Page 3 of The Merry Matchmaker

“You’re good at making things happen.” He pointed out the window to where the banner hung. “The Santa Walk’s been a big success. People love you, Frankie. Not everyone can say that.”

“It’s nice of you to say it.”

“Just speakin’ the truth.”

“Thanks for making me feel better.”

“Call it an early Christmas present. We still on forCop Stoptomorrow night?”

“Absolutely,” she said. “I’ve already got the chips and salsa.”

“Good,” he said with a nod. “I’ll bring the beer.”

A blonde in black leggings, thigh-high boots and a pink wool coat strolled over. “Hi, Mitch,” she purred. “Can you help me pick out some paint for my bedroom?”

Gack, thought Frankie in disgust.

“Be right with you,” Mitch said with a smile.

“You can do better than that,” Frankie said as the woman sashayed away.

“Yeah? How?”

She could tell by that lopsided grin that he was teasing her. She pointed a finger at him. “You need help.”

“There’s a lot of things I need, Frankie, but you helping my love life isn’t one of them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go help my customer,” he added with a wink. “Try not to be jealous.”

“You should be so lucky,” she said to his retreating back. “Stubborn man,” she muttered, and left to go next door to her shop.

Honestly, Mitch could have his pick of women. He shouldn’t be living alone, eating takeout and tuna fish sandwiches. Getting hounded by predators in pink coats. What if one of them succeeded? Mitch needed someone special, someone with some depth to her, someone who would see him as more than a big slice of beefcake. He really needed a guiding hand. Hers.

Of course, whoever he wound up with would have to share because Frankie had no intention of giving up her best buddy. All the more reason to help him find his perfect Mrs. Claus.

Walking into her shop always lifted Frankie’s spirits. Always dressed for the holidays, Holiday Happiness was a treasure house of artificial trees of varying species, both green and flocked, decked out in different styles and colors with glowing lights and every imaginable kind of ornament to tempt lookers into becoming buyers. Then there were the ceramic village displays, nativity sets, Santas and nutcrackers in varying sizes, Advent calendars and stuffed bears wearing Santa hats. Come January, those bears would make way for ones bearing satin hearts with I Love You stamped on them. Holiday Happiness celebrated every holiday.

Except for Halloween. Frankie put out very few decorations for that one, opting instead to focus on fall and Thanksgiving items. After losing Ike, she’d lost her taste for skeletons and fake grave markers.

Her twenty-nine-year-old daughter, Natalie, who worked part-time in the shop, was ringing up a customer’s purchase as Frankie walked in. In addition to being pretty with her father’s green eyes and light brown hair, Natalie was also sweet and impressively creative. She was her mother’s pride and joy.

At the second cash register next to her, Frankie’s full-time employee, Elinor Ingles, was also ringing up a sale for someone. Barbara Fielding.

Theoretically, Frankie and Barbara should have been friends. They were close in age, with Barbara only a couple of years older than Frankie, and both owned businesses.

But Frankie wasn’t a fan of Barbara, and Barbara didn’t like Frankie. She’d never said so or done anything overtly hostile, but Frankie could tell by the frosty smile the woman reserved only for her. Barbara’s long nose had been out of joint ever since Frankie had beaten her to the punch and taken the space for Holiday Happiness that Barbara had wanted for her yarn shop. She also hadn’t been happy the year Frankie had been elected president of the chamber of commerce instead of her. She’d been especially irritated when she learned that her on-and-off boyfriend Ned Boreman, who had turned the old Roxy Theater back into a movie house, had voted for Frankie instead of her.

Frankie was no longer president, but the old rivalry continued, and Barbara and Frankie remained frenemies.

Barbara had raised objections when Frankie first proposed the Santa Walk. The downtown shops already gave out candy for Halloween, merchants were always being hit up to donate merchandise to various events for door prizes, the holidays were a busy time and shop owners would be stressed. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. She’d been voted down, and Frankie had been given free rein.

This year Barbara was the head of the Santa Walk committee, thanks to a coup d’état where she ousted Frankie from the chair position that she’d held for the last two years.

Barbara didn’t deserve to get anything from Santa.

“I’m surprised you could leave today,” Barbara greeted Frankie, as if Frankie had abandoned her shop. “Business must not have been that good.”

You wish, Barbara.The Holiday Happiness ship had sailed along just fine for a short while without its captain. “Business has been fine,” Frankie said. “And I have a great staff to handle things if I have to step away. I’m surprised you’re out and about. Nobody at your shop today?” she fired back.

“We’ve been busy,” Barbara said with a lift of her chin.

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