Page 43 of Christmas Magic

Cora rolled her eyes. “No, I didn’t ask him. He’d think I’d lost my mind if I mentioned magic.”

“What if your actions cause him to get hurt, or make a mistake with his antiques business, or even…break up with Molly?”

Cora sipped her coffee. “If Lucian splits up with Molly, he’ll be free. He can be with me.”

“Listen to yourself.” Roberta shook her head. “You’re being extremely selfish.”

Cora looked down at the menu. Yes, she was being selfish. But, even here in the busy diner, with Christmas tunes playing and merriment in the air, loneliness pressed upon her. How tired she was of being on her own; of facing another holiday season without a partner.

“Roberta?”

At the feminine voice, Cora glanced up. A tall, dark-haired woman holding a garment bag stood by the table: Grace.

There could be no doubt she was Fred’s daughter. She had her father’s strong cheekbones, squared jaw, and blue eyes; a striking resemblance to the young man Cora had dated years ago.

“Hello, Grace.” Roberta gestured across the table. “This is Cora Johnson.”

Grace smiled. “Hi.”

“Please. Have a seat beside me.” With a grunt, Roberta scooted over in the booth. “Coffee?”

“I’d love some. Thank you.”

As Grace got settled, Roberta poured from the carafe into the extra mug.

“The costume’s in good shape, but I can’t remember when it was last dry cleaned. Best to get that done before anyone wears it.” Grace unzipped the bag to reveal the red velvet inside. “You’ll just need to find your Santa a pair of black boots.”

“Thank you for bringing it to us,” Roberta said.

“Happy to.” Grace’s smile softened. “It’s just been hanging in my closet. Dad said it belongs to the historical society anyway.”

A tightness settled in the pit of Cora’s stomach. Did the young woman know what had happened between Cora and her father? Unlikely. “How is Fred?”

“He’s fine. He still dresses up as Santa at this time of year, but he wears a different costume—one that’s more modern.” Grace chuckled. “It’s also several sizes bigger around the waist.”

“He’s still in Ohio?” Roberta asked.

“At the moment, he’s back in Cat’s Paw Cove.”

Cora startled. Thankfully, she wasn’t holding her mug of coffee. “He’s in town?”

Grace nodded. “One of his friends was hired to be Santa at Coquina Castle—that tourist attraction a short distance down Sherwood Boulevard—for the holidays. But, the friend broke his leg falling off a ladder. He’d been putting up Christmas lights on his house, of all things. Anyway, he called my dad to see if he could take his place. Dad loves being Santa and talking to the kids, so of course, he said yes.”

Fred’s at Coquina Castle. Five minutes away.

Cora fought a pang of yearning. Their romance had ended decades ago. When he’d returned to town a few years back and joined the historical society, she’d secretly hoped they’d get a second chance at love. However, the incident at the organization’s holiday party had proved her hope of getting back together had been a foolish dream. Since he hadn’t even attempted to apologize to her for what had happened that day or keep in touch, he no doubt wanted to avoid her.

“—your upcoming Christmas party?” Grace was saying.

“We do have a man in mind we’re going to ask. Cora, if you like, I’ll get the costume dry cleaned,” Roberta said. “I can drop it off on my way home.”

Cora nodded. “Thanks.”

Grace sipped her beverage. “Dad enjoyed being part of the society. He said he quit volunteering shortly before he moved to Ohio.”

Cora rubbed her thumb against the handle of her mug. He’d quit because of her. From all she’d heard, he’d moved to Ohio for a brand new start.

“Cora?”