“Let’s go shopping,” she said, capping the cider bottle and tucking it into the backpack. She held the open bottle of champagne. “I guess we’ll have to carry this.”

“Or drink it.”

She laughed. “Yes, we could do that. I want to buy a bird feeder, and they always have the best ones for sale on the first snowfall.”

He secured the backpack and put his arms through the straps to get it out of the way. He took the bottle from Reggie.

“So you have a free hand to shop.”

“You’re so sweet. Thank you.”

The music continued to play. Several couples were dancing in the middle of The Wreath. The younger children were making snow angels where they found untrampled snow. Harrison and several boys his age were throwing snowballs at each other.

Reggie led the way to the carts and booths, admiring the crafts and carefully studying the bird feeders. She purchased two, then bought some fudge from another vendor. Then they found a free bench and sat down to enjoy their champagne.

“My team is very impressed with your design,” he told her, pouring more of the sparkling liquid into her glass.

“I’m glad. I hope the numbers work.”

“I think they will.”

He set the champagne down and angled toward her. She had on a thick coat, gloves and a hat, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her look more beautiful. This was Reggie—he knew her. He’d known her much of his life.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” he told her. “Working things through.”

Her gaze met his. “I’m glad.”

“You’re right about some of it.”

One corner of her mouth turned up. “Only some?”

“I still worry about Harrison.”

The smile faded. “I know you do, and with good reason. If I were you, I’d never let him out of the house.”

“I’m not sure keeping him locked up helps with the healing.”

“But it was your first instinct?”

“Yes.”

She took his free hand in hers. “I get that, Toby. I really do. You’re a good father, and he’s such a great kid. But as to the rest of it, you know there’s something between us. Something I think is worth considering. It’s not just nostalgia, believe me. I went out with Jake, and the fact that there was nothing still there was painfully obvious. We’re not like that.”

She looked down at her champagne, then back at him. “I still wonder about what would have happened if you hadn’t had to leave town. If instead you’d stayed and we’d talked and I’d listened.”

He already knew the answer to that. “I would have convinced you to give me a second chance.”

“You didn’t need one. You hadn’t done anything wrong.”

“You know what I mean.”

She nodded.