Page 29 of A Match Made at Christmas

“What do you mean?’ He glanced down at a plastic bin holding ornaments and bows. “May I?”

She nodded, giving him permission to help her decorate. “Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing a young, good-looking boy like you would want to hear about anyway.”

He flashed her the smile that always served him well, though he’d never tried to win over someone like Peggy. “Try me.”

Maybe it was the Noni Rose magic, or maybe Nellie was right and peopledidopen up to Hayes, or maybe it was his flirtatious grin—whatever it was, Peggy drew in a deep breath, moved to the other side of the tree, and cleared her throat.

“It was a lifetime ago,” she said. “There was a boy who was a very good friend of mine. We were inseparable, really—a lot like you and Prudence, I gather.”

He continued to add ornaments to the tree, careful not to interrupt her. After all, if he was going to be successful with this matchmaking thing, he needed to know Peggy’s story. It was part of observing her in her natural habitat, he supposed.

“I thought one day we might end up together.” She moved behind the tree to work on the opposite side. “You know, romantically. Things were always so easy between us. I’ve always thought the best relationships were the ones that started as friendships.” She popped her head around the tree and looked at him. “That’s some free advice for you, young man.”

“Much appreciated.” He chuckled. “So, what happened?”

“It’s a long story,” she said. “But the short of it is—he married my best friend.”

Hayes stilled. Even now, all these years later, he could see the pain behind Peggy’s eyes.

“He and I were so close, but neither one of us had made a move, I guess you’d say. And, well, she did.”

“But you loved him,” he said.

Peggy nodded sadly.

“And she knew it.”

Another nod. “That didn’t stop her from asking me to be her maid of honor.”

“Wow, that’s cold.”

Peggy sighed. “Our friendship didn’t last very long after that.”

“And the guy?”

She disappeared behind the tree again. “His wife demanded that he stop being friends with me. And that’s what he did.”

Hayes tossed a bow back into the bin and moved around the other side of the Christmas tree. “Peggy, I’m really sorry that happened to you.”

She reached over and took his hand. “I don’t like to talk about it, but I share it with you as a cautionary tale.”

He frowned. “How so?”

“You and Miss Prudence. You remind me a lot of me and that boy. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

“Like I said before, Peggy, Pru and I are just friends.”

“All I know—and I don’t know much—is that she looks at you the way I looked at him. Don’t wait until someone else tells her how he feels about her. You could lose her forever.” She squeezed his hand, then bent over and picked up the bin. “Now, I should get going. It was really nice talking to you, Mr. McGuire.”

She started off in the opposite direction.

“Peggy?” he called after her.

She turned, eyes wide in reply.

“Maybe it’s not too late?”

She scoffed. “No, that ship has sailed. But you’re sweet to say so.” She walked away, leaving Hayes standing in the warm glow of the white lights.

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