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

After dinner, Dave starts to help my mother clean up the table, but she shoos him into the living room. “Bobby can help me, dear,” she says. “Guests don’t clean up.”


He shoots me a quick glance as Jenna pats the floor where she sits beside the tree. “Dave! Come sit by me!”


I lean across the table to take the plate from in front of him, and Dave rests his face against my arm. “When can I get you to myself again?”


“Good luck.” I laugh and nudge him with my elbow, pushing his head off my arm. “The Bean goes to bed at 8:30—”


“Nine!” she calls out from the living room, obviously eavesdropping.


I argue back, “If you’re still up that late, Santa won’t come.”


With a tiny squeal, she covers her mouth with both hands, eyes wide as she looks at my father for confirmation. “Back in my day, it was eight,” he tells her.


“That’s too early!” She turns back to me, pleading from the living room. “Daddy, eight?”


Chapter 18