely green wrap around her shoulders. Her little girl was showing Madeleine something on a piece of paper while her son ate the last of his dessert.
Madeleine pulled up a chair to get a better look.
“That’s the family she shopped for,” I told Grant.
He nodded.
“Looks like they’re having a good time.”
“So does everybody.”
At Arabella’s table, Rafferty had stopped with his pitcher. She took his hand and pressed it against her stomach.
His expression changed to one of awe.
When dessert had been served, Jack and Ivy came out of the kitchen. Jack had removed his apron. Ivy still wore hers when she picked up a guitar.
“Can everybody hear me?” Jack asked.
“No,” Rhett called.
“Good. This next part’s about you.”
The children hurried toward the space in front of the musicians.
Jack waited for them to settle.
“We wanted to thank everybody who’s taken such good care of us this month. You’ve fed us, cleaned up after us, and gotten us where we needed to go.”
“Rescued a few of you,” Soren said.
“That too.”
Daisy was asleep against his chest now. When she stirred, he rested his hand over her back.
“You made this a Christmas we’ll never forget,” Jack continued. “And yesterday you gave Ivy and me a wedding we’ll be grateful for the rest of our lives.”
Ivy put her hand on his arm.
“We’re happy your families could join us tonight. And we’re glad to have some new friends here too.”
“Now,” Jack said, “we thought we’d take a few requests.”
Someone called out an old country song.
He looked at Knox.
“You remember that one?”
“Do you?”
“Most of it.”
“That ought to be enough between us.”
Grant bent to kiss me before going to join them.
