Chapter 19

19

There was probably enough steam coming out of Frankie's ears as she marched into the hardware store that she could have scalded half the customers in there. Brock was at the help center in the middle of the store, chatting with—oh good grief—Barbara.

She greeted Frankie with a smirk and an insincere "Merry Christmas."

After Frankie reclaiming her leadership role for the Santa Walk, it was a wonder Barbara didn't wish her a spanking from Krampus. But appearances had to be maintained.

Frankie repeated the wish, then turned her attention to Brock. "Where's Mitch?"

"Home sick."

"Still?" Mitch was never sick.

"Anything I can help you with?" Brock offered. In such a friendly way. Oh, how quickly the cold had melted and how quickly his wounded pride had healed.

"No," Frankie said irritably. Then added a less irritable "Merry Christmas" in parting to show there were no hard feelings that he'd moved on so quickly from her dumping him.

He smiled at Barbara. "Planning on it."

Great. Everyone was having a Merry Christmas. Good for all of them. Ho, ho, ho.

She returned to the shop feeling cranky, and Elinor's cheerful mood exacerbated it. It was a good thing she was closing the shop early because by closing time at four, Frankie had had enough of Elinor and her beaming face.

"Have you got plans for tonight?" Natalie asked Elinor once they'd all donned their coats and were starting out the door.

"I thought maybe I'd go see Mitch. I didn't hear anything from him yesterday," Elinor said.

"That's because he's sick," Frankie informed her. "Anyway, you're coming to my Christmas Eve open house, remember?" It would be much better to have Elinor at her house under her watchful eye than at Mitch's, banging on his door.

"That's right," Elinor said happily. "I almost forgot."

"Great. We'll see you there," said Natalie.

"I am happy to have someplace to go tonight," Elinor said to Frankie. "Thank you so much for including me."

"Yes, so very kind," said Adele. As Natalie rushed off and Elinor skidded her way through the snow to her car, Adele cocked an eyebrow at Frankie. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?"

"We're not enemies," Frankie said.

"Oh. Frenemies."

"Not even that. I like Elinor. I just don't like her thinking she owns Mitch."

"I hope, for your sake, she doesn't," Adele said. "See you later, daughter dear."

Back at her house, Frankie got busy putting together her various food offerings—the mini quiches she bought at Costco every year, the bacon-wrapped dates and the meatballs in cranberry sauce, her brie cheese in puff pastry that Mitch liked so much...and wouldn't be there to eat since he was still home sick. She took one of the frosted cookies she'd just set on a plate, a Santa-shaped one, and bit his head off.

"What are you so grumpy about?" she scolded herself. "If Mitch wants to watch TV with someone else, he can."

No, he couldn't, darn it. They always watched Cop Stop together. That was their thing. And she baked him cookies for Christmas. And he always came to her open house and went home with a tinful. It wasn't going to be the same without him. She grabbed her phone from the counter and called him.

"You reached Mitch. I'll get back to you," his recorded voice promised.

"I hear you're still sick," she said. "Feeling any better? I'll save you some goodies from my open house."

She half hoped he'd call back.

He didn't.

Guests came and went—the various members of her Santa Walk committee and their families, her mom and Mario. Natalie and her family. Stef, Stef's editor, Camille, and her husband. Viola and Terrill. And Elinor, who came and appeared ready to stay until New Year's.

"She's sure looking good these days," James said to Frankie as they stood by the punch bowl, watching Elinor flirt with old Mr. Winchell from down the street.

"Yes, she is," Frankie agreed. "And she's certainly gained confidence."

A little too much. Elinor hadn't climbed out of her shell. She'd burst out of it. There was no putting her back now.

By seven, the party was winding down. People were getting ready for their own Christmases. "Great as always," said Hazel, and gave Frankie a hug before parting.

Elinor was the last to leave. "Thanks for inviting me," she said. "You've been so good to me. You're the best boss ever."

Her praise made Frankie squirm. She intended to cancel Elinor's Christmas and ruin her new year by reclaiming Mitch, which probably qualified her to join the pantheon of holiday villains. Frankie Lane, Candy Cane Love Crusher.

But Elinor didn't love Mitch. She couldn't. They wouldn't be happy together. There was only one woman in Carol he would be happy with, and that was Frankie, and they were going to fix this.

