Alex didn't know if she was awake or dreaming when she felt Piper's finger, jabbing her bicep before the sun came up that morning.

"Alex! Alex!"

"What the fuck?" The brunette propped herself on an elbow. "Are you ok?"

"I made a decision," Piper announced. "It came to me just now as clear as day: I want to run the inn."

Alex flopped onto her back, forearm covering her eyes. "You're letting your emotions get the best of you, Piper."

"No." She could see the blonde shaking her head in the glow of the moon. "I can do this—I want to do this." She exhaled. "I realized that the inn, the town, the people—they're the best of what's inside of me." Piper sat up. "Don't you see? I've been fighting my destiny this whole time. I'm meant to be here."

Alex rolled over, taking one of the blonde's hands. "I'm not going to get in the way of your destiny, babe, but what you're saying is between you and your grandmother." Alex squeezed her hand.

"Maybe I should wake her?" Piper replied.

The brunette pulled her down. "Maybe you should wait til morning."

"Maybe." Piper laid back down, letting out a long breath.

Just when the brunette thought Piper had settled down, she began anew. "If my grandma really doesn't want me to manage the Haystack, that's fine, but I don't think I've looked her in the eye and told her how much I want this. She thinks I'm just doing it out of pure emotion, and I was a couple of days ago, but I'm not today."

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. There didn't seem to be anything she could do to shut up the babbling blonde.

"It's always taken me a while to come to terms with major transitions, and this is one of those times," Piper continued.

Alex ran her knuckles across Piper's jaw. "I really need you to go back to sleep, babe, or I'm kicking you out of my room."

The blonde snuggled against Alex's naked body. "Sorry, I tend to process out loud."

"I noticed," she let out a light chuckle.

Piper kissed her chin. "Good night again."

"Night."

They finally both drifted back to sleep.

The next morning, Alex woke up just before 7 a.m. and Piper was not in bed with her. She took a shower and wondered where the blonde had skirted off to when she remembered their middle-of-the-night conversation: Piper wanted to run the inn.

The brunette scrubbed her body clean, thinking about the way things could very well end between them, and she was gravely concerned that neither of them would be completely satisfied. A car was picking her up at 9:30 that morning, and just prior to leaving, she needed to meet with Celeste to finalize the deal. She felt a deep ache in her chest at having to leave the inn—at having to leave Piper.

"Have you seen Piper?" the brunette asked as she ambled into the kitchen. The day before, she'd chosen to play coy when asking about Piper's whereabouts. That morning, she didn't have time to waste.

Celeste plopped a stack of folders on the counter. "She went for a run."

Alex poured a cup of coffee. "She knows I'm leaving this morning, right?"

"I believe so." Celeste sipped her tea. "I asked her to give us some time to chat."

"Oh." The brunette looked surprised. "Did she tell you about her last minute decision to run the inn?"

The older woman folded her hands on top of the folders. "She did."

"And?" Alex pulled out a stool as if she was going to sit down, but remained standing, anxious about where the conversation was headed.

"I listened," she said with a shrug.

Alex set her coffee mug down before even taking the first sip and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm supposed to be a professional, you know? Come here, make the deal, and go home. But Piper…" She shook her head. "She doesn't want the inn to go corporate. As hard as I tried to explain that we're not a typical corporation, she doesn't buy it. I'm afraid she's not going to let go of the idea that she can manage this place even though it's not in your best interest."

"Piper is a smart young woman—she graduated magna cum laude from Smith," Celeste began. "But she has always been guilty of thinking with her heart. It's one of her most endearing qualities, but in the real world, it's her Achilles heel."

"So what do I do?" the brunette lifted her shoulders. "Do I do what I was asked to come here for and have you sign the papers, or do I walk away and tell my boss that the deal didn't work out?"

"I want to sell the inn." Celeste looked her in the eye. "I haven't faltered with my wishes, but you seem overly concerned with what my granddaughter wants."

"You're right." She scratched her head and looked away, recalling the entire reason she'd come to Essex. "This is the best solution—numbers don't lie, and they're not going to get any better in the short term with your health being what it is."

"I know." Celeste clicked a pen. "I want to sign the papers."

