It’s great to be home, even if I’m flushing slightly. This is not surprising, since I’ve just experienced more lust in the last hour than the past decade. I throw open the car door and wonder how I'm going to act normally among my nosy family.I can hear their questions before they utter a word.Anyone special in your life these days? How are you doing after that shameful divorce? Have you considered online dating?I ascend the steps to the front door, which is glowing with lights that mark the season. I straighten my shirt, transfer my overnight bag from one perspiring hand to the other, and squeeze the snow-covered handle.Here we go.My eyes browse the crowd of smiling faces that I haven't seen since last Christmas...except for Mom, Dad, and Sissy, of course.I'm full of adrenaline, and as I look at the mouths moving around me, I can't help but wonder if Jake and my bookstore fantasy are a fixture of my imagination.I work to avoid eye contact and shuffle through the room full of red sweaters and graying hair.