She called him again later, after getting home from attending Christmas Eve service with Natalie and her family. Still only his voicemail. He couldn't be that sick.

She tried him again on Christmas morning. No answer. "You'd better be dead," she said after the beep.

He didn't call back. She gave up on Mitch with a sigh, grabbed her shopping bag full of presents and walked down the street to Adele's house for Christmas brunch.

Natalie and her family were there, and Warner was racing around the house with a toy airplane. Natalie looked like all mothers on Christmas morning—tired. But happy. She sat on the couch next to her husband, drinking decaf coffee with an arm draped over her baby bump.

"Hi, Mom!" she called.

"Merry Christmas," Frankie said, kissing first her daughter and then her son-in-law.

Stef was setting dishes out on the dining table and called a cheery hello as Warner circled the table with his toy airplane. Frankie suspected that her sister's good cheer had as much to do with her new man as it did with being with her family on Christmas Day. She hoped whatever was starting with Griffin Marks would blossom into something beautiful and lasting.

Warner stopped circling the table and ran over to give Frankie a big hug. "Nana, look what Santa brought me," he said, holding up his toy.

"Lucky you," said Frankie.

"It really flies, but I can't do that unless Daddy's with me, helping," Warner explained.

"Good idea," Frankie said.

That was the extent of Warner's contribution to the conversation. He zoomed off and began racing around the table again, and Frankie hurried to add her presents to the collection under the tree.

"Is my daughter finally here?" Adele called from the kitchen.

"I'm here," Frankie called back. She set out the last present, then went to join her mother.

Who already had kitchen help. If there was a prize for the woman with the most Christmas cheer, Adele would have won it, Frankie decided, seeing Adele and Mario working together on their breakfast. She couldn't remember when she'd seen her mother smile so big. Adele had managed happy over the years, but since Mario had arrived on the scene, she'd gone from happy to ecstatic.

There they stood, him adding canned pineapple to a fruit salad, her standing next to him, oven mitts on her hands. She was giggling over something he'd said. Giggling. Adele had never been a giggler, but she was now.

"What's so funny?" Frankie asked, and kissed her mother's cheek.

Adele blushed, and so did Mario. "Nothing," she said. "Merry Christmas, daughter dear."

"I'd say Merry Christmas to you, too, but it looks like you're already there."

"I am," Adele said with a grin. She looked to Mario. "Mario spoils me."

"I would do anything for your mother," he said.

Adele smiled at him, then got busy taking their breakfast casserole from the oven. "We are ready," she announced as she took it to the table. "Let's eat this while it's hot. Bring the salad, Mario. And Frankie, grab the coffee cake."

Frankie and her family had always celebrated the holidays together, even during the dark times when they didn't feel like it. But this year there was no sadness overshadowing them, no forced smiles, no determined counting of blessings. This year they were awash in gratitude and joy.

And laughter over some of the silly presents. Warner received a hoodie blanket made to look like a shark from Frankie, which he happily modeled, rolling around the floor. In addition to socks and a book, Adele also gifted him with a whoopee cushion, and he was delighted when she and his father demonstrated how to use it.

"Thanks, Gram Gram," said Natalie with a frown.

"I could have gotten him a drum set," Adele retorted.

Mario opened his present from Adele and turned as red as the boxers she'd given him. They sported sweater-wearing reindeer.

No embarrassment for Frankie. Adele gave her a cookbook she'd been wanting.

Adele loved the adult coloring book from her daughters and granddaughter, which had a variety of gift cards tucked between the pages.

Stef was thrilled with the game Adele had given her that involved throwing squishy toy burritos at each other. "I think this might come in handy in the future," she said, and Frankie was sure she was thinking of a certain reformed Scrooge and his son.

"Never mind the future, let's play it now," suggested Jonathan.

Later, after much squealing and chaos, Natalie and company left to go to the next set of parents and eat another meal, and Adele, Stef and Frankie settled in with eggnog while Mario built a fire in the fireplace.

"I used to love having a fire in the fireplace when I was a kid," said Stef. "I loved watching the flames."

"And toasting marshmallows," Frankie added. "I remember doing that with Dad."

"I wish we'd had him longer," Stef said wistfully. "I barely got any time with him."

