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

As she starts up, I pause at the landing and look back. Dave sits on the sofa, watching us, but my parents have turned their attention back to the television, so I give a little nod and mouth the words, “Come on.”


Dave doesn’t need to be asked twice. Stretching as he stands, he asks, “You’re sure there’s room for me upstairs, Mrs. Jansen?”


“We remodeled it a few years back,” my mother tells him. “It’s our study now, but there’s a full-size futon Bobby’s pulled out and the chair opens into a twin bed. Plenty of places to sleep. Go on up and take a look.”


Chapter 19