Page 74 of Santa Has a Six-Pack

---

Matt: My second impression of you was wrong, too.

“Your second impression of me?” she asks. “Wait. What was your first impression?”

“Are we being honest?”

“Always,” she says.

“My first impression was that you are fucking hot. I firmly stand by the accuracy of that impression.”

She laughs. “I thank you.”

“But my second impression…” I wince, not relishing the opportunity to tell her this one.

“Go ahead,” she says. “I can take it.”

I sigh. “My second impression was that you’re judgy and obsessed with appearances and money.”

“Ouch,” she says.

“Which has been proven without a doubt not to be true.” I point a finger at her. “To echo your words from a previous conversation, ‘that was a me issue, not a you issue.’”

“Understood.” She nods. “Seems we both judged a book by its cover.”

“Well, don’t you sort of have to judge a book by its cover?” I argue. “I mean, how else are you going to decide what you want to read?”

“Fair.” She laughs. “Probably best not to do that with people, though.”

“Excellent point.” I shift from foot to foot. “For what it’s worth, I’m, uh, I’m glad those days are behind us.”

She smiles and squeezes my hand. “Me too.”

We both look up at the sign for my mother’s building at the same time. This seems like the right moment to tell her why I come here two to three times a week.

Instead, I keep holding her hand and say, “Do you have a few minutes before you need to get back to Herald’s?”

“Sure,” she says. “Why?”

“Because I’d really like you to meet someone.”

Chapter 19

Penny

When we enter the memory care center, it’s immediately clear how much time Matt spends here.

It’s also obvious how beloved he is by the staff.

“Hey Beth!” he says as we turn a corner where a nurse is organizing medications on her cart. “How was that trip to the Poconos?”

“Oh, it was great,” she sighs happily. “Just the time-out I needed. Thanks for the recommendation.”

“Sure thing. Everybody needs some R&R from time to time, right?” he says. “Hey, this is my friend Penny.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders. “I brought her by to meet my mom.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Penny,” Beth says.

I shake her hand. “Likewise.”

His mom lives here?

---