When Thom returned from the mall, he was suffering a full-blown case of the blues. His apartment had never seemed emptier. The small Christmas tree he’d purchased already decorated looked pitiful in the middle of his coffee table. Some Christmas this was turning out to be.

The light on his answering machine blinked, demanding his attention, and for half a heartbeat he thought it might be Noelle. But even as he pressed the Play button, he realized she wouldn’t phone.

“Hey, Thom, this is Jonathan Clark,” the message said. “Give me a call when you’ve got a moment.”

Thom reached for the phone and punched in the number the investment broker had left. He knew Jonathan but didn’t consider him a close friend. He was a business associate and Kristen McDowell’s fiancé. This was the first time Jonathan had sought him out socially; Thom hoped it had something to do with Noelle.

After a brief conversation, they agreed to meet at a local pub. Jonathan didn’t say why, but it didn’t matter. The way Thom felt, he was grateful for any excuse to get out of the house. The walls were closing in around him. Some jovial guy-talk and loud music was exactly what he needed. Although Jonathan was about to marry into the other camp, Thom knew he’d be objective.

Jon was sitting at the bar nursing a dark ale when Thom joined him. The music in the background was Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas”—appropriate under the circumstances. They exchanged pleasantries and then Jonathan got right to the point.

“I wanted to make sure there weren’t any hard feelings about last night.”

“You mean finagling it so I ended up dancing with Noelle? No problem.”

“I didn’t really want to do it, but Kristen seemed to think it was important.”

Thom pulled out his wallet and paid for his beer when the bartender delivered it. “Like I said, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“So you and Kristen’s sister were once an item?”

“Once.”

“But no more?”

Thom took a deep swallow of the cold beer. “There’s trouble between our families.”

“Kristen told me about it.”

“You’re lucky, you know.” Jonathan faced none of the challenges he did.

“Very,” Jonathan agreed.

There was a pause, not an uncomfortable one. Jon seemed willing to discuss the situation further, but he wouldn’t force it. He’d left it up to Thom.

“Noelle and I talked after the dance,” he finally ventured.

Jonathan swiveled around on his stool in order to get a better look at Thom. “How’d it go?”

“Last night? Good.” His blood warmed at the memory of their kisses. It’d taken every ounce of self-control he’d possessed to let her go. That was one of the reasons he’d suggested they meet at the mall today; it was neutral ground.

“Did you two work everything out?”