Alex reluctantly handed her the two printouts.

The elderly woman scanned the document. "You're offering $200,000 more than what we originally discussed."

"This place is worth it." Alex could feel the nostalgia reflecting on her face. "The rooms need some updating, but everything about The Haystack and the town of Essex is worth even more than what I can give."

"That's very kind of you." She smiled. "It is a wonderful little inn."

Alex had to turn her back as Celeste signed the papers. She glanced out the kitchen window at the barn behind the inn and wanted to smile at the memories, but her lips wouldn't tug upwards. In fact, she felt tears prickling her eyes, damning her emotions for coming into play as she made the business transaction.

"Here you go."

The brunette turned back around, took one set of papers and exhaled.

Celeste put a hand on her arm. "This is the right thing to do. If Piper had shown more interest in the inn after college, it would be hers, but I don't want to burden her with something she doesn't really want."

Alex clenched her jaw. "Thank you. Someone from the Huxley Collection will be in touch with you next week."

"It won't be you?" The older woman asked, coughing.

"No." Alex slid Celeste's tea closer. "My part of the job is over—everything I do is on the front end, and other members of my team step in to work out the details of the sale."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Celeste said with a genuine smile. "I enjoyed spending time with you, and I know my granddaughter feels the same." She had no idea just how true her statement was.

Alex bit the inside of her cheek. "Piper won't be happy about this."

"I'll deal with the fallout."

"I should explain it to her…" Before the brunette continued, she shut her mouth for fear of revealing too much.

"Piper won't be back before you leave," Celeste said somewhat apologetically. "I asked her to help Betty at the bakery this morning, and she won't return until after ten. She seemed eager to bake again, all thanks to you."

Alex shook her head and crinkled her forehead. "Why would you do that?"

Celeste raised her eyebrows as if she knew more than she let on. "Because I don't want the two of you to argue."

Once again, the brunette looked away, one hand on her hip. "So this is how it ends? You sign the papers, and I return to New York, never to be heard from again?"

"Perhaps." Celeste stood with a gleam in her eye. "But I sincerely hope not. It was truly a pleasure meeting you, Alex. I wish you all the best."

She threw her arms around the frail woman. "You, too."

Alex went back to her room and packed her things. Part of her thought about texting Piper so that they could meet and say a proper goodbye, but as soon as the blonde would learn what had transpired, she'd be absolutely livid. It would break Alex's heart to see a hurting, despondent Piper, so she chose to exit quietly. Before she left, she wrote a letter, leaving it in her own room, tucked under the pillow.

At 9:34 a.m. Alex got into the town car that would whisk her off to the regional airport. She took one last look at the quaint little town and noticed Chloe, the girl who'd built the snowman, putting a carrot stick as the snowman's nose. She smiled at the sight, saddened about not seeing Piper's smile one last time.

"Good morning, Ms. Vause. Any place you'd like to stop before we head to the airport?" the driver asked.

"No, and no matter what I say after this, take me to the airport, even if I beg you to turn around." She swiped a tear that had fallen under her black frames.

"You got it." The driver pulled away, and Alex looked back, unable to contain the deluge of tears.

Piper rolled in just after 10 a.m. with a big smile and saw her grandmother, knitting in the lobby. "Hi grandma, where's Alex?"

"She's gone."

Piper's eyebrows formed a V. "What do you mean, gone?"

Celeste turned around. "A town car picked her up at 9:30. I thought you knew that."

"I knew she was leaving today, but…" The blonde stepped into the lobby and felt panicked. "She wouldn't have left without saying goodbye."

"She had to, Piper." Her grandmother stood, bracing herself against the arm of the sofa. "I signed the papers."

"You what?"

Celeste looked at her feet. "I've sold the inn."

"You couldn't have…" Her heart started beating wildly and she felt blood drain from her face. "Just a few hours ago, I told you I wanted to run the Haystack."

"You acted out of pure emotion, dear, and I love you for that." She walked over to her granddaughter. "I couldn't let you trade in your life—a life that you love—for a memory."

"This isn't about memories," Piper complained, shaking her head vigorously. "This is about family and commitment and feeling a sort of clarity I've never felt in my life!"

