The December Market (Shelter Springs #2)

22

Few things made Amanda feel more out of place than attending an event where she was a lone woman surrounded by happy, enthusiastic families.

As she walked through the doors of Shelter Springs Elementary, Amanda wondered again why she had agreed to attend the school concert.

Yes, Isaac had invited her. It wasn’t a command performance. She could have refused or simply stayed away. Right now, she could be at home on her sofa with a cat on either side of her, a bowl of popcorn on her lap and one of her favorite Christmas movies playing on her television.

Instead, she stood outside the auditorium while a swell of noise and excitement seemed to ripple out from the children and their families.

This would be fun, she told herself. A big burst of holiday cheer to carry her through Christmas.

She walked inside and looked around for a seat. The auditorium was part of the major school rebuild that had been done a decade earlier. Before that, in her time, all school performances and events had taken place in the gymnasium that also served as the dodgeball arena, the volleyball court and the school cafeteria.

Now the elementary school had a dedicated auditorium that could host community events as well as special school assemblies and cultural performances.

The room was filled to capacity with parents, grandparents, siblings of the students. Apparently the evening would be split, she had learned by talking to her friend McKenna. In order to accommodate students in all grades, the younger students in grades kindergarten through second would be performing their concert first. After they finished, the students in grades three through five would take the stage.

Family members could be free to leave after their students performed, though some attendees would attend both shows if they had children or grandchildren in multiple grades.

Amanda had already decided she would only stay for Isaac’s turn, then would slip away again so that someone else could take her seat.

She was searching for an empty spot when she spotted McKenna waving at her from three rows ahead.

“Amanda! Come sit here! We saved you a seat.”

She looked down the row and saw McKenna’s family as well as Griffin and Natalie. Travis Dodd sat next to McKenna with their youngest daughter, Nora, beside him. Amanda’s brother, next to Travis, was holding the Dodds’ son that he had helped deliver a year earlier on Christmas Eve.

“Are you here to see Hazel?” Nora asked when Amanda sat down in the empty seat on the row, next to Natalie.

“Definitely. Along with the other children.”

“I wish I could be in the show,” the girl said with a pout. “Hazel gets to wear reindeer antlers and a red nose like Rudolph.”

“You will be,” her aunt Natalie assured her. “Next year. You’ll be in kindergarten with all your friends. I know you’ll sound amazing.”

Nora seemed content with that.

“Let’s see your sweater today,” McKenna ordered. Amanda unzipped her parka to reveal one of her favorites, with a cat twisted in tangled Christmas lights and the words Meowy Christmas . The sweater was a wild explosion of color, as if someone had let a reindeer loose on a knitting machine after a few too many eggnogs.

“I love it,” Nat exclaimed. “Where on earth do you find them?”

“I order a few online and search boutiques for them. Thrift stores are also great places to find ugly sweaters. I even have suppliers to my store who find them for me.”

While they waited for the concert to begin, they all chatted easily about her sweater collection, about their holiday plans, about the charitable proceeds from the market. Somehow in the course of the conversation, Amanda ended up holding little Austin, who seemed fascinated by the colors on her sweater.

She was laughing at a story McKenna shared about the girls trying to make sure they stayed on the nice list at all costs when she caught sight of a familiar figure.

Rafe sat in the section next to them, two rows ahead, with his mother and father and his brother and their children. Also on the row, she saw to her surprise, were Paolo and Birdie. Her grandmother looked particularly festive with a gold-and-green headband that somehow complemented the purple streaks in her hair.

Birdie seemed completely comfortable with the Arredondo family, as if she had belonged in their midst her entire life.

Amanda frowned, trying to ignore the niggling worry for her grandmother. She truly hoped Birdie wasn’t headed for heartbreak but had to trust her grandmother knew what she was doing.

Austin apparently didn’t like her frown. He fretted and Amanda quickly turned her attention away from her grandmother’s romantic life to nuzzle his neck until he beamed and giggled at her.

When she looked up again, she found Rafe watching her, dark eyes glittering with an intense expression that made her feel hot and jittery.

“Are you going to the Shelter Inn potluck tomorrow?” Natalie asked.

