Page 38 of A Cozy Christmas Blizzard
Wynn phoned K.O. early Monday morning. “I don’t think this is going to work,” he whispered.
“Pardon?” K.O. strained to hear.
“Meet me at the French Café,” he said, his voice only slightly louder.
“When?” She had her sweats on and was ready to tackle her treadmill. After shedding the two pounds, she’d gained them again. It wasn’t much, but enough to send her racing for a morning workout. She knew how quickly these things could get out of control.
“Now,” he said impatiently. “Want me to pick you up?”
“No. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
By the time she entered the café, Wynn had already purchased two cups of coffee and procured a table. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she pulled out the chair.
“He’s driving me insane!”
“Wynn, I like your father. You made him sound worse than a deadbeat dad, but he’s obviously proud of you and—”
“Do you mind if we don’t list his admirable qualities just now?” He brought one hand to his temple, as if warding off a headache.
“All right,” she said, doing her best to understand.
“The reason I called is that I don’t think it’s a good idea to set him up with LaVonne.”
“Why not?” K.O. thought her plan was brilliant. She had everything worked out in her mind; she’d bought the liquor and intended to dust and vacuum this afternoon. As far as she was concerned, the meeting of Max and LaVonne was destiny. Christmas romances were always the best.
“Dad isn’t ready for another relationship,” Wynn declared. “He’s still mourning my mother.”
“Shouldn’t he be the one to decide that?” Wynn might be a renowned child psychologist but she believed everyone was entitled to make his or her own decisions, especially in matters of the heart. She considered it all right to lend a helping hand, however. That was fair.
“I can tell my father’s not ready,” Wynn insisted.
“But I invited him for drinks this evening and he accepted.” It looked as if her entire day was going to be spent with Max Jeffries, aka Moon Puppy. Earlier she’d agreed to take him to Pike Place Market, which was a must-see for anyone visiting Seattle. It was always an entertaining place for tourists, but never more so than during the holiday season. The whole market had an air of festivity, the holiday mood infectious.
“What about LaVonne?” he asked.
“I’ll give her a call later.” K.O. hadn’t wanted to be obvious about this meeting. Still, when LaVonne met Max, she’dknow, the same way Wynn and K.O. had known, that they were being set up.
“Don’t,” he said, cupping the coffee mug with both hands.
“Why not?”
He frowned. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
K.O. smothered a giggle. “Are you telling me you’ve found your own psychic powers?”
“Hardly,” he snorted.
“Wynn,” she said, covering his hand with hers in a gesture of reassurance. “It’s going to work out fine, trust me.” Hmm. She seemed to be saying that a lot these days.
He exhaled slowly, as if it went against his better judgment to agree. “All right, do whatever you think is best.”
“I’ve decided to simplify things. I’m serving eggnog and cookies.” And olives, if anyone wanted them. When she’d find time to bake she didn’t know, but K.O. was determined to do this properly.
“Come around five-thirty,” she suggested.
“That early?”
“Yes. You’re taking care of arranging their dinner, right?”