"There's never enough time," Frankie mused, thinking of both her father and her husband.

Adele fell silent. For a moment it felt to Frankie as if something dark had floated out from those flames and was reaching for them, ready to pull them into sorrow with invisible fingers.

Adele banished it. "Of course, we wish we had the people we loved for longer. But I'm betting that those who have gone on before us would be glad to see us making the most of our lives and making the most of being together."

"Dad would be happy that you've found Mario and to see you doing so well," Frankie said.

"We are all doing well, aren't we?" Adele asked.

"I think I am, finally," said Stef.

Adele looked pointedly at Frankie.

"I'm doing fine," Frankie said. As long as she didn't dwell on the past.

Or stew over the future.

By the time she got home she realized she'd somehow missed a call from Mitch. "Not dead," he said on her voicemail. "I'm in Seattle, visiting my aunt. See you tomorrow."

"You bet you will," she said after the message finished.

Griff called Stef later that evening. She hadn't expected to hear from him again so quickly. It was Christmas, after all, and they both had families.

A little thrill of excitement raced across her chest as she answered.

"Are you still with your family?" he asked.

"No, just got home. How about you?"

"We've done it all," Griff said. "Dinner at Grandma's, presents." He hesitated a moment. "Santa came."

Stef was half afraid to ask, but she did anyway. "How was that?"

"Corky liked his toys, but he was mad that Santa hadn't come through with a mom. I'm not blaming you anymore, honest," he added. "He'll get over it eventually. Kids have a hard time taking no for an answer."

She didn't know what to say, other than "I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence, followed by, "Oh, well. It's over for another year."

How sad to be glad that Christmas was over. "Maybe next year will be better."

"I'm hoping," he said. "So, look, I might be rushing things, but I'm wondering if you want to meet for lunch tomorrow. I've got a light day at work, and I'm hoping you do, too."

"I think I can manage lunch," said Stef.

"Good. How about one at The Salad Bowl?"

"One," she agreed.

She smiled as they ended the call. Last Christmas had sucked big-time, and the new year had held no promise. What a difference a year made!

December 26, Elinor was late to work. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said to Frankie. "I just stopped by Handy's to see how Mitch is doing. He's all better now. I'm going to surprise him and take dinner over to him tonight."

"I'm glad he's back." And I'm going to surprise him first , thought Frankie. If he was well enough to come to work, he was well enough for a long overdue talk.

Adele came in as Frankie was leaving. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I need something at the hardware store," Frankie said.

"Yes, you do. It's about time you did something about it," said Adele.

Brock was at the help center, conferring with a man in worn jeans, a parka and a ball cap that said Hammer Man Inc.

"Where's Mitch?" she asked.

"Every babe in town wants to see Mitch today," observed Hammer Man. "What kind of cologne is he wearing?"

Just then Mitch showed up. He smiled at Frankie. "Hey there, I was about to call you."

She frowned at him, grabbed his arm and moved him an aisle away. "Before or after seeing Elinor?"

"What?"

"We need to have a talk," she said, and dragged him farther down the aisle. "What is going on with you and her?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you crawling all over town with Elinor on the pub crawl. And probably crawling all over her afterward."

He blinked in surprise.

"And you watched Cop Stop with her!" Frankie accused, her voice rising.

A man in paint-spattered coveralls had walked into the aisle and started looking through the myriad bins of nuts and bolts. "Man, I love that show," he said.

Frankie frowned at him and towed Mitch to the end of the aisle. " We watch Cop Stop ."

"What could I do?" he protested. "She came over with brownies. Then she asked me what I do on Sunday night, and I started to tell her."

"But you didn't get as far as telling her you watch Cop Stop with me?"

The man in the coveralls was still listening in. "Dude, you're in deep shit."

Frankie glared at him. "Do you mind?"

"Sorry," he said, sounding mildly offended, and went back to searching the bins of nuts and bolts.

She turned back to Mitch. "That was no time for you to work on good manners."

He held up both hands. "Okay, my bad. I didn't think you'd get so mad."

"Well, I am!"

He stared at her, then shook his head slowly. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you were jealous."

"I am," she said, not quite as loudly, not quite as insistently.

