Forgot to give a shout out to my beta, Nicki. She always comes through for me!
Piper raced down the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door and covering her face with her hands. She was breathing heavily and her heart was thumping. What the fuck had she done? She'd had no intention of telling Alex that her grandmother had cancer. It was obvious to anyone who spent more than 10 minutes with her that Celeste was ill, but for all Alex knew, she could've had a severe case of Bronchitis. She pushed away from the door and walked into the bathroom to splash water on her face.
Until that moment in Alex's room, Piper had never seriously considered running the inn on her own, and she didn't know where that statement had come from other than pure emotions boiling to the surface. Facing Alex in that situation, she'd just blurted it out without much consideration, and now the idea was stuck in her head like a rutted pig. Piper couldn't be serious about running the inn—she had no business background and no desire to live in Essex. Her life was in Connecticut, and she was happy there.
"Piper, honey?"
"I'll be right there, grandma." She dried her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. There was no way she'd tell her grandmother what had transpired; she needed to act like everything was just fine.
"You still haven't hung the garland from last night?"
Piper took a deep breath and ventured into the lobby. "I'll do it now." She pulled out the step stool and positioned it next to the other white beam.
Her grandmother looked around. "Where's Alex?"
Piper lifted the garland. "She had some work to do."
Celeste leaned closer and whispered, "What do you think of her?"
The blonde really didn't know how to answer that question. Alex seemed like a fair-minded business woman, but she was there to make a deal. Period. Her offer would have everything to do with what she observed at the inn as well as around town, and Piper wouldn't put it past any business person to lower their original offer after finding out that the owner had cancer.
Then there was the matter of attraction, which Piper could barely acknowledge herself, but could certainly not deny. Alex was beautiful, confident and had an easy going nature that seemed to contradict her role at the Huxley Collection. Piper dared not mention anything about Alex's physical appearance to her grandma, nor did she want Alex to sniff out her attraction.
"She's fine, I guess," the blonde offered indifferently.
Celeste handed her a piece of twine. "That's all you have to say?"
"What else do you want me to say?" The blonde blinked down at her grandmother. "It's not like we became fast friends in the few hours she's been here."
"Spend some time with her," Celeste requested. "See if you can figure out her concerns about the inn."
Piper's thoughts were diametrically opposed: On one hand, she was upset with herself for wanting to spend time with the enigmatic business woman, but on the other, she was thrilled that her grandmother made the request. Putting her thoughts aside to focus on the task at hand, she got on her tip toes to try to fasten the twine around the garland.
"Need some help?"
The blonde turned to see Alex shuffling down the stairs.
"I got it." She stretched even further and almost fell off the stool.
"Whoa, kid." Alex rushed over and put her hands on Piper's hips. "I don't want to buy a place where a woman died in the lobby, so maybe you ought to let me get up there."
Piper's eyes skidded to where Alex's hands laid firmly on her hips. She had strong hands and long fingers, and her fingertips were digging into the blonde's skin. Piper was sure that if Alex's hands gripped her that hard for a few seconds longer, she'd bruise her skin. Her mind quickly raced to other reasons Alex's hands might hold her hips, and she had to look away before allowing that image to fully surface.
She climbed down the two steps, handing the twine to the other woman. "Have at it."
Alex took the string, and their fingers touched. Piper swallowed hard before backing away and shoving her hand into her jeans pocket. The brunette climbed onto the ladder and secured the twine around the garland with ease.
"How does that look?"
"Perfect. Thank you so much, Alex." Celeste coughed several times, but it wasn't as bad as it had been that morning. She glanced at Piper. "I noticed that Larry hung the lights outside yesterday."
"He did." The blonde raised her eyes to meet Alex's, and then she put the step stool into the hall closet.
"That was very thoughtful of him."
"It was." Piper busied herself stacking papers on the dining room table, uncomfortable talking about Larry with Alex present.
"Who's Larry?" Alex joined Celeste on the sofa, and the blonde could see her lips turn into a small smirk.
"He's a handsome young man who lives about a block away," Celeste began. "And he's had a crush on my granddaughter since they were kids."
"Grandma!"
Alex bent her lips into an upside down 'U' and nodded. "Handsome and helpful? Sounds like quite a catch."
"I think so," the older woman said, looking back at her granddaughter.
Piper put a stack of papers into a file folder and walked into the lobby, jutting one leg forward and crossing her arms. "He still lives with his parents."
"What's wrong with that?" Alex smirked, and Piper could tell she was enjoying this, so she decided to play along.
"It just wouldn't be ideal if we wanted to have sex," she replied.
"Heavens, Piper!" Celeste put a hand over her heart.
Alex's smirk grew. "You could always do it here at the inn."
"This conversation has to stop," Celeste begged, moving to the edge of the seat cushion.
