Page 34 of Home for the Holidays

“I can get my own Lyft if I need one,” Iris said with a chuckle. “I think I can walk, though. No worries. I’m a big girl.”

Evan stood when she did. “Iris, it was lovely meeting you.” He held his hand out, but she smacked it away as she leaned in and hugged him.

“Don’t overthink this,” she whispered. “You hear me?”

He pulled away. “Yeah, I think I do, which is causing me to have a lot of questions.”

“Don’t. It’s okay. I promise. I’ll see you later. If you idiots keep drinking, don’t drive.” And she left them sitting there, smiles on their faces, hope in their eyes. She was such a great matchmaker. For her fake boyfriend. And his old flame. Iris chuckled as she headed out of the restaurant and toward the main drag of town.

Once she was outside Stacks, she took a deep breath. She was free. The feeling was exhilarating. She could go back to the house and get some much-needed rest, and Zac and Evan could spend the rest of the night reminiscing and hopefully be back together by morning, which would be incredible on so many levels. No more pretending; no more awkward hand-holding and kisses on the cheek; no more lying.

Christ, thelying.

Watching Zac and Evan talk to each other had been eye-opening. And, for a very weird reason, it had been harder than she thought it’d be. She wasn’t jealous. At least, she didn’t think she was. Shefor suredidn’t have a right to be jealous. At all.

But, at the same time, maybe she was.

Not of Evan or that Zac clearly still had a thing for him, but of the situation. As much as she liked to tell herself that she didn’t need someone, seeing the way the two of them reconnected and how the sparks flew was exciting. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but a part of her did long for that connection with another person. She’d spent so much of her life avoiding entanglements. It was easier and less costly to her heart to fuck ‘em and forget ‘em. No broken trust that way. Her love life had begun to feel sort of repetitive, though. A little like a broken record. The first few notes were great, but once it started skipping, it was a real disaster.

She chuckled to herself as she thought about the last few women she had had in her bed. Two were entirely too young, and two were entirely too clingy. Not one of them had gotten the hint when she was ready for them to leave. It was probably time for Iris to admit that she was a catch, and someone would be damn lucky to have her. That would mean opening herself up to love, though, and the idea of that had her wanting to jump in front of a bus.

Thankfully there were no buses in Vale Park, Indiana.

The temperature was falling quickly, and a shiver raced through her. She zipped her coat all the way up and wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. The restaurants and bars along the main street were all open, including one called Lincoln’s. It was tempting. She didn’t want to go home yet. She needed another drink, something to take the edge off those dreaded emotions she had made sure to steer clear of for most of her life. From the outside, Lincoln’s looked like a great spot, so she took a chance and headed inside without a second thought. The exposed brick walls of the establishment made it feel homey, and the dim lighting was exactly what she needed. An escape. The bar had a couple of empty seats, so she walked to the end and made herself comfortable.

The bartender came over to her promptly, a wide smile on her face. “Hello there, weary traveler.” She chuckled. “You look like you could use a stiff one.”

“I must look a fright then.”

“Not at all. You look”—the bartender paused, a smile appearing on her dark red lips—“stressed.”

Iris chuckled. “You have no idea. Can you do an espresso martini?”

“Best one in the city,” she said with a wink. “Coming right up.”

Iris leaned back and relaxed on the barstool, content with her decision. Some alone time after the last thirty-six hours was not a bad idea. As much as she enjoyed people, every now and then, her social meter ran out. The needle was almost on empty, so she decided to enjoy the peace and quiet.

“Iris? What are you doing here?”

Well, that was short-lived.

She straightened her posture as if on command. “Heidi, hi.” Was she breathless? She felt breathless. A bizarre fervor started to bubble inside of her.

“What are you doing?” Heidi called from farther down the bar. “Is Zac with you?”

“Uh, no. I left him and Evan at Stacks to catch up,” she said before she locked eyes with his mother. She wanted to gauge her reaction. “They seemed as relieved I was leaving as I was.”

Heidi, cool as a cucumber, slid onto the stool next to her. “Gotcha.”

Dammit. She was hoping the groundwork she began laying earlier and continued working on now would get some sort of reaction that Heidi was completely aware that her son was gay, and his girlfriend was fake. And also gay. Or, at the very least, obviously bisexual. She licked her lips as she gathered another boring conversation starter. “Evan is a nice guy. I’m glad they’re able to do this. Y’know, reconnect and all that.”

“Are you sure?” Heidi had one arm propped on the bar, the other on the back of her stool. If Iris didn’t know better—and let’s be honest, she didn’t—she’d have thought that Heidi was drunk. Her words were a little slurred, and she seemed far too relaxed consideringeverything. She was tipsy, without question. “Like, really sure?”

“Yeah,” Iris said with a chuckle. “If you’re nervous that Zac isn’t having a good time, you don’t need to be. I promise. He’s having fun.”

Heidi pursed her lips and nodded. “Okay. I’ll take your word for it.” She took a breath but didn’t speak for a couple seconds, just sat there looking at Iris. Talk about feeling extremely self-conscious. “Can I say, though,” she said softly, leaning forward, “I still feel so bad about, well, this morning and also, y’know, inviting Evan over.” Her voice held an air of fake regret, layered with even more fake sadness.

“If I promise you that it’s okay, all of it, would that help?” Iris eyed Heidi, the bogus concern on her face.

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