Connie whirled around, a look of alarm on her face that made no sense to him. “I just wanted some company,” she blurted. “And Heather felt like getting out.”
He got the distinct impression there was a lot more to it, but he let it pass. “Well, I’ve got everything set up,” he assured Connie. “I didn’t put the books on display. I thought you’d want to do that, but the boxes are all there. I was just going to buy a hot dog for little Mick. Are you two hungry?”
“Not me,” Connie said, looking calmer now. “I’ll wait till later.”
He turned to Heather. “How about you? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. I would like some water, though.”
Connor nodded, then turned to his son. “Hey, kiddo, you want to come with me?”
Mick shook his head. “Stay with Mama.”
“You sure you can manage him?” he asked Heather.
She nodded. “We’ll be fine.”
He handed her the bag.
She gave him a questioning look. “What’s this?”
“A bribe,” he said, then mouthed c-o-o-k-i-e.
“Ah, I see. Then I know we’ll be fine.”
“The rule is after lunch,” he warned.
“That’s your rule. Moms make rules of their own.”
Connor shook his head. “Sure, undercut my paltry attempt at discipline.”
She merely laughed.
When Connor returned, his son was settled in Heather’s lap as she read him one of the children’s books about sea life that Connie had included in the selection available for today’s attendees. He’d discovered that Thomas believed it was sometimes the most basic ecological awareness of kids that actually caught the parents’ attention.
As the story ended, he caught sight of his uncle striding across the green. In his khakis and a blue polo shirt and with the tan of a man who worked on the water, he looked younger than his years. Connor noticed that several women turned to watch his progress, but it was the look on Connie’s face that really caught his eye. She was clearly smitten. He glanced toward Heather and saw a smile form on her lips. So, she’d seen it, too. He could hardly wait to compare notes with her.
Thomas beamed when he saw them, though his gaze seemed immediately drawn to Connie. “I see you’ve brought a crowd of helpers with you today.” He patted Connor on the back and leaned down to kiss Heather’s cheek and ruffle Mick’s hair. “How’s the healing process going, Heather?”
“Very slowly,” she said with obvious frustration. “Though the doctor says I’m right on schedule.”
“Has Connor told you how impossible he was when he broke his arm playing baseball in college?”
Heather rolled her eyes. “Believe me, I know. I was there.”
Thomas looked startled for an instant, then shook his head. “Of course you were. I keep forgetting what a long way back the two of you go. Well, I hope he’s treating you well.”
Heather squirmed slightly. “Sure,” she murmured.
“I’d be doing a lot more for her, if she’d let me,” Connor said pointedly. “She’s stubbornly independent.”
Thomas laughed. “Well now, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” He glanced out over the crowd gathered on the green, his expression pleased. “I should get up there and do my thing.” His gaze fell on Connie. “Have I thanked you again for organizing these events? You and Shanna are amazing.”
Connie blushed. “I’m glad to help.”
When Thomas trotted off to begin his speech, her gaze followed him. Connor saw Heather take note of that and smile once again.
So, he thought, it was official. There was something developing between his uncle and Connie, just as he’d suspected earlier in the summer. He wondered how long it would take one of them to act on it, or if they’d go on pretending it didn’t exist.
In the meantime, though, he was grateful for the opportunity they’d presented to him. Under the guise of promoting the budding romance, he’d have the perfect excuse to get Heather to himself later this afternoon.
* * *
Heather had been fully aware of the secretive glances being exchanged by Connie and Thomas when he’d first arrived for the event. They were acting like a couple of bashful teenagers, which she found utterly charming. She was pretty sure Connor had noticed as well.
When Connie took a quick bathroom break, she glanced over at Connor. “You saw it, too, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“The way those two were looking at each other—Thomas and Connie?”
He grinned. “Oh, yeah. Even Kevin thinks there’s something going on, and both of them have admitted to me how they feel. I’m just not sure they’re willing to admit it to each other.” His gaze narrowed. “Is that why you’re here? Did Connie drag you down here to assess the situation?”
Heather nodded. “Something like that. She claimed she wanted me here to keep her from doing something crazy, but I really think she wanted me to observe Thomas’s behavior around her and see if she was nuts for thinking there was some kind of attraction going on.”
“And?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said fervently. “The man definitely has the hots for her.”
“And vice versa,” Connor said. “So, here’s what I’m proposing. When this thing ends, let’s encourage the two of them to stick around and grab lunch or something. Then you and I can bail, and you can ride home with little Mick and me.”
“Count me in,” she said at once, proving that she was more concerned with her friend’s happiness than steering clear of him. In fact, she grinned at him. “Nice to see you have the O’Brien matchmaking gene, despite your oft-stated claim that you despise all that well-meaning interference.”
“It’s my uncle and Connie. It’s a worthy cause,” he said.
She gave him a sly look. “You do know that Connie had another motive in having me tag along today, don’t you?”
“Me?” he guessed at once.
“Of course, and we’ve just agreed to play very nicely into her hands.”
He laughed. “Does that bother you?”
She met his gaze, then sighed. “Not half as much as it probably should.”
CHAPTER 22
It was nearly two o’clock by the time they’d packed
