For Better or Worse

Heather had . . . no one. Sure, there was Alexis and Brooke, and they were friends as much as they were colleagues, but they also had their own things going on. Heather worked so much that she hadn’t really had time to develop a social circle in New York outside of the Belles. She supposed she could call up her old Brooklyn roommates to go out, but the thought of them all catching each other up on their lives left her more exhausted than elated.

Put quite simply, in a city of millions, Heather suddenly felt very much alone.

She trailed into the kitchen to rinse out her mug. Josh had stayed to help her clean up, but there was an overstuffed garbage bag that still needed to be taken out, and Heather dragged it out into the hallway toward the garbage chute at the end of the hall.

Her footsteps faltered on her way back as she saw a familiar figure outside Josh’s door. “Mrs. Tanner!”

Josh’s mom turned toward her, an enormous foil-covered dish in hand and a wide smile on her face. “Heather! Honey. Don’t you look lovely. And please, Sue, dear. Mrs. Tanner makes me feel old, and I already have the wrinkles to do that for me.”

Heather smiled.

“I don’t suppose you’d happen to know where my son is?” Sue asked hopefully.

Heather shook her head. “Haven’t seen him since this morning. He’s not answering?”

Sue sighed. “No. I knew I should have called first. I was just in the city visiting a friend, and I can never resist bringing him some lasagna. His favorite.”

“I can keep it in my fridge for him, if you want?”

“No, no, I have a key,” she said. “I was just giving him plenty of time to answer the door in case he was in there with a lady friend,” Sue said with a little wink.

Heather forced a smile, even though the thought of Josh and a lady friend made her want to puke or punch something.

“Hold this for me, would you, sweetie?”

Heather obliged, taking the pan of lasagna as Josh’s mom rummaged around in her purse for her keys. She felt a tiny stab of jealousy and wondered if Josh knew how lucky he was to have a mom who couldn’t wait to drop by and see him, even unannounced.

Heather couldn’t even pay her mom to come visit.

“Here we are,” Sue said, finally pulling out a key chain with a triumphant smile before inserting it into the lock. “Bring that lasagna in here, would you, dear? Joshy, are you here? It’s your mother, put some pants on!”

Good luck with that, Heather wanted to say.

But there was no sign of Josh, and Heather sent up a silent prayer that he was at the gym and not out getting laid.

“I heard it’s going to snow tonight,” Sue said, humming happily as she made room in Josh’s fridge. “I just love the first snow, especially when it happens before Thanksgiving. It just signals that the holidays are around the corner, you know?”

Heather swallowed her bitterness, the conversation reminding her of the chat with her mom and the realization that she’d be spending Thanksgiving alone. Again.

Sue seemed to note Heather’s lack of response, and glanced over, her face softening a little. “Sweetie, do you have family in town?”

Heather shook her head. “No. It’s just me and my mom in Michigan.”

“Ah. Are you headed back for Thanksgiving?”

Heather shook her head and opened her mouth to reply but to her utter horror, felt her eyes well with tears. “Oh, honey,” Sue said, coming toward her and cupping Heather’s face. “You’ll come to our house.”

Heather let out a little laugh and sniffled. “That’s kind, but I really can’t.”

“Of course you can,” Sue scolded. “No way am I letting a sweet girl like you spend the holiday alone.”

Heather pressed her palms to the back of Sue’s hands before slowly easing the other woman’s away with a smile. “I appreciate it, really, but I’d feel strange intruding on a family holiday.”

“Would it make a difference if I told you that you’d be a welcome buffer from my mother-in-law?”

Heather smiled but still shook her head. Sue sighed. “Okay, I won’t push. Much. But promise me you’ll at least consider it.”