She took the blonde's hand in both of hers. "Alex helped you see that."

Piper looked away, not wanting to acknowledge what her grandmother had observed.

"But she's not going to be here, day in and day out, to make you love this job," Celeste said. "That has to come from within."

A tear slipped down her face. "How could Alex have done this?" Piper tried to contain her emotions, but it was no use. "She knew I wanted this place, yet she still made you sign the papers."

Celeste squeezed her hand. "She didn't make me do anything, Piper."

Her chin quivered. "This is not at all how I thought this day would go."

"I know it's hard to stomach right now, but selling the inn is what's best," Celeste tried.

"I need to process this on my own." Piper turned on her heel and jogged to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Her heart was in her throat at the thought of Alex leaving without saying goodbye, and she was plagued with anger about her grandmother signing the papers. She picked up her mobile phone to see if Alex had called or texted, but there were no messages. Piper ran upstairs to Alex's room, thinking for a moment this was all a bad dream.

"Alex?" she called in a weak voice. "Alex!"

No one came out of the bathroom, and all of the brunette's things were gone. She sat on the bed, head in her hands, and wept. How could she have been so blind? Alex came to the inn on business, and she left with more than just a sale to check off her ledger.

The blonde collapsed onto the bed and felt something crunch against her head. She picked up an envelope and opened it, unfolding the piece of paper inside.

Dear Piper,

First, allow me to apologize for not saying goodbye. I had an entirely different image in my mind of how that would go, and it involved you naked in bed. By the time you read this, that line won't be funny, because you'll know that your grandmother signed the papers to sell the inn. Please know that I want what's best for both of you. I don't doubt for one minute that you could manage the inn, Piper, but that wasn't my call to make. I hope that you and your grandma can come to an understanding about the property—it would be a shame to see the two of you divided on such an important issue.

The last three days were nothing short of magical, and I can't thank you enough for changing my perspective on a holiday I had long since given up on. You helped me find the Christmas spirit again, and I am forever grateful.

I would love to reconnect after the sale goes through, but until then, it's probably best for us to keep our distance. Know that I'll think of you often and that you touched my life more than you know.

Merry Christmas,

Alex

Piper hadn't realized that she'd been crying while reading the letter, but by the end, the bottom half of the page was damp with tears. She laid in Alex's bed, smelling her pillow, and letting it all out. She lost what could have been a new love as well as what could have been her future career. Piper's emotions were too tender to reflect on any of it at that moment, so she allowed herself to fall asleep in Alex's bed without caring when she'd wake up.

The blonde had no idea how long she'd slept until her grandmother tapped on the door. "Piper, are you in there?"

"Yeah." She sat up, brushing the hair that had stuck to her face with dried tears, and realized she was still fully clothed in Alex's bed.

Celeste entered the room. "I brought you some tea."

"Thank you." She took the cup and scooted over, afraid she'd have to explain what she was doing in Alex's room.

The older woman put a hand on her leg. "You've been asleep all afternoon."

Piper glanced at the clock. "I don't have to be anywhere today, do I?"

"No." She shook her head. "Would you like to come down for dinner? I heated up some homemade chicken noodle soup."

She placed her hand on top of her grandmother's. "I'll be down in a minute."

Celeste left the room, and Piper let out a defeated breath. Christmas day would be upon them in two days, and she wasn't thankful for anything. All she could do was get out of bed and count the days until she could return to Hartford to continue her promising career—a career she'd been willing to give up to save the family business.

She washed her face in Alex's bathroom, and then went downstairs to an empty lobby, Dolly Parton's Christmas album playing on the record player. Piper walked over to the Christmas tree and her eyes filled with tears as she saw the two ornaments Alex had bought from the school children the day before. She picked one of them up and swatted away a tear. She was supposed to have taken them home. It took all of her willpower not to text the brunette about the forgotten ornaments, but she knew that would be under the guise of chastising Alex for leaving without saying goodbye.

After a cup of chicken noodle soup, Piper decided to go back to sleep, asking her grandmother not to bother her until the next morning when she came down for breakfast.