With effort, Amanda forced herself to look away from him and focus on her dearest friend. “I haven’t decided. I’ll be working at the store until at least six and the potluck starts at seven. That doesn’t give me much time to make anything to share, unless I find time tonight.”

“You can buy something on your way,” Nat answered. “Or not. That’s fine, too. You don’t have to provide anything. No one will care. It’s about family and community and being together, not about whatever food you take. I know Birdie would want you there.”

“I will have to see how things go tomorrow,” she answered. “How are the wedding plans?”

Nat rolled her eyes. “I haven’t thought about it for longer than about five minutes. I’ve been so busy trying to wrap up a couple of articles about our trip to Guatemala that everything else has sort of fallen by the wayside.”

“I’m here to do whatever you need. Let’s plan to meet after the holidays with Kenna so we can make some concrete plans.”

“We’ll have to squeeze it in, since I’m leaving in mid-January for the Netherlands.”

She admired the busy life Natalie had created for herself as a digital nomad, writing travel articles, freelance editing and caring for other people’s houses and pets.

Natalie had literally seen the world, while Amanda rarely even traveled thirty miles away from Lake Haven.

She was about to address Nat’s concerns when the school principal, a frequent customer of The Lucky Goat and one of Amanda’s favorite people, walked onstage and the crowd went silent.

“Welcome to the Shelter Springs Elementary School holiday concert,” Elizabeth Williams said with a bright smile. “All of our students, teachers and staff have worked so very hard to bring you this show in hopes of adding to your holiday spirit. Without further ado, let’s welcome our kindergarten class.”

The curtains opened to reveal an adorable group of children standing on risers.

The children looked giddy with excitement, all but vibrating with it as they waved with glee to their parents and friends.

“That’s my sister,” Nora said loudly, clapping as hard as anyone in the room.

On her lap, Austin seemed startled by the loud applause, then threw his own chubby little hands together with an enthusiasm that made her smile.

The show was delightful. The four kindergarten classes sang a few classics like “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and one Amanda didn’t know about Santa Claus.

Hazel Dodd sang her little heart out, her face screwed up with intensity as if she were performing an emotional opera in front of an audience of thousands.

They finished to thunderous applause and bowed several times before the curtain closed. After a noisy few moments when they could hear children’s loud voices behind the curtain, it opened again to reveal the first graders.

Again, the new group of children waved to their family members. She spotted Isaac easily with his glasses and curly dark hair. To her delight, the boy waved to his family and then, spotting her in the crowd, he waved just as vigorously to her.

His grade sang four songs with as much glee as the kindergartners. Isaac waved to her twice more.

“You certainly have a fan in little Isaac Arredondo, don’t you?” Natalie murmured after the curtain closed on his grade.

She remembered how Isaac had told Santa he wanted a mother for Christmas. She certainly couldn’t tell that to Natalie.

“He’s an adorable kid. I don’t quite know why, but he has decided I’m his new best friend.”

“I mean. The kid would be cute enough on his own. Throw in his hot dad and the two make quite a package.”

She wanted to say she wasn’t interested in Rafe, but the words seemed hollow, patently false, so she merely smiled.

After the first graders left, the curtain opened again on the second graders. She decided to wait until they were finished before leaving. When the first concert ended, she quickly said goodbye to her brother and Natalie as well as McKenna and Travis, who all planned to stay for the next concert. Amanda made her way to the hall outside the auditorium. Her hopes for a quick exit were dashed when Isaac came bolting over to her as the children were led inside to rejoin their families.

He threw his arms around her waist. “Did you hear me, Amanda?”

“I sure did,” she said, hugging him back. “Those were some wonderful songs.”

“Which one did you like the best?”

“Um. That’s hard to pick. I liked them all.”

“Dad, which one did you like?”

She looked over her shoulder to find Rafe coming out of the auditorium. He seemed struck to find her with Isaac.

“Amanda’s exactly right. That’s too hard to pick. You knew all the words to every song, though. I didn’t see you miss a single line. Way to practice, kiddo.”