"That doesn't make sense. The woman who's been telling me for years that I should find someone, the woman who only earlier this month was trying to sic Wilhelmina What's-Her-Name on me is now chewing me out for spending time with a woman who she—you—made Mrs. Claus."

"She wasn't Mrs. Claus when she brought you brownies!"

"Oh, for crying out loud," he said in disgust. "What was I supposed to do, kick her out?"

"How about telling her you had a long-standing commitment? She's the wrong woman for you," Frankie insisted. "You can't be interested in Elinor."

He studied her. "Why shouldn't I be? Tell me, Frankie."

"Because I don't want to share," she blurted. "I don't care if sharing is caring. Darn it all, Mitch."

He leaned against a shelf and crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you trying to say here?"

Words started tumbling out randomly. "I didn't realize... I just didn't think..." She started tearing up. "I felt like I was being disloyal to Ike. And darn it all, Mitch. You're eight years older."

He raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for reminding me."

"The idea of losing another man I love... Oh, what am I thinking? I can't do this." She turned to leave.

He caught her arm. "Yes, you can. Come on, Frankie. You know how I feel about you. And you've just made it pretty clear how you feel about me. Are you going to deprive us of a great life we can have now and keep us hanging in limbo all because you can't see into the future? None of us knows what the future holds."

He was right. Her mother was right. Everyone was right! She didn't want to be a bystander watching everyone else on the merry-go-round. If she kept playing it safe, someone would come along and steal Mitch's heart, and then she'd be playing alone. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted to be with Mitch.

"Quit being a chickenshit," he continued, "and—"

That was as far as he got. She grabbed him by his Handy's Hardware polo shirt and yanked him to her and kissed him. At first, he stood there in shock, stiff as a totem pole, but then he caught fire and wrapped his arms around her. And that was when the kiss exploded like gunpowder, both the physical sensation and emotional thrill, packing enough of a wallop to leave her weak-kneed.

"Score!" whooped the man in the coveralls.

"I'd say," said Mitch, smiling down at Frankie. "And you're right. We need to have a talk."

He led her to his back office, plopped onto his desk chair and pulled her onto his lap. "Now, where were we?"

"With me, coming to my senses. I guess it took seeing you really enjoying being with another woman to make me realize what I was about to lose."

"You weren't about to lose anything. I like Elinor, and I was being nice, but there's only one Mrs. Claus I want to be with."

"Oh, Mitch," she said, feeling suddenly all teary.

"We are going to have a great life together," he assured her. "I can promise you that. I'll make sure of it."

She studied his face—that strong chin, the easy smile, the eyes with the deep laugh lines at the corners, and that lopsided grin. This man had been a friend to her for years, and it had been a good friendship. Now it was more, and suddenly her life was more because of it.

"Kiss me again," she murmured.

He smiled and did, cradling her face in his big hands. It was a tender kiss, filled with promise and warmth. She could have gone on kissing him forever.

She pulled away and blinked.

"What?" he asked, puzzled. "You can't have changed your mind already."

"No. Kissing you... I felt the same way the first time I kissed Ike." She smiled. "And that's how I know this is right. It's like...a sign."

His grin took over his whole face. "Well, Happy New Year."

She could almost hear her husband, whispering approvingly, And Merry Christmas, Frankie .

Stef and Griff sat side by side in a booth at The Salad Bowl, dodging the ferny fingers of one of the plants behind the booth. "Feed me, Seymour," she quoted from Little Shop of Horrors .

"Feed it. I'm gonna croak it," he said, and gave the thing a shove.

"Ow," she said in a tiny voice, and he laughed.

"My wife would have loved you," he said.

Maybe Stef should have felt jealous but instead she felt complimented. "I bet I'd have loved her, too."

"My sister's ready to adopt you."

"And how about you?"

"I don't want to adopt you. That'd be pervy," he said, and she snickered. "I gotta say, I was really mad at Jenn for constantly nagging me to get out there and meet someone. Did you know that she had a talk with your sister in that shop of hers before the Santa Walk?"

"No," Stef said in surprise. "I didn't."

"Yeah. She kept getting on me about taking Corky to see Santa. Of course, Corky was on me to take him, too, so I just thought she was backing him up."

"Maybe she was."

"In a way. But she had a hidden agenda. She was hoping we'd meet like in some sappy holiday movie."

