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Warm tears spilled down Jamie’s cheeks, and she covered her face and cried. She was so happy for her friends but sad for her own predicament, and these days, she seemed to cry at the drop of a hat.
“Hey.” Duncan lay his hand on her back. “Are you okay?”
She stayed hidden and shook her head.
He moved her hands, revealing her tearstained cheeks.
Their eyes locked for what seemed like forever, and his gaze slipped to her lips then back to her eyes. The electricity sparked between them. Even more so when he reached up and brushed his thumb against her damp cheek.
“Duncan,” she whispered and swallowed hard.
“Duncan, sweet boy.” Nana’s voice came from behind them.
He immediately dropped his hand and stood to face his grandmother. “Yeah, Nana?”
“Can you come help us move some chairs around the fire so more people can enjoy it?”
“Of course, Nana. I’m on it.” He took off across the lawn to help move the Adirondack chairs and lawn chairs into the circle.
Nana walked up and lay a hand on Jamie’s shoulder, giving her a wink and a squeeze. Jamie smiled. Even though Nana seemed to have bonded with Dréa, Jamie had a feeling she was secretly rooting for her and Duncan.
A few minutes later, Shannon and Micah came walking up from the dock, holding hands, and Jamie jumped up from her seat and rushed over to hug her friend.
“I am so happy for you guys!”
“Thanks, Jame.”
Jamie hugged Micah, then reached for Shannon’s hand. “Lemme see!”
The beautifully simple round diamond solitaire fit perfectly on Shannon’s slender finger. “It’s gorgeous!”
Shannon was beaming. Ten years had gone by since they split up after high school. Ten years to find their way back to each other. Shannon and Micah’s love was special, and their second chance made Jamie believe anything was possible where love was concerned.
The sound of acoustic guitar music filled the yard as cousin Tim led a round of “Happy Birthday” for Nana. Shannon carried a cake out of the house and set it on the table in front of her grandmother, who blew out the candles to loud applause from her family. The song turned to “You Are My Sunshine,” and Nana sang along as she enjoyed a slice of her cake.
There was a chill in the night air, so much that Jamie wished she’d brought a sweater or jacket. She rubbed up and down her arms to keep warm.
“Here.” Duncan peeled his sweatshirt off and handed it to her.
Jamie smiled up at him from her seat by the fire, but as she reached to take it, she noticed Dréa standing behind him, staring at her with that unhappy expression she’d worn earlier. She pushed it back at him. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” She tried not to shiver. “I guess I should’ve brought a jacket. I wasn’t thinking about it getting colder when the sun went down. It was so warm earlier.”
“Fall will be here before we know it,” he replied.
There was suddenly a commotion to the side of the house.
“Sophia!” Shannon jumped up from her chair and ran to embrace her sister.
Duncan followed, and Dréa tagged along behind.
Jamie had only met Shannon and Duncan’s sister once. Sophia had left Michigan after her high school graduation and had been living in New York City, working in fashion, for nearly a decade. From what Jamie knew, Sophia hadn’t been around much in all of those years, missing many family functions and holidays, even Christmas. But here she was, clearly loved by her family, as they surrounded her and smothered her with hugs and kisses until she was laughing and waving people away.
Jamie heard Duncan introduce Dréa and glanced over just as the two soon-to-be-sister-in-laws embraced. Her heart ached at the sight.
Sophia made a beeline for Nana next.