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“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Chloe said earnestly. “For your birthday.”
“My birthday.” Anna had been so busy finalizing details for her class reunion and keeping up with the steady stream of tourists flowing through Castle Falls as they made their way to the Lake Superior shoreline, she’d totally forgotten she had one coming up.
“Grandi told us she’d left some money in her dresser drawer and we should buy something special for you,” Chloe explained. “And we’re going to add the change in our piggy banks, too.”
“We can earn our Sunflower Celebrate Creation pin and celebrate your birthday at the same time.” Cassie grinned.
“Multitasking, right, Mom?”
Multi—
Anna was the one who felt a stab of guilt.
How many times over the past few months had the girls heard her use that particular word?
Anna struggled for balance, but it was challenging to keep things running smoothly at home and at work. Birthday or not, a leisurely day canoeing down the river seemed like an indulgence for a single working mom whose time would be better spent coming up with creative ways to keep the business Anna’s mother had entrusted to her afloat.
“I appreciate the gesture, girls, but my birthday is this Wednesday. I doubt we’ll be able to schedule a canoe trip on such short notice.” Anna latched on to the first excuse she could think of. “Summer is Mrs. Mason’s busiest season.”
“That’s true, but birthdays are special occasions.” Sunni waved to someone behind Anna. “Can you come over here a minute? We have a question for you.”
Anna twisted around just in time to see Dash freeze midstep in front of one of the carnival booths a few yards away. He pivoted toward them slowly and made his way to Sunni’s side.
“Is it possible Anna and her girls can use their gift certificate this Wednesday?”
Dash didn’t respond. Anna wasn’t sure if it was because he was trying to stay in character or because Sunni had put him on the spot.
“If you can’t fit us in, I under—”
The word lodged in Anna’s throat when Dash tugged off his headpiece, revealing the man behind the mask.
The man who’d playfully taken her in his arms and waltzed her through the grass.
The man with tousled, ink-black hair and eyes the velvet blue of a summer evening sky.
The only person who’d seen the bully lurking beneath Ross’s charismatic smile.
Liam.
* * *
For the last six hours, Liam couldn’t wait to remove this silly headpiece so he could breathe fresh air again. Now the only thing he wanted to do was put it back on and pretend he was Aiden pretending to be Dash.
Fortunately, his mom didn’t pick up on the tension that thickened the air like an early-morning mist over the river.
“I’ve been so busy getting things ready for the fund-raiser I haven’t had a chance to look at the calendar. Do you know if Aiden is free that day?”
Liam tore his gaze from Anna and tried to dredge up an image of their schedule for the upcoming week.
“He blocked off the day for a private lesson, and Brendan will be out of town for a business meeting.”
Liam’s pint-size dancing partners, who’d pushed Anna into his arms earlier in the day, wilted like daisies in the midday heat, but Anna looked...relieved?
What was that about? Why had she bid on that particular item if she hadn’t wanted to win?
“The twins wanted to surprise Anna,” Sunni murmured, almost as if she’d read Liam’s mind.
“So we kind of forged her signature,” Cassie added proudly.
“’Cause it’s her birthday,” her sister, Chloe, chimed in.
Fortunately for Liam, the girls’ names were printed in the center of the giant sunflowers silk-screened on the front of their T-shirts or he would have had a difficult time telling them apart.
“Mom says birthdays don’t count when you’re her age, but I think they always count, don’t you?” Cassie directed the question at Liam.
“Always,” he agreed.
“She won’t have to do any of the work, either—”
Cassie bobbed her head in agreement. “Mom works a lot—”
“And sometimes she falls asleep on the couch at night—”
“Girls.” Anna squeezed the word in, her cheeks flooding with color, as her daughters paused to take a breath. “It’s all right. I can call Mrs. Mason and schedule another time.”
Instead of agreeing with Anna, his mom tipped her head to one side, something Liam had seen her do whenever she was trying to come up with a solution to a problem.
And then she smiled—at him—and Liam knew exactly what that solution was.
Don’t say it, Mom.
But she did. Out loud.
“What are you doing on Wednesday, Liam?”
Liam made the mistake of glancing at the twins, and the hope blazing in their eyes pulled him in and held him captive like a tractor beam.
“It looks—” Liam heard himself say “—like I’ll be going on a canoe trip.”
* * *
“Gourmet meal. Cooked over an open fire.” Liam secured the tie-down on Aiden’s canoe and gave it a hard yank. “Seriously?”
“Hey! Take it easy on the old guy.” Aiden ran a comforting hand over the scarlet flames that flowed underneath the curve of the gunwale. “I thought it was a nice touch. Lily claims it’s all about marketing, and do you know how much swanky restaurants charge for freshly caught trout?”
Liam didn’t. And Aiden had to be joking.
“Trout?” He stared at his brother. “I’m going to have my hands full with three inexperienced paddlers, and you expect me to pack a fly rod? And what if I don’t catch anything?”
“Huh.” Aiden looked a little mystified by this line of questioning. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about that. I always catch fish.”
His younger brother’s confidence, which Liam found humorous if not downright entertaining on most occasions, sawed against his nerves today. “What am I supposed to do? Call Chet and ask him to airdrop a gourmet dinner for four on Eagle Rock?”
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