Page 98 of The Merry Matchmaker

“That poor little boy. He’s probably asking for a mommy right now,” said Frankie.

“Good luck with that. No woman in her right mind is going to want anything to do with his dad,” Stef said.

As Stef glared at the back of her coffee shop disappointment and Frankie tried to console her by calling the man every insulting name she could think of, Jenn returned to where they stood. “I just want to say I’m sorry about my brother.”

“I’d be sorry, too, if I had a brother like him,” Stef said. Then she reminded herself she was representing the paper and managed a smile. “Never mind. It’s all right. This can be a stressful time of year.” That was still no excuse for being rude to a stranger, someone who was only doing her job. The man deserved a lump of coal up his ass.

“It’s been hard for him since his wife died.” Jenn looked ready to cry herself. “Hard for all of us. She was my best friend. And his.”

“No wonder he’s so angry,” Frankie said.

Her words pulled Stef away from her own anger. She remembered how horrible it had been for Frankie after Ike died. She’d been the walking wounded. She also had a vague memory of her mother, who’d turned into a zombie after Stef’s father died. Stef had felt sorry for little Corcoran when she’d read his letter. Maybe his father needed a serving of sympathy, too.

Still, he’d just taken his anger out on her and publicly humiliated her. She looked to where the little boy was hopping down the stairs, holding the candy cane Mrs. Claus had given him and smiling. At least someone was happy.

“Don’t let Griff’s behavior discourage you from what you’re doing,” Jenn said to her. “Everyone loves your Letters to Santa page.Ilove your Letters to Santa page.” She bit her lower lip, then confessed, “I’m the one who sent the letter in for my nephew. It seemed like a good idea at the time, especially since the year before his dad conveniently lost his letter.” She shook her head. “Griff really is a great guy.”

“I’m afraid he didn’t show off very well just now,” said Frankie.

“I know. But that’s not the real him. He’s trying hard to be a good dad. I guess I can see why he doesn’t want Corky asking Santa for a mommy. It would only set him up for disappointment. But he wants one so badly, wants to be like the other kids. He doesn’t remember much about his mother. All he knows is that he used to have one who loved him, and he wants one again.”

“He’s a cute little boy,” Stef said. His father was good-looking, too.

Richard had been good-looking. In the end he’d proved to be a super tool. Looks counted for nothing.

“Anyway, I really am sorry. Please don’t hold Griff’s moment of anger against him.”

“It’s Christmas. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men,” Stef said. She still didn’t care if she ever saw this particular man again, though. Hurting or not, he was a jerk.

“Thanks,” said Jenn. Then, with a final apologetic smile, she hurried off to catch up with her brother, who was already leading his son away.

Stef frowned as she watched them go. “Boy, can first impressions be misleading. He seemed nice when I met him in The Coffee Stop. If I ever see him there again, I won’t be buying him a drink. I’ll be dumping it over his head. I get that he misses his wife, but that’s no excuse for yelling at people. I mean, who acts like that?”

“So much for that idea,” muttered Frankie as she watched her not-so-perfect candidate for her sister march away through the crowd, towing his son along.

“What idea?” asked Stef.

This would not be a good time to mention how she’d talked Stef up to Griff’s sister the last time she’d been in the shop. “Nothing. I’d better get back to the shop, and you need to get back to work. I’ll see you later.”

Stef was studying her suspiciously. Time to go.

“Don’t. Say. A. Word,” Griff growled as Jenn caught up with him and Corky. The effort of trying to hold himself together had him grinding his molars so hard he probably wouldn’t have teeth by the end of the day. Meanwhile, his son was skipping along beside him, holding his hand, clueless to the charged current in the air between his aunt and his father.

“Okay, I’ll say four. Way to go, Scrooge.”

“Don’t you put what just happened on me,” he snapped.

“Why not? That’s where it needs to be. Talk about rude. You had a chance to start something with someone nice, and you blew it.”

“And you know she’s nice because?” The question was barely out of his mouth before he knew the answer. “The sister. You talked to her sister.”

Jenn said nothing. She didn’t need to. Her red face said it all.

“You were talking to a complete stranger about me.”

“Not a stranger. I’ve been shopping at her shop.”

“A stranger. You didn’t even know her name.”

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