December 24 in Essex was the culminating Christmas event—most activities happened in the morning and early afternoon so that the children could go to sleep early with the hopes that St. Nicholas would pass that night. The only tradition that took place in the evening was Lessons & Carols in the old church, and it had been Piper's favorite. However, that day, she wanted nothing to do with Christmas and felt joyless.

She avoided her grandmother as much as possible as she tried to process what had taken place the day before. It was difficult for Piper to understand why her grandma didn't trust her to run the inn, but she had to admit that until 24 hours ago, she had made it perfectly clear that being the inn keeper wasn't in the cards for her.

Then there was the matter of Alex's betrayal—at least that's what it felt like. The brunette had charmed the pants off of her, and Piper was beginning to wonder if they could actually take a stab at a relationship. Even before she was convinced that she could run the inn, Piper had considered the distance between New York and Hartford as an easy commute for a couple who were invested in seeing where things could go.

Piper finally left the house just after lunchtime, needing to get some fresh air. It was snowing outside, and the local children were either throwing snowballs or building snowmen in the Square. Her lips turned upwards at the sight, recalling her own snowball fight with Alex. She buttoned her coat and walked around the Square once, listening to carolers under the gazebo and admiring the colorful lights all around town. Soon the lights would be gone, and Essex would return to its bucolic roots—still charming and beautiful, just not filled with the magic of Christmas.

She walked back to the inn and helped her grandma bake banana nut bread, both women deciding not to discuss the sale of the inn. Elvis' White Christmas came on, and Piper frowned as she thought about the last time she'd heard the song in the tavern.

"I asked Betty to save us seats at Lessons & Carols tonight," Celeste announced, pulling two loaves of bread out of the oven.

Piper laid two trivets down. "I'm not going."

"What? It's your favorite Christmas Eve tradition," she replied, setting the bread on the trivets.

She stood back and folded her arms. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly filled with Christmas cheer."

Celeste put the oven mitts back in a drawer. "You can sulk all you want about me signing those papers, but it's not going to change a thing."

"That's only half of why I'm upset," she mumbled, looking at her feet.

The older woman shrugged. "Then call her."

Piper's eyes flicked up, head still bowed, curious to learn if her grandma knew about her feelings for Alex.

"I want you to know something, dear; I mean really know it," Celeste began, taking a seat on a stool. "Alex was conflicted about having me sign the papers. In fact, I think she would've been relieved if I hadn't signed them."

Piper swallowed the lump in her throat. "But you did."

"I did because it's the right choice for me. The last thing I want six months from now is you resenting me for giving you the reins." Celeste took her hand. "I couldn't live with myself, knowing that I'd set you up for failure."

"I understand why you did it, grandma, but I don't have to agree with it." Once again, the blonde lowered her head, terribly sad about everything. She paused for a moment as The Carpenters sang a Christmas tune on the CD player. "I trusted her," she whispered.

"I know you did." Celeste squeezed her granddaughter's hand. "And you had every reason to—you still do. Alex did what I asked her to do; I was her client."

"You were more than that," Piper quickly retorted. "She liked you; I could tell."

Celeste shrugged. "And I liked her—that doesn't change the fact that a business deal had to be made." She started coughing, and the blonde patted her back.

The coughing didn't subside, so Piper filled a glass of water. "Drink this."

Celeste downed the water and her coughing bout ended. "Thank you. I'm not getting any healthier, Piper. I'm glad Alex came when she did."

"Don't say that." Piper rubbed her back. "You have a doctor's appointment in two days. I'm sure he'll adjust your meds, and you'll feel much better."

She smiled at her granddaughter. "I'm going to take a nap before Lessons & Carols. I hope you change your mind about joining me."

Piper gave her the best smile she could muster, which didn't even reveal her teeth.

She ended up going to Lessons & Carols, if only to appease her grandmother, but she felt melancholy the entire time. Piper's anger had morphed into sadness, and she just wanted Christmas to be over.

The next morning, Piper awoke to the sound of Christmas music so loud that she thought her grandmother must have mistakenly turned the volume dial the wrong way and left the inn. She got out of bed, and remembered that the Reeds had checked out and there were no guests at the inn. Still in her blue, snowflake pajamas, the blonde padded to the lobby, turned the volume down, and saw four perfectly wrapped gifts under the tree. She smiled, remembering all the years when she believed in Santa Claus, and she'd wake up to loads of presents under the tree. Part of her longed to be a child again and forget about the misery that came with being an adult.

