Page 116 of The Merry Matchmaker

Stef stayed casual for their date—jeans and a red sweater—but shedid her hair and makeup and used her favorite peppermint-vanilla-scented cologne. It was Christmastime, after all.

Christmastime. She had to laugh when they were seated at the table in a near empty restaurant and the waiter laid out their sweet-and-sour pork, General Tso’s chicken, egg rolls and rice.

“You know what movie this makes me think of?” she asked him.

He didn’t smile. This time he gave her a great big grin. “A Christmas Story, where the family all ends up at the Chinese restaurant. We watched that every year when I was growing up.”

“You dogs of Bumpus!” she ranted, pulling out her lowest voice, and he laughed.

Then he looked surprised. “I haven’t laughed in a long time.”

“Then I guess it’s time you did,” she said, and dipped her egg roll in the sweet chili sauce.

“I guess it is,” he agreed.

Inspired, they spent the rest of the dinner throwing out famous lines from movies.

“May the odds be ever in your favor,” Stef quoted.

He gave a cynical snort. “And may the Force be with you.”

“Everyone knows that one. Come on, guess mine.”

He shrugged. “I dunno.”

“The Hunger Games. You never saw those movies?”

“Nope.”

“Your life has been deprived. Okay,” she said, and tried another. “Don’t judge me.”

“Just what I was about to say,” he said.

“What’s it from?”

“Beats me.”

“Is that a movie, or are you giving up?”

“I’m giving up,” he said.

“Trainwreck.”

His smile shrank. “No wonder I never saw that movie. It sounds like my life.”

No, no. They weren’t going to get all depressed one day before Christmas Eve. “Okay, how about this?” She cleared her throat and sang, “The sun will come out tomorrow.”

He looked puzzled.

“Oh, come on, everyone knowsAnnie—the kid with all the red hair?”

He nodded slowly.

“Well, okay, it’s not exactly a new musical. I know all this stuff because my grandma was into it. Anyway, it’s cute. Lots of positivity. She made me watch it after I left my husband.”

He nodded. Was silent a moment. Then he asked, “Do you believe that?”

“What?”

---