AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think so,” he said.
No, he knew so.
Frankie was settled in with a bowl of popcorn and a Christmas movie when her sister called. “I think this man is not what I thought he was.”
She could hear the smile in Stef’s voice. “In a good way, I take it.”
“Yes, for sure.”
“Are you going to see him again?”
“Absolutely. I really like him. He’s...real.”
After the narcissistic hypocrite she’d been married to, that had to be refreshing.
“And vulnerable. I finally get why he was so mad about the letter to Santa. Camille was right. I shouldn’t have put it up. Talk about making light of something so big. Ugh.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have figured it out.”
“Do you think he’s ready for a relationship?” Memories could circle a heart like chains, keeping it pinned down. Frankie understood how hard it would be for this man to move on with anyone else.
“I’m going to find out. Ready or not, I think he needs one. It’s easy to get so caught in the past that you forget you’re living in the present and you have a future to face.”
Stef was only musing, but it felt like her words had dropped down from heaven in big red letters and dangled in front of Frankie. It was time to break her chains. She only hoped it wasn’t too late.
“That was very profound,” Frankie said.
“I don’t know about that, but I do know I don’t want to be dragging my past around. I’m sure not going to let what happened with Richard ruin the rest of my life. I want to try again, and I think I want to try with Griff.”
“His sister did tell me he’s a really nice man,” said Frankie. But then she’d seen how that really nice man had behaved to her sister. “Still, are you sure you want to take that gamble with him?”
“I am. Sometimes you gamble, and you win big.”
“Yes, you do,” Frankie agreed.
Rarely, but it did happen. She remembered the old saying,You can’t win if you don’t play. She wanted to see her sister win, that was for sure.
“Follow your instincts,” she advised.
“I am, and I have a good feeling about this man. Even though he behaved like a jerk, I don’t think he is one. He’s...honest. And I think he’s got a good heart.”
What more did a woman need? “Go for it, then,” Frankie said. “But take your time. And you’d better plan to bring him to dinner at Mom’s in the new year. No more getting involved with men who don’t get the family seal of approval.”
“Got it,” said Stef.
“I hope this works out. I want so much for you to be happy,” Frankie said.
“Thanks, sissy. I love you.”
“I love you, too. And I’m excited to see where this leads.”
Hopefully, Stef’s love life was now on track. That left only Elinor to sort out. Once that was done, Frankie and Mitch would have a serious talk about who the best Mrs. Claus was for him.
Frankie opened up the shop on Christmas Eve day with fixing Elinor’s love life at the top of her to-do list. She didn’t expect a heavy volume of business. Her customer base tended to shop early, and their final big day had been the Santa Walk. There should be plenty of time in between customers to talk with Elinor.
Frankie was tying on her apron when Elinor breezed in, all smiles and Christmas cheer.
