Six months after his wife leaves him, Bob Jansen finds himself spending the holidays with his parents in the town where he grew up. With him is his seven year old daughter, Jenna, who sometimes seems to be handling her mother's absence better than Bob is himself. But he's worried that, in her letter to Santa, Jenna has asked the jolly old elf for something Bob knows he can't pull off. He's afraid she wants her mother back for the holiday.<br><br>While shopping for his daughter's Christmas presents, Bob runs into Dave Knarr, an old friend. They used to be best buds in high school, before Julia, Bob's soon-to-be ex-wife, came between them. The two men catch up over drinks, and before the evening ends, Dave makes his real feelings for Bob known.<br><br>If Bob is shocked to learn Dave has always been attracted to him, he's more surprised by his own reaction. Even if he's willing to take another shot at romance, what will his daughter think of his old friend?

A Present for Daddy

She doesn’t. Instead, she’s drawn to a small cabin set against the side of the mountain. A small crowd of children has gathered in front of the cabin, their parents a short distance away. The cabin has a sign on the front that says, Beary Christmas, Y’all!On the cabin’s porch are four animatoronic bears dressed in parkas and snowsuits playing musical instruments.


The bears are as old as the mountain—the closer we get, the more I notice wear and tear the animals have suffered over the years. The flocking on the bears’ ears and noses is worn through in spots, their movements are stilted, and their clothing and instruments are dated. Still, the kids seem to love them, and Jenna pushes her way right up to the front of the crowd and presses against the handrail to get a good look. “Daddy!” she cries.


Chapter 3