Isaac beamed at his father and Amanda felt warmth seep through her. She couldn’t help contrasting Rafe’s fathering style to that of Dennis Taylor, who had either been distant to her and Griffin, too busy with his practice to pay them much attention, or hostile and angry and drunk.

Rafe was a wonderful father, doing his best to provide his son all the love and care the boy couldn’t receive from his mother now.

“Thank you so much for inviting me,” she said to Isaac. “I enjoyed it very much.”

“You’re welcome. I waved at you. Did you see?”

She smiled. “I did. I waved back. Did you see me?”

He nodded just as Rafe’s parents emerged from the auditorium.

“There’s our darling boy.” Louise Arredondo swept Isaac into a hug. “You sang so beautifully. I was so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Abi .”

Amanda wanted to slip away as the family talked about the concert and the songs they liked best, but to her vast surprise, Rafe’s mother stepped forward and slipped an arm through hers as if they were old and dear friends.

“Amanda. Lovely to see you again. How nice of you to come and watch the school concert.”

She almost stared at the woman, agape at her friendliness. Gathering her composure, she smiled. “It was my pleasure. I was honored that Isaac invited me.”

Louise looked down at her grandson, who was busy telling his grandfather and father about all of his classmates.

“He is certainly fond of you,” she said in a low voice. “He talked about you nonstop this week, every time he came to see us at the market. How pretty you are. How nice you are. I think he has a bit of a crush on you.”

Amanda felt distinctly uncomfortable, as if she had done something wrong. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand it myself. I’ll try to talk to him.”

“Why? It’s very sweet.” Louise looked around and then lowered her voice even further. “I’m not sure he’s the only one. I think my son might feel the same way.”

She felt hot, suddenly, like a teapot left too long on the stove. “Mrs. Arredondo. I assure you, Rafe and I are...we’re only friends. You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Worry? Why should I worry?” Louise smiled.

“I know I’m probably the last person in town you would like to see involved with your son. I understand that. I would never want to do anything to bring more pain to your family.”

To her shock, Louise hugged her arm more tightly. “Rafael and I had a talk earlier today about you. You should know how concerned he was for you. He made me see that I have not treated you as kindly as I should have since...since our Alex died. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what he said. I’ve been unfair to you and I’m very sorry for that. I hope you can forgive me, Amanda.”

Amanda didn’t know what to say. She glanced over at Rafe and found him watching her and his mother, his expression veiled. She wrenched her gaze back to his mother.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. Nothing. You were grieving your nephew. I completely understood. My father is the only one to blame here.”

“Exactly. Your father. Not you. You were a child, Amanda. A child .”

Tears welled in the other woman’s green eyes, so different from her son’s warm brown but somehow no less comforting.

“Your father was an addict. He had an illness. Do I wish he had been able to get help for it? Yes. Do I wish he had never climbed behind the wheel that night? Of course. But he did. It happened and the ripple effects have impacted all of our lives. Maybe especially yours.”

Louise gave her a full hug now, and Amanda felt tears gather in her own eyes as she felt years of guilt lift from her shoulders.

“I love that my grandson enjoys being in your company so much. And if my son does as well, I’m delighted with that, too. He has seen too much sadness in his life. Both of you have.”

In light of Louise’s sudden kindness, Amanda did not have the heart to reiterate that she and Rafe were only friends.

Yes, they were friends who had exchanged a few very heated kisses, but that’s all they would ever have.

She was spared from having to answer when Elizabeth’s voice came over the sound system in the hallway.

“Those of you who are staying for the second concert, we would ask you to begin taking your seats again.”

Louise smiled. “We’re going in to watch our other two grandchildren. You’re welcome to join us, if you would like. We have an extra seat.”

She knew the woman was offering a sturdy, reliable olive branch. For a moment Amanda was tempted to pretend she was part of their big, loving, boisterous family.

She wasn’t, though. They might have embraced Birdie as one of their own, but Amanda had no role in the Arredondo family.

“Thank you, but I need to go,” she said.

“I understand. We’ll talk again soon,” Louise promised.

Amanda nodded, then hurried away, wishing she could outrun her tangled emotions as easily.