Page 31 of Home for the Holidays

“Well, we’ll know soon enough if I’ve done a good thing or a horrible thing and whether or not he’ll continue being angry with me. Fun. What a great day.”

“Heidi, it’s going to be fine. I wasn’t around for the great fallout, but I have a good feeling everything is going to work out how it should.”

“You’re way more optimistic than me.”

“Oh, please!” Karen said as she added a spoonful of honey to the tea. “You’re one of the most optimistic people I know.”

Maddie’s bark sounded through the kitchen as she got up from her fluffy bed near the breakfast nook and trotted over to the front door. The doorbell hadn’t made a sound, but Maddie’s old ears still worked like a charm.

“Is that him?” Karen’s spoon stopped mid-stir.

Heidi gulped. “Yeah, it’s gotta be.”

“Are you gonna let him in?”

“I was hoping someone else would get the door.” Maddie barked again and Heidi sighed just as the doorbell rang through the house. “Coming!” she shouted as she rushed over to the door and swung it open, revealing Evan Childers in all his dark-haired, blue-eyed glory. “Evan, honey! So glad you made it.”

“Thank you so much, Ms. Nowak.” He wiped his feet on the doormat before he entered, then presented her with a bouquet of flowers. “These are from my mom. She wanted to thank you for taking care of me. They’ve both been called in to the hospital.”

“Baby deliveries, I assume?” She took the flowers. “These are lovely, thank you.”

“Yeah, Dad’s delivering twins, and Mom has an emergency C-section.” He shrugged off his black wool coat and hung it on one of the hooks by the door. “Did he get in okay?” Evan’s voice was low as he asked his question.

Heidi smiled, nodded. “He did. I do have to warn you, though, he, um—” And then Iris came around the corner into the foyer, cutting Heidi off mid-explanation. “Iris,” she said softly. She reached for the wall to steady herself. How did Iris do that? Take her breath away just by walking into a room?

“Uh, hi,” Iris said as she waved her hand through the air. “You must be Evan?” She came forward, hand outstretched, and introduced herself. “It’s so great to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“You have?” Evan asked at the same time Heidi did.

Iris’s eyebrows knitted together.

Heidi laughed. “I mean, you have!” Oh god, she needed a drink. Was it too early to start?

“Yeah, I have,” Iris reiterated. “Zac will be super happy to see you.”

“And, I’m sorry,” Evan said, “forgive me, who are you to him?”

Iris chuckled. “Oh, I’m his fri—girlfriend.”

Evan’s eyes widened. “Oh.” With the look he gave Heidi, all she wanted to do was apologize profusely.

“Yeah, everyone knows about you, but not a soul knew about me,” Iris said with a very forced laugh. She smacked him on the arm as she walked past, pointing at him with finger guns and winking. “They’re in the living room, waiting for your arrival.”

“Well, that was weird,” Evan said softly. “Ms. Nowak, I thought—”

“I know. Me too, honey. Just go with the plan, okay?”

“But—”

“Believe me, it’ll be fine. I’m about eighty-twenty that I know what I’m doing.”

He breathed in through a pained expression. “I don’t know about those odds.”

She pushed him gently toward the living room. “Let’s just go say hi.” She plastered on her fakest smile. “Everyone, Evan arrived!”

“Oh my god, Evan, you haven’t changed a bit,” Adrien said as he stood up and hugged him. “You’re still just as cute as ever.”

Evan’s cheeks blushed a deep red. “It’s good to see you, too, Adrien.”

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