Page 72 of Home for the Holidays

Heidi laughed. “Oh, god, that’s so true, isn’t it?”

“Just know that I am fine, and I promise you, I’m not in any hurry.”

“In a hurry for what, hmm?” Heidi raised her brows, a smirk on her face.

“Oh, well, y’know, I’m just saying,” Iris fumbled her way through the start of an explanation, then thought better of it and cleared her throat.

Heidi took Iris’s hand and pulled her over to the walk-in pantry. As soon as they were inside amongst the extra bottles of olive oil and cans of corn, she leaned forward and kissed her, deeply. “Unlike you, though, Iamin a hurry for this. For your lips.” She smoothed her thumb over the smooth skin of Iris’s cheek. “Foryou.”

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to have to kidnap you and take you upstairs to your bedroom so I can get my hands on you again.” Iris kissed her again, then moved so she was right next to her ear. “So I can fuck you again and hear you moan my name again.”

“Jesus.” Heidi leaned her head away from Iris and pulled in a deep breath. “What am I going to do when you leave for the city?”

Iris’s expression fell and her shoulders sagged. “Don’t remind me.”

“Baby,” Heidi said softly. “You know you can stay. You can stay forever. I want you to stay.” She leaned her forehead against Iris’s. “I don’t want to spend another second without you near me.”

“Oh, Heidi.”

She rubbed Iris’s arms gently. “Go hang out with everyone so I can get these cinnamon rolls out.”

Once Iris had left the pantry, Heidi breathed in deeply. Maybe she could settle down now. But when she reentered the kitchen, just as that thought flew through her head, she saw Stanley rush to the front door and swing it open.

“Sandra, honey, you made it!” he shouted.

Sandra?Sandy? What the hell? Heidi couldn’t move as she stared through the kitchen at the foyer where the scene unfolding before her.

“Yes, thank you so much for the invite. Y’know your ex of course didn’t invite me.”

“She didn’t? What in the world—Heidi? You didn’t invite Sandy over for Christmas?”

Heidi’s mouth was hanging open. She could feel it.

“Merry Christmas,” Sandy said as she turned through the entryway into the kitchen carrying a reusable shopping bag. “I brought liquor, and it looks like you already need a drink.” She chuckled. “Heidi, babe, you okay?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Heidi?” Stanley breezed into the kitchen, his silk robe fluttering behind him. “What the hell has gotten into you?” His impatience and irritation—a cocktail she was all too aware of after being married to him for fifteen years—was on full display.

She licked her lips, blinked her shock away, and forced a smile. “Nothing at all. Sandy, Merry Christmas. I’m so glad you got Stanley’s invite.” She pulled Sandy toward her and hugged her, all while giving Stanley a look that meantWe need to talk, buster.

“That’s better,” Sandy said softly, against Heidi’s ear. “I missed you.”

“I know. I know.” She patted Sandy’s back. “Would you excuse us real quick?” She released Sandy, grabbed Stanley, and pulled him all the way into the back office, which had apparently become the only place she could talk to her family and have them take her seriously. As soon as the door closed, she whirled around on him. “What the hell are you doing?”

Stanley gawked at her in response. “Heidi, it’s Sandy. She’s your best friend. She’s all alone today. We were texting and…” His face fell. “And…” There it was. There was the realization. “Oh.”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh,shit.” Stanley’s hands shot to his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because,Stanley, I was trying to have this holiday season be about our fucking son coming out. Not about me, your ex-wife, and the woman she startedfucking.” Her hushed whisper wasn’t coming out nearly angry enough. She groaned while removing her robe. “It’s a thousand degrees in here.”

“I’m fine. I think you’re having a hot flas—”

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