Holiday Affair by Lisa Plumley Page B

getting on with her life, and you’re not handling it very well. You ought to be more grown up about all this.”
    Silence fell. This time, it was Eric’s turn to gawk.
    To be fair, Karina did too. That was really… insightful.
    Also, she liked the idea of herself getting on with her life. It was past time she did that. Way past time.
    “You’ve got to remember, babe,” Chelsea continued serenely, “that a truly strong man allows others’ strength to shine.”
    Huh? Karina blinked. Eric wrinkled his forehead.
    “I read that on my Gingerbread Latte cup at Starbucks yesterday. I thought it fit.” Chelsea beamed. Offhandedly, she examined her bikini top, then adjusted its triangle cups as sultrily as one of the Pussycat Dolls might have done. “So. Are we all good? Eric, are you going to be nicer to Karina?”
    Contritely, he nodded. “Yes, Chelsea. I am.”
    Wow. Whatever mojo Chelsea had, Karina needed some. Eric had never been this compliant when he’d been married to her.
    “And Karina, are you going to have a fun vacation?”
    A fun vacation? Karina hesitated. She hadn’t quite thought of the upcoming trip in that way. She’d been busy checking flights online, making whirlwind packing lists, and conferring with Stephanie about the Edgware evaluation details.
    But the truth was, this opportunity was heaven sent.
    The B&B in Kismet had genuine snowdrifts. Actual Christmassy ambiance. Pine trees galore. And the B&B owners specialized in making their guests’ holiday dreams come true—it said so right on their brochures and Web site. Visiting The Christmas House would be like stepping into one of those feel-good holiday TV movies. It didn’t get much more fun than that.
    She nodded. “I think the kids are going to love it.”
    “But what about you, K? You have to think about yourself too,” Chelsea insisted. “It’s like my mom always said—”
    “Take off that miniskirt and those hooker heels?”
    This, from Eric. Chelsea and Karina both glared at him.
    He gave an awkward chuckle. “I guess my image of your teenage years is inaccurate?”
    “You’re about a million times too sleazy, I’m sure,” Karina said. Although, privately, she agreed about the miniskirt.
    “—she always said,” Chelsea went on with good-natured doggedness, “that a vacation is when a family goes away for a good time, and their mother makes sure everyone gets it. My mom used to start every vacation exhausted from planning and come home afterward to a mountain of laundry. Don’t let that happen to you, Karina. Make sure you have a good time too.”
    “She wouldn’t know how.” Eric fiddled with his wristband. “Karina is about as much fun as a bucket of to-do lists.”
    “Maybe with you she was,” Chelsea said. “But the two of you obviously weren’t a good fit. With another guy…who knows? Maybe Karina will have herself a wild and crazy holiday affair.”
    Yeah. Who knew? Maybe she would, Karina thought defiantly.
    It was weird to feel so encouraged by “the other woman” in her ex-husband’s life. But all of a sudden, she actually felt tempted to cut loose. To live a little. To get on with her life in a big way.
    Eric had been right about one thing, she decided ruefully. Being around Chelsea really was liberating.
    “Yeah!” she said, stifling a fist pump. “Who knows?”
    Eric’s scowl deepened—satisfyingly so. It was about time he was the one who’d been caught off guard. Especially by her.
    He’d be caught off guard most of all, Karina promised herself, when she aced that very real Edgware evaluation. Eric could hardly argue that she’d made up the whole thing if Edgware officially announced they were franchising the B&B’s concept and taking its worry-free Christmas-vacation idea nationwide.
    “I say go for it!” Chelsea urged. “And keep me posted too.” She gave Karina a girl-to-girl wink, grinning like a true confidante. “I want all the dirty details, K. You be sure to call me the