Once again thinking of Claudia being obsessed with setting Steve up with one of her coworkers or friend's kids or even distant relatives.
She's so relieved to have a trusted male figure in Dustin's life. She even kind of loves that he's so different from her son, because she was very aware of Dustin's growing tendency to see certain kinds of people as inferior. Plus, it showed him that he could be loved by anyone, even someone from a completely different social circle.
Plus, Steve is sweet. He'd dropped the "charm the parents" act pretty quickly once Dusty called him on it, but he was still sweet. He always helped clean up after dinner or carried in the groceries, griping at Dustin about manners. He got that look in his eyes every time she hugged her, too. The one that said he needed a parent.
So she wanted to make sure he stayed close. Make sure he found someone good, and Claudia approved.
Most of the time, he gently turned down the dates, but every now and then he would click with someone, and they would go out. Claudia always hoped they were the one, but it always ended after a short while. She hated how disappointed he always was afterward.
Then she meets a nice man named Wayne. They met at Melvalds, both of them chatting with Joyce until a customer came. They chat for a long while, and despite appearances, Wayne is an easy conversationalist.
They go to Benny's, ordering hot plates and talking about their lives. Maybe Wayne flirts a little and maybe Claudia doesn't hate that, but the important thing is that Wayne has a nephew. A nephew who he seems super proud of who plays guitar and likes nerdy stuff.
They plot to set them up together. Steve agrees after a little poking, still a little sore after the last one ended so quickly. Eddie agrees as well, ever trusting of his uncle's opinion.
They park across the street with Claudia's birding binoculars and watch the two fall in love.
Steve was already her son, but it wasn't long until Eddie joined the family in a more official capacity.
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