"I love sappy holiday movies," said Stef.

"So does my sister. She thinks life should be like those movies." He took a sip of his coffee. "It's hard when your life's gone to shit to see anything good coming out of it."

Stef nodded. "I get that. My marriage was a mess and so was my self-esteem for a while there. And dating? Don't even get me started. But you know what my mom says? Shit happens, but you need fertilizer to make good things grow."

"Your mom sounds like a pretty smart woman," he said.

"She is. She'd get what you've been going through. My dad died when I was young, and she had to do the single parent thing. It can't be easy."

"It has its challenges."

"But at least you've got your son." Okay, what kind of thing was that to say? Feeling foolish and at a loss, Stef focused on breaking off a piece of her roll. "That was probably a stupid thing to say. It makes your boy sound like a consolation prize in some sick game."

"Kind of up there with people telling me Kaitlyn is in a better place," he said, and she could hear the frustration in his voice.

"Or people telling me to be glad that at least Richard and I didn't have kids." She sighed. "I mean, it is a good thing we didn't. I still wish I had a couple, though." She dropped the roll and turned to him, putting on a determinedly bright smile. "But here's another mom-ism. Don't waste time on what you don't have. Either get it or get on with your life without it. So I am. And maybe someday my life can be like those movies."

"Maybe it can. You never know," he said.

"You never know," she agreed. "I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised."

"I already am," he said. "And I've gotta say, I'm not mad at my sister anymore for interfering in my life. In fact, I'm glad she did."

Stef didn't need any more soup to warm her up. The way Griff was looking at her did that.

His phone buzzed with a text, and he checked it. "Looks like my lunch break is over."

"I need to get back to work, too," she said.

He paid the bill, and she insisted on paying the tip. They left the warm, spice-scented restaurant and emerged into frosty air and a gray sky.

Stef sniffed. "Smells like more snow is on the way."

"You can tell just by sniffing?"

"I can," she said.

"How does snow air smell?"

"Fresh. And...snowy. There, how's that for a great description?"

He laughed. "Oh yeah. I can tell you're a writer. You have a way with words." He sobered. "You also have a way of making a guy smile."

"You have a nice smile," she said, and tapped his lips. That was a mistake. Now she wanted to do more with those lips than give them a friendly tap.

His eyes told her he wanted more, too. He took a step closer. "You are going to go out with me again, right?"

"I am," she said.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"You do know how you seal a promise, right?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn't a long enough kiss to make a scene right there in downtown Carol—although she wouldn't have cared if they had—but it was enough to send a jolt to her chest.

"We need to make a lot more promises," she said, and he grinned.

"Yes, we do," he said. "I'll call you."

She watched him walk away down the sidewalk in his business attire and overcoat. There was something sexy about a man in an overcoat.

Correction, there was something sexy about that man in his overcoat—tall and lean and broad-shouldered. And now that he had relearned how to smile...wow! This man, taking tentative steps into a better life, this man, who hated Santa but loved his kid, this man was worth investing more time in. Unlike Richard, who had been slick and polished and thought he was so perfect, Griffin Marks was perfectly imperfect.

Oh yes, she wanted to spend more time with him.

A very long "talk" in Mitch's office was followed by a very long lunch at La Bella Vita and a slow stroll back to their workplaces that included a stop by Treasured Jewels to look at the diamonds winking at them from the other side of the window.

"Too soon to be looking at those," she said.

"Yeah, we should remain friends for another ten years, at least," he mocked, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I still want to get you something. Come on," he said, and led her inside. "What about this?" he asked, pointing to a delicate diamond infinity necklace with white gold.

It was lovely, but she balked. "It looks expensive."

"You saying you're not worth it?" he teased. "How much?" he asked Sam, the shop owner.

"It's actually on sale," said Sam.

"On sale," Mitch said to Frankie. "Can't resist a sale, right? I'll take it," he told Sam.

"Oh no," Frankie said. "All I have for you is cookies."

"Your cookies are priceless," Mitch assured her.

Next thing she knew she was wearing a new necklace out of the shop. "I love it," she said, hugging Mitch's arm.

"Don't forget what it stands for," he said, and smiled down at her.

He dropped her off at Holiday Happiness, giving her a quick kiss before confirming he'd be over that night to pick up the cookies that she'd made for him. And to pick up where they'd left off.

