He had been sitting alone at a table at Bellanade since 8:00, waiting for the blind date his secretary had arranged. Christmas Eve in Chicago was busy: couples laughing and celebrating all around him, while he sat there staring at an empty chair.

He tried calling again.

Voicemail. Again.

Christopher sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was the seventh blind date in two weeks. The previous six had been complete disasters, but he’d hoped this one would be different. Madison sounded perfect on paper: a corporate lawyer, smart, successful—and more importantly, he really wanted someone to spend Christmas with.

He couldn’t stand the idea of waking up alone on December 25th again.

Apparently, the universe had other plans.

A waitress walked up to the table, smiling kindly. She had brown hair tied in a loose ponytail and wore Christmas bell–shaped earrings that moved when she walked.

“Hi. Sorry for the delay. Have you decided what you’d like for dinner, or are you going to wait a little longer for the invisible person?”

Christopher looked at her and let out a heavy sigh.