“I don’t know why. You’re pretty. You’re smart. You have a great career.” She eyed Belle. “You don’t think it’s your dog, do you? Belle is intimidating.”

“She’s a marshmallow, and no, she isn’t the reason I haven’t found Mr. Right.”

Her mother took a bite of her butterscotch pie. “Jake was a disappointment. I’m still angry at him for how he treated you.”

“You have to let it go. He could have handled the breakup better than he did, but otherwise, he wasn’t wrong, Mom. I got over him way too easily, which makes me wonder if the marriage would have lasted.”

“I just want you to be happy.”

“I am.”

“I meant with a man.”

Reggie grinned. “Oh, that.” Her smile faded. “I want that, too. I just can’t figure out how to make it happen.”

Micah drove the short distance from the B and B to The Wreath and found parking. Under normal conditions, he would have walked the short distance, but given how much he had to carry, that wasn’t practical. He went inside The Christmas Feast and saw Mrs. Heins-Smith waiting on another customer. She spotted him and waved, indicating she would be right with him.

He walked around the store while she finished up. There were aisles of dried pasta from Italy, and bottles and cans of olive oil. The next row over had different kinds of hot sauce, including one with white truffle oil—a combination he didn’t understand. A cold case offered cheeses from around the world, a bacon sampler and clotted cream, and the frozen food section was an array of ice cream, gelato and frozen desserts, including soufflés.

Mrs. Heins-Smith walked over. “We have your order ready to go,” she told him. “They turned out very nicely.” The sixtysomething woman winked at him. “We’re borrowing the Santa idea for our weekend crowd. I think the parents will be very impressed.”

“I saw the idea online. It wasn’t me.”

“Ah, a modest man. They’re as rare as hen’s teeth.”

She pulled a bakery box from the cold case and opened the top. Inside were three dozen “Santas.” An upside down whole strawberry had been cut in half, with a slice of banana placed in the middle. The banana slice was the face, complete with tiny chocolate chip eyes. Cottage cheese created the beard, just below the banana. The second treat was more traditional—Rice Krispies balls in holiday colors.

He’d confirmed the dietary restrictions with Dena, and had given the information, along with the suggestion for the Santas, to Mrs. Heins-Smith. Now all that was left was to hope the kids liked the snack.