Ignoring her grandma's discomfort, Piper pretended to contemplate Alex's suggestion with a finger tapping her chin. "I suppose you're right. Anyway, I'm going to the tree lighting ceremony with him tomorrow night."
The brunette's face twitched, and Piper knew she'd won that round.
"I have to go to run some errands. See you two later." Piper walked into the kitchen, then into the back room to put on her coat and boots. She wasn't sure why she considered it a 'victory' that she'd lied to Alex about going out with Larry the next night, but for some reason, she wanted the dark haired woman to be jealous. Piper shook her head at her ridiculousness as she stepped into the cold air and tried not to think about Alex.
"I suppose you and I should get down to business," the elderly woman said as she strolled into the kitchen. "Can I make you some tea?"
"Tea would be nice, thanks."
Celeste held up two boxes of tea for Alex to choose. She picked the Chamomile and watched the older woman put water into a kettle and light the gas stove as if she'd done it a thousand times.
"Now that you've seen the property," Celeste began. "Do you have any questions for me?"
They discussed everything from the last time the inn was renovated to the type of plumbing installed to how many people were officially on the payroll. By the time they were done, Alex's stomach was growling.
"I take it you're hungry?" Celeste asked with a smile.
"Sorry, I guess I am." She held her tummy.
"I'll make you a ham sandwich."
"You don't have to go through any trouble, I can make my way down to the café…"
Celeste held up her hand in protest. "Nonsense. I'll make you a sandwich, and then I should probably rest."
"Thank you." She filled her empty tea cup with water and then asked a question she'd been curious to know the answer to since her arrival. "How long is Piper planning to stick around?"
She spread mayonnaise and mustard onto the bread. "Not long enough."
"I assume she's a big help around here," Alex stated.
"I couldn't have decorated without her, that's for sure." She slid the plate over to her guest.
"Thank you." Alex put a napkin on her lap. "Do you think she could run the inn?"
"Could she? Absolutely." Celeste popped a pill into her mouth after a cough. "Piper has never expressed interest in managing this place. She doesn't like small town life, and she certainly isn't filled with Christmas cheer—at least not in her adult life. As a child, Piper loved the holidays."
On one hand, the brunette was pleased to hear Celeste's thoughts on Piper's disinterest in managing the property, but on the other, she felt sorry for Piper for not having the spirit her grandmother sought in a new innkeeper.
"This is my seventh year doing this sort of thing, and it's always hard for a younger family member to give up a property that has been in the family for generations." Alex dabbed her mouth with the napkin. "I just don't want this to cause a rift between the two of you."
"Piper doesn't want me to sell to a big company." Celeste took a sip of tea. "But she also doesn't want to take it over herself, that much is clear."
"You're not worried that she might change her mind?"
"No." She coughed several times. "Sorry about that." Celeste patted her chest as if that would stop her coughing. "If you don't mind, I'm going to head to my room. Piper should be back soon. Feel free to wait for her or go explore the town on your own."
The brunette finished her sandwich and looked around the kitchen and into the dining room. The place was cozy and warm, and she could see why Piper was so fond of it. Alex wondered if Piper's statements to her earlier that day about running the inn had more to do with wanting to hold on to a memory rather than actually getting into the business of inn keeping.
She walked into the lobby and noticed an antique record player near the entryway. A Bing Crosby Christmas album was on it, so she put the needle in place and turned the volume down just a bit so as not to disturb Celeste. Alex smiled at the old crooner's voice. She decided to get her laptop from upstairs and bring it into the lobby to add some notes about the inn. When she was finally in place to type her notes, she heard a tap on the door, and a man breezed in.
"Hello? Mrs. Chapman? Piper?"
"Can I help you?" Alex craned her neck to get a look a better look at the guest.
A man wearing a flannel shirt under a puffy vest stepped inside. "Hi. Is Piper here?"
"Sorry, I don't think she is." The brunette placed her laptop on the cushion next to her and swiveled around. "Are you staying at the inn tonight?"
"Me?" He pointed at his chest. "No, I'm Larry Bloom. I live around the corner."
"Ah." Alex stood and grinned at the shorter man. "You're the guy Piper has a crush on."
"Did she tell you that?" His eyes popped open. "Who are you, by the way?"
"I'm…" Alex hesitated to reveal who she really was. She found that people in a small town where their long-standing inn was being purchased by an outside company didn't always treat her well. "I'm a guest from Manhattan."
"Oh. Welcome to Essex." Larry stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Piper told you she has a crush on me?"
"She didn't say it so much as she implied it," Alex replied, folding her arms as she spun a little tale. "She told me that the two of you are going to some tree-lighting thing tomorrow."
"We are?" He jutted his head back. "I don't remember her agreeing to that, but I'd love to take her."
Just as Alex suspected, Piper had told a white lie of her own. "She said you might stop by, and she wants you to pick her up at six."
