Page 72 of The Merry Matchmaker

“Right?” she prompted.

“You know how I feel about you.”

His tone of voice sent a little shiver running through her while heating her face at the same time. She chose to ignore both. “I know,” she said.

Friendship was safe, and friendship was enough.

He took another drink of his beer, then cleared his throat. “I’ll always want the best for you, Frankie.”

“This is best,” she said.

He nodded. “Start the movie.”

She did. They ate pizza and watched as the hero dodged bullets, survived car chases and solved a murder. All in a day’s work. For a moment, she couldn’t help wishing life was as simple as the movies.

“Don’t you wish life could be like a good movie, with everything turning out perfect in the end?” she said to Mitch as the ending credits rolled.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect life, but you can have perfect moments,” he said.

“Very profound.”

“I can be.”

She smiled at him. “This is one.”

He took a final swig of his beer. “It’s close.” Then before she could ask what he meant by that, he said, “Guess I’d better be going.Cop Stoptomorrow?”

“Of course.”

She sent him home with the last two pieces of pizza and watched him drive off, his truck headlights spotlighting the gently falling snow.

Close to perfect wasn’t half bad.

Frankie got her movie moments the next day after work when everyone gathered at Adele’s for lasagna and cookie baking. Of course, they had to make gumdrop cookies for Warner, and sugar cookies, which he was delighted to help decorate, dumping mounds of sprinkles on each one. No one told him that, when it came to decorating cookies, less was more. When you were six, more was more.

Finally, full of lasagna and loaded up with cookies, Natalie and her family left, and Adele and her daughters settled in to enjoy a final eggnog.

“It looks like you found something to do last night,” Adele observed as she scraped half the sprinkles off her cookie. “The new lights on your windows look nice.”

“Mitch came over and helped me,” Frankie said.

“He’s the best,” said Stef. “I’m surprised Brock didn’t come over.” Obviously, Adele had said nothing.

Discussing Brock with her sister had felt awkward ever since Frankie’s matchmaking dinner-party fail, and she found herself feeling relieved to be able to share that things were not going to work out for them.

“We really are two different people,” she said.

Adele shook her head. “I still think you should have given it more of a chance.”

“He was too young.” In so many ways.

“And Mitch is too old. Too young, too old. What are you, Goldilocks? You’re never going to find a man who’s just right, trust me,” said Adele.

“I’m not looking for one. Honestly, Mom, this is getting old.”

“And so are you,” Adele retorted, determined to have the last word.

Okay, that was enough family time. Frankie took her share of the cookies and left.

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