Page 99 of The Merry Matchmaker

“I was buying at-r-a-i-nlast time I was in and happened to mention that someone had a dad who was single and a nice guy. Thanks for making a liar out of me.”

“Don’t you dare turn this back on me, not after what you did.” He glared at his interfering, mess-making sister. “Talking to a total stranger about me!”

Corky had caught the tension in the air and wasn’t skipping anymore. He looked up at his father in concern. “Is Aunt Jenn in trouble?”

Big-time.

“Aunt Jenn shouldn’t be,” Jenn said, frowning at Griff.

“But Aunt Jenn’s a grown-up,” Corky pointed out.

“Even grown-ups get in trouble,” Griff said, trying to keep his voice calm. It was taking a supreme effort since inside he was an erupting volcano.

“It’s okay, Corky. Your daddy’s just having a bad day.”

More like a bad life.

“But he’ll get over it because he knows he’s loved. Now, I have to go. You be good for your daddy,” she said, and ruffled Corky’s hair. “Bye, Scrooge,” she said to Griff, her tone of voice not as pleasant as it had been when she was talking to his son.

“Hate to see you go,” he said.

“Why is Aunt Jenn in trouble?” Corky asked as they continued toward the car.

Because she’s making me crazy.“Never mind. It’s just boring grown-up stuff. Let’s go home and have some hot dogs.”

“I don’t want Aunt Jenn to be in trouble,” Corky said, no longer happy.

“Okay, she’s not,” Griff lied. “Everything’s okay.”

Nothing was okay. He could hardly wait until Christmas was over.

The crowd was growing as more people came to town to check out the wares of the various vendors and artisans, which made Frankie’s walk back to the shop slow going. She was halfway there when a man in a lumberjack jacket and a stocking cap who was laughing with some buddies stepped backward into her, knocking her sideways.

“Sorry. Are you okay?” he asked, catching her arms. The pub crawl wouldn’t start until six, but his breath smelled like he’d already been crawling. His eyes brightened at the sight of her. “Well, hello there.”

One of the men with him was Brock. He lifted a hand and gave her a frosty smile. “Hi, Frankie.”

“Frankie, huh? Cute name,” said the man, looking her up and down like she was a giant piece of beef jerky. “You know this lady, Brock?”

“We’ve met,” Brock said stiffly. So, still mad at her for ending things with him.

“Brock, it’s always nice to see you,” she said, determined to be polite.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing you,” the stranger said to Frankie.

“Don’t waste your time,” Brock told him.

Oh, for heaven’s sake. His behavior couldn’t have been any smaller if he’d been an ant. She forced a smile. The male ego was a fragile thing, but she was sure it wouldn’t be long before Brock found someone to patch his up.

“You all enjoy yourselves,” she said, addressing the group in general, and then moved on.

She returned to the shop to find it empty except for Adele and Mr. Bellagamba, who was keeping her company. At the sight of Frankie, red crept up his neck and onto his cheeks. He gave her a sheepish hello.

“I see we have a lookie-loo,” Frankie teased, trying to lighten an awkward moment.

“I’m going to buy something,” he rushed to assure her.

“Mr. B, I’m only teasing,” she said.

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