"Pick her up?" He looked confused. "We could just walk 50 feet to the park."
"Yeah," she recovered. "That's what I meant—Piper wants you to meet her here at six o'clock tomorrow so that you can walk over together."
"Great!" Larry exclaimed. "I guess I'll see her then."
"What did you come here for originally?" Alex asked, eyeing the man.
"Oh, just to see if Piper and Mrs. Chapman liked the lights that I hung outside."
"They do." She grinned. "In fact, they were telling me what a good guy you are, Larry."
He nodded. "Thank you. Maybe I'll see you at the tree lighting tomorrow?"
"Wouldn't miss it." She waved goodbye with a shit-eating grin as he walked backwards out the door.
Piper spent most of the day out of the house for two reasons: first, she didn't want to be in close proximity to Alex; and second, she needed to do massive amounts of research on what it would take to run an inn. Turns out, it wasn't that easy. She didn't really think she could do it, but turning her family's property over to the Huxley Collection just felt wrong. Piper considered hiring a couple of people from Essex to run the day-to-day operations, and she could manage the property from afar. Her grandmother would surely agree to that.
"Grandma?" The blonde opened the front door, wiping her snowy boots on the doormat.
The older woman didn't answer, so Piper checked in her room and found Celeste in bed. She smiled at her sleeping form, but the smile quickly turned upside down as she thought about her grandmother's declining health. As a child, Piper had a tumultuous relationship with her mother, and her grandma had stepped in to be that motherly figure that Piper desperately needed during her formative years. She owed Celeste for helping her become the woman she was today, and there was no way she'd let her down.
Alex strolled down the stairs just as Piper made her way back to the lobby. "Hey."
"How's your day so far?" The blonde asked.
"It's good." She put on her thick coat and gloves. "I was just about to go explore the town."
"Want some company?" Piper needed to find out if the brunette was sincere and trustworthy, and if she could do some sleuthing under the guise of being helpful, she'd consider it a success.
"Sure." Alex gave her a small smile. "Lead the way."
"You ok in those shoes?" The snow was piled two feet high on either side of the sidewalk, but the pavement had been iced twice already that day.
"We've been over this before." She looked at her feet. "I'll be fine."
"Where should we begin?" Piper scanned the main area of town called the Square, which bordered the small park in the center of the village.
"What's the history of Essex?"
"I don't remember the year it was founded, but there's a plaque in the park with that information." They walked across the street and into the park, passing by a father and his daughter, building a snowman.
The little girl waved. "Hi, Piper."
"Hi, Chloe. Your snowman looks awesome!" She bent down to give the girl a hug. "He's missing arms though."
"We couldn't find any branches, and daddy won't let me break any off the big tree," she pouted.
"Honey, that tree will be lit tomorrow night. Imagine if it was missing branches," the father stated. "Hi, Piper."
"Hey, Kent. This is Alex, and Alex, this is Kent's daughter, Chloe." The blonde pulled her wool cap lower to cover her ears more fully. "Kent and I grew up in the same circle when I visited Essex."
The two adults shook hands, and then Alex shook Chloe's hand. "How old are you, Chloe?"
"I'm six!" she proudly announced.
"Piper was an incredible sledder when she was younger," Kent added. "She kicked my ass every year until I turned 18."
"Daddy said, 'ass.'" Chloe giggled, covering her mouth.
"I'd won all the trophies I could store in my room by that point, so I let you win." Piper smiled widely and bent down to Chloe's level. "Alex and I are going to find some arms for your snowman."
"We are?" the brunette did not seem thrilled with that idea.
"We are," she stated. "Come on." Piper began a slow jog to the far end of the park, straight through the knee deep snow, while Alex stayed on the sidewalk along the perimeter. "It's all about the shoes!"
Alex grinned. "I have long legs; I'll be across the park in no time."
Piper didn't need the brunette to point out her long legs—she'd already noticed the way her pants hugged her figure hours ago.
Piper jogged backwards next to her. "So it's a race?"
"You're on." The brunette walked briskly on the sidewalk and turned the corner.
Piper watched her intently—cheeks reddened from the cold breeze, long black hair flowing over her shoulders, and a smile that grew wider with each step. She wondered if there was a bit of playfulness in Alex that didn't come out as often as she might like. If there was, Piper was determined to bring it out.
"I won," the blonde announced, leaning against an elm tree.
"With an unfair advantage," she announced, tossing a chunk of dark hair over her shoulder. "If we have the opportunity to compete again, I'll be the victorious one."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Piper let out a small laugh at Alex's competitive nature. "Help me find the snowman's arms."
Alex looked on the ground for appropriate sticks. "You were telling me about the history of Essex."