"You were gone a long time," Adele observed from her post at the register as Frankie drifted into the shop.

"I was with Mitch," Frankie said, and joined her.

"Ah," Adele said knowingly.

"Ah is right," Frankie said, beaming. She held out the necklace so her mother could see. "We are now officially a couple."

"About time," said Adele, and hugged her. "That is lovely. When can I start telling all my friends?"

"Anytime. It's not going to be a secret for long."

Adele nodded to the back of the shop where Elinor was busy marking the ornaments with the year's date on them down to half price. "I'll wait until you've told her."

Frankie felt some of her elation turning to lead and settling in the direction of her stomach. It had to be done. She took a deep breath, then went to join Elinor.

Elinor smiled in greeting. "Almost done," she said.

She was a nice woman and a good employee. Maybe, after Frankie had delivered her news, she'd be neither.

"Elinor, I have some news to share."

Elinor regarded her with an expectant smile.

"About Mitch."

"Oh?"

Elinor looked so eager, so ready for her own happy ending, one Frankie had unwittingly helped her believe in. Frankie felt bad for her. And more than a little guilty.

But not bad or guilty enough to give up Mitch.

"About Mitch and me." If only she could find some way to coat the words with emotional anesthetic. There was no way. Make the cut and make it quickly. "We're together."

Elinor's eyebrows took a dip, and two worry lines formed between them. "Together?" she repeated as if trying out a foreign language.

"We're a couple."

"I...don't understand. When?"

"Elinor, he and I have always been close," Frankie said gently.

"But he and I... I mean, I thought..." Tears began to rise to high tide.

Frankie put a hand to Elinor's arm. "I think you might have misread some of his actions."

Two tears spilled, and Elinor's lips did a wobbly frown. "No," she protested.

"We were just out together."

Elinor began shaking her head in disbelief.

"I know he'd never lead you on intentionally," Frankie hurried to add.

Elinor said nothing. Instead, she pressed her lips firmly together, and her eyes narrowed.

Frankie now officially qualified for the role of new Disney villain. "You know, when things don't work out with a person, maybe it means someone better is waiting in the wings. You can love more than one person in a lifetime."

If looks were daggers, Frankie would have been dead from multiple stab wounds. "That's easy for you to say," Elinor said.

Frankie thought of how hard her life had been for the last few years, thought of how many times she'd cried herself to sleep in those early days after losing Ike. She bagged the consoling smile. "Actually, it is. Now. But it took me a long time to get here."

Elinor knew she was a widow. It didn't take her long to understand what Frankie was saying, and she immediately backpedaled. "I'm sorry," she said. "That was unkind. It's just that, well, I thought you two were only friends," she finished, her tone accusing. A tear trickled down one cheek.

"We were, but there's always been something there. I was simply too afraid to acknowledge it. I had my stumbles," she added, thinking of Brock, "but really, my heart's belonged to Mitch for a long time. I just had to have my eyes opened."

"Who opened them?"

You. No way was Frankie going to complicate things by saying that. She shrugged. "I had an aha moment. You'll have one, too."

Elinor fiddled with an ornament. "I doubt it."

"Don't. It will come. You know, at Christmas there are a lot of presents under the tree, and there's always one for each of us. Keep your eyes peeled, Elinor. You'll have your aha moment and find your perfect man."

Elinor nodded glumly, swiped away fresh tears and stared at the little ornament.

"You will. I promise," Frankie said, giving her arm a comforting rub.

Elinor gave another nod, then turned her back on Frankie and returned to pricing the ornaments.

Frankie left her to deal with her emotions, dealing with a few of her own as she went to join her mother. The shop was empty. No customers to talk and drown out their voices.

Adele lowered hers and asked, "How did it go?"

"She's miserable," Frankie whispered. "I don't know what to do."

"Hopefully, you won't think of something. You need to take a break from helping everyone," Adele informed her.

Frankie sighed. But Elinor needed help. If only she could get Elinor to see that the perfect man for her was right under her nose. Frankie herself was walking proof that those good things under your nose tended to be invisible.

William Sharp was the Invisible Man.

Frankie was going to find a way to make him visible by New Year's Eve.

If only she had some idea how to do that.