Member-only story
The New Mrs. Santa Claus
Here’s to unexpected happy endings.
When Morgan Reilly met Kristian Claus, she didn’t think much of his name. It was something worth a shrug, perhaps, because she’d known plenty of people who went by fake names on dating apps. What mattered was that he didn’t seem to have an inclination toward posting pictures of his hunting or fishing prizes; in fact, he seemed downright adorable with the way he had posed for a picture with a few reindeer in a snow-covered barn. If only other men had appeared so warm personality-wise, perhaps Morgan’s dating history wouldn’t have been so lackluster.
After a few weeks’ worth of messages, Morgan decided it was time to meet the down-to-earth man who had managed to draw out a few chuckles from her through their exchanges. He certainly knew how to use an emoji to good effect, and that was saying something for someone who seemed to be graying well before his time.
Their first date was at a simple little coffee shop called Nora’s Nook in Bellhollow. Morgan liked the twinkling fairy lights the establishment used to decorate the shop around the holidays, and the owner — the eponymous Nora — always had a smile for her customers when she offered her homemade peppermint candy on the way out.
Morgan thought she had arrived early — at least twenty minutes beforehand — until she…
