Hot Flash Holidays by Nancy Thayer Page A

them to the table.
    “Okay!” Shirley said. “Now, Justin, if you’ll just hold the big platter, I’ll put the turkey on it.”
    She pulled oven mitts on and lifted out the heavy pan.
    “Hey!” Drawn by the aroma, Ben stood in the doorway to the kitchen. “That smells good.”
    His half-sisters came to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder.
    “Turkey. Cool,” Angel said. “We have to eat
goose
tonight. Ugh.”
    “My mom’s fixing leg of lamb,” Ben said, making gagging noises.
    “Ughghghgh!” both girls croaked.
    Shirley’s cheeks were hot with happiness—she’d done something
right
! She’d cooked a Christmas turkey!
    Carefully she cut open the brown paper bag. The turkey was gorgeous, golden brown, steaming with heat and flavor. Justin held the platter out.
    Shirley put a long fork in each end of the turkey and lifted it away from the roasting pan toward the platter.
    With a kind of mushy, squishing liquid sound, most of the meat fell away from the bones, splatting in greasy pieces on the floor.
    “Oooh, gross!” Ben cried.
    “I’m not eating that!” Spring exclaimed.
    “Me, either!” Angel echoed.
    Visions of a strong gin and tonic danced in Shirley’s head.
    Fueled by Shirley’s optimistic energies, the day staggered on. Enough meat remained on the turkey to feed everyone. The kids even ate the vegetables. Justin went out to watch Ben on his skateboard while Shirley, on a whim, gave the girls a tour of The Haven. Then Justin drove the kids home, while Shirley gathered up the torn wrapping paper and bows and removed the various glasses, plates, and cups the kids had left around the place. She did the dishes and cleaned up the fallen turkey mess— what a literal pain in the back!
    Now,
at last,
Christmas night was here. The condo was clean, the tree twinkled brightly, and Shirley had turned off all the other lights and set candles glowing around the room. Christmas music spilled softly from the CD player. Shirley redid her makeup and tousled her hair, wanting to look perfect for the coming perfect moment.
    Justin came in, smelling of fresh air and snow. “Let me fix a drink, and we can open our presents.”
    “Lovely,” Shirley said. “I’ve made myself a pot of tea.”
    Justin sank down on the sofa next to her. “Cheers, Shirley,” he said, toasting her. “Thanks for making this such a wonderful day for all of us.”
    His praise touched her deeply. “I loved every minute of it.”
    He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “
Every
minute?”
    She laughed. “The bit with the turkey was a little embarrassing.”
    “We’ll all be laughing about it a few years from now,” Justin assured her.
    Hey! There was a long-range plan if she’d ever heard one. Shirley’s heart swelled in her chest. She blinked back tears.
    “I want to give you your present now.” She bent to retrieve the little red box left under the tree. It looked like a cuff link box. She hoped he would think it was cuff links.
    Justin set his drink on the table and put the present on his lap. Carefully, he undid the ribbon and lifted the lid off the box.
    Inside was a check. From Shirley to Justin. For ten thousand dollars.
    Frowning, Justin looked at Shirley. “What’s this?”
    Shirley was practically squirming all over, like a puppy who’d just dropped his bone at his master’s lap. “It’s money! So you can self-publish your novel! And pay for a graphic artist to give it a dynamite cover. And in a few more months, I’m going to give you another check, so you can hire someone to help you publicize your book.”
    Justin looked dumbfounded. He shook his head. “Shirley, I can’t take this much money from you.”
    “But that’s how much you need. You told me so, yourself.”
    “Yes, but—”
    “Justin, take it, please. I want to help you make your dream come true.”
    He ran his hand over his head. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
    She waited, holding her breath.
    When he looked at her, his eyes