"Merry Christmas, dear." Celeste entered the lobby with a cup of tea.

Piper hugged her. "Merry Christmas."

"Would you like to open your gifts now?"

"I think I'd prefer a cup of coffee first. Why did you have the music so loud?" Piper walked into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks, eyebrows almost touching her hairline. "Alex?"

The brunette stood, her face cracking into a cautious smile. "Merry Christmas."

Piper's mouth hung open. "What are you doing here?"

Alex took a few steps towards her. "I didn't turn in the papers."

"What?" Piper remained rooted to the spot. "I don't understand, why would you do that?"

"Because you want to run this place." She shoved her hands into her pockets and lifted her shoulders. "And I trust that you can."

The blonde's eyes skimmed over to Celeste. "But, that's not what my grandma wants."

"With all due respect to your grandma, I don't care." Alex let out a slight chuckle, and tossed a chunk of black hair over one shoulder. "For the past two days, I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, hell, I could barely go to work. I had the papers in my hand, ready to give to my boss, and I couldn't do it." She adjusted her glasses, and Piper noticed that the brunette's eyes were glassy. "Something happened when I was here for those three days—something good—and it's all because of you."

Piper had a hard time concealing her emotions and tried not to blink to keep her tears at bay.

Alex pulled a hand out of her pocket and reached for the blonde's hand. "I know your grandmother wants what's best for the inn, and I firmly believe that's you, so if you really want to run this place, I'm not going to be the one who denies you that opportunity."

She couldn't believe her ears. Piper flung herself into Alex's arms, holding on to her for all she was worth. As soon as the brunette's arms wrapped around her, Piper allowed herself to cry. Tears streamed down her face as she put one hand on the back of Alex's head, the other on her lower back.

The brunette pulled back, smiling, fingers locked behind Piper. She brushed a strand of blonde hair aside. "I hope those are tears of joy."

"They are." Piper leaned forward and kissed her hard on the mouth. "Thank you."

Celeste cleared her throat, and Piper had all but forgotten that she was in the room.

"Sorry," Alex tried letting go, but Piper refused to part from her.

"Did you know about this?" Piper asked her grandma.

"Which part—the fact that you two have been falling in love in front of my very eyes, or that Alex didn't turn in the paperwork?" Celeste chuckled.

The blonde felt a blush on her cheeks.

"Alex arrived 20 minutes before you woke up," Celeste explained. "And she told me about not handing in the paperwork. The other part, I've known since the day you met."

"Really?" Piper asked, finally releasing her firm grip on the brunette.

"It was quite beautiful to watch unfold," the elderly woman noted with a grin.

Alex entwined their fingers and walked over to the kitchen island. She took a seat, and Piper stepped between her legs, still facing her grandmother and leaning into Alex.

"What about the inn?" the blonde asked, uneasiness etched on her face.

"I'd like to help out with that," Alex replied.

The blonde looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not saying I want to move to Essex right away, but I want to help you get this place in shape. That is, if you'll let me."

"Of course, I will." She kissed Alex again, this time more tenderly.

"I approve of this little plan, if you're ok with it, dear," Celeste announced.

She smiled from ear to ear. "Are you kidding? It would be impossible for me to be any happier!"

"Then it's settled." Celeste put a hand on each woman's shoulder and smiled. "I'll leave you two alone. What a wonderful Christmas this turned out to be."

"Thank you, Celeste," Alex offered, pulling Piper onto her lap.

"My pleasure, Alex." She disappeared into the lobby.

Piper turned her attention to the brunette. "I still can't believe any of this."

"Believe it, babe." She ran her hands down Piper's arms. "We're in this together."

"Then my Christmas wish came true," she whispered before leaning over and kissing Alex, this time with a bit more passion. "Merry Christmas, Alex."

The brunette smiled up at her. "Merry Christmas."

The End

Thank you for reading this story—I hope it put you in the Christmas spirit! A sequel might happen if I can write it before Christmas, but I'm not making promises. I hope you have a wonderful, merry Christmas.