Page 25 of Home for the Holidays

She only hoped she could take her own advice. Otherwise, she’d continue to lie to everyone around her. Including herself.

CHAPTERELEVEN

Iris’s brain was running at top speed. She was beside herself with the recent discovery, so much so that instead of hanging out with the family as Zac and Heidi talked, the second she could, she had holed up in Zac’s bedroom. Safely tucked into the attic space, she pulled her phone out and FaceTimed the only person in this world that would believe the fucked-up situation she had found herself in.

“Well, as I live and breathe,” Stacey, her best friend and most trusted confidante, said as she appeared on the screen. Stacey and Iris ran their practice together, and Stacey was the main reason Iris wasn’t a raging lunatic. She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair and raised her perfect eyebrows. “Wanna tell me why you didn’t alert me that you weren’t going to be here this holiday break?”

“Shit,” Iris said as she scrunched her face. “I’m so sorry. I meant to put it on the shared calendar. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you haven’t even had any time to text. Texting issotime-consuming. Just so much to do. Unlock a phone with facial recognition, tap a few screens, and, oof, they even have that pesky Siri who does the texting for you. How inconvenient.”

“Oh my god, I’m calling you now. Isn’t that enough?”

“I guess,” Stacey said, rolling her eyes. “Where are you, anyway? You look like you’re in a bomb bunker or something.”

Iris laughed. “No, I’m in an attic. At Zac’s. In Indiana.”

“What the fuck? Indiana? Gross.Why?” Stacey groaned. “That sounds horrifying.”

“Yeah, so far, it is.” Iris shook her head and looked up at the ceiling over the futon. There was yet another picture of—“Goddammit. Jason fucking Bateman.”

“What?” Stacey laughed. “Did you just curse Jason Bateman? Are you finally watchingOzark?”

She laughed. “Yes, I cursed him; no, it has nothing to do withOzark.” Iris looked into the phone at Stacey. “Are you sitting down?”

“Sure.”

“No, I need you to sit down.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Stacey visibly plopped down on her couch and sighed. “Better?”

“Thank you. Okay, so, Zac made me come home with him because, get this, he’s not out to his mom.”

Stacey leaned her head back and cackled. “Are you kidding me? And his mom doesn’t just, like,know? He’s the gayest boy I’ve ever met.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So, what? You’re, like, what? His fake girlfriend?”

Iris tapped her nose. “Bingo.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? What is this? A Netflix rom-com? Come the fuck on.”

“I know, Stacey, believe me. I’m just as disappointed as you are about me being cast in this role.” She sighed. “And it’s so fucking weird. So his brother Adrien, a fashion designer, is fluid, so he’s with a guy. And out. And their mom is totally fine with it. So why the fuck would Zac not want to be out to his mom if his brother is?”

“Jesus.”

“And, just wait, it gets better.” Iris sighed. “Their dad is pansexual and with a man.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“Oh, wait, I’m not done yet.” Iris paused and listened out, making sure no one was coming up the steps to the bedroom. “Another piece of the most random puzzle ever created,” she whispered. “I went to get pastries this morning, and the woman who works at the café was so fucking hot, I couldn’t help myself. I started flirting with her.”

“Shocking. An older woman. Was she blonde?”

Iris didn’t respond.

“Of course she was. You are so predictable, you fucking skeez.”

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