"Oh, right. The plaque with the founding year is over there, but I can tell you that it was first established as a logging community, and then when Stowe became a skiing destination, people started moving to or staying in Essex, which is only 20 miles away," Piper began, pointing to the East. "That building is the old school house where my grandparents and father went to school. Now, it's a museum filled with costumes, props and town memorabilia. Community theater is pretty popular here. The Sound of Music is playing tonight if you want to go." She held up a stick. "This one should work. Find anything?"
"How about this one?" Alex held up a long, thick branch.
Piper laughed at her idea of a snowman's arm. "Have you ever built a snowman?"
She tossed the branch aside. "Are you going to bust into the Frozen theme song? You'd make a good Elsa."
Piper broke another stick for the second arm. "You've seen Frozen?"
"Believe it or not, I have." Alex clapped snow off of her gloved hands. "There's a lot you'd discover about me if we had the chance."
The blonde pondered her statement, curious about what would've happened if they'd met under different circumstances.
"Granted, it was the only movie on a flight from New York to Miami, but I did watch it."
"That's cheating!" Piper threw a snowball at her, and it landed on her upper arm.
"How is watching a movie on a plane cheating?" The brunette chuckled, bending down to make a snowball of her own.
"Because you had no control over what film was playing—you were forced to watch it."
Alex tossed the snowball at the blonde, hitting her square in the chest.
"Ahh!" Piper squealed. "That's your ass."
They each picked up as much snow as their hands could manage and threw it at the other, inching closer as the snowballs were less tightly packed and couldn't produce a satisfying smack on the other woman's body. Alex grabbed two handfuls and dumped it on Piper's head, forcing another squeal from the blonde. Not to be outdone, Piper pushed Alex down and shoved a handful of snow down the back of her coat.
"Fuck, that's freezing!" the brunette yelped, bouncing around to try to get the snow out.
"I give up!" Piper held her hands in the air. "That was a low blow, sorry."
"No you're not," Alex laughed, taking her coat off and shaking it out.
"You're right, I'm not," the blonde snickered. "Here, let me help." She walked around and patted Alex's back, effectively removing the dusting of snow from her sweater. Piper felt her broad, muscular shoulders and kept her hands on that area longer than she probably should have. "I'll trade coats with you."
She put her coat back on. "Don't be silly; it's just a little snow. I'll be fine."
"You're much more fun when you're not talking business," Piper said with all sincerity.
"You're much more fun when you're not so self-righteous." She lifted one eyebrow. "Let's make a deal. I won't talk about business the rest of the day if you don't try to talk me out of buying the inn with your own agenda in mind."
"Deal." Piper shook her hand, and they didn't let go for several long seconds, both women smiling as if that was a fresh start.
"Piiiiiper!" Chloe yelled from across the Square.
"Coming!" The blonde picked up the two sticks and waved them at the little girl. "Let's bring these over to Chloe, and then I'll take you on the rest of the tour."
Alex was a little surprised that Piper walked on the sidewalk with her, rather than traipsing back through the snow, but she didn't make mention of it. The more she learned about the blonde, the more Alex realized that Piper was like a Tootsie Pop, and she was eager to lick away layer after layer until she got to the ooey, gooey center.
Piper handed the sticks to Chloe. "What do you think of these?"
"Perfect!" The little girl shoved one stick into the side of the snowman, and Kent stuck the other one in. "I'm going to name her Piper."
"I'm honored." The blonde smiled. "See you guys at the tree lighting tomorrow."
Kent waved. "See you then. Nice to meet you, Alex."
"You, too." She lifted her hand as they walked away. "What do I have to do to get a snowman named after me?"
Piper looked up at her with bright, joyful eyes. "I'll build one for you and call it Alex."
Even though it was a completely silly gesture, Alex was touched.
They came upon the plaque that Piper had told her about, and Alex read about the history of Essex, which was founded in 1763. The town looked like it belonged in a Norman Rockwell painting—each storefront was decorated with Christmas lights, the trees in front were flocked with snow, and a horse-drawn carriage paraded around the Square with a giddy family inside.
"Would you like to buy an ornament?" A little girl asked from behind a table in front of the church.
Alex surveyed their goods. "Did you make these?"
Both girls behind the table nodded.
She picked up one of the handmade goods, and it sent shivers down her spine at its familiarity. "I used to make ornaments like this with my mom when I was your age."
"Did you make angels?" One of the girls asked.
"I did." Alex smiled with admiration. "And snowflakes, candy canes and elves."
"We have those, too." The girl pointed towards the other end of the table. "They're $5 each, and the money will help my school buy new computers."
She dug into her pants pocket and pulled out a $20 bill. "I'll take four of them. Piper, why don't you choose two, and I'll pick the other two?"
The blonde smiled and leaned over to look at the ornaments. "What about this one?" It was a Christmas tree made out of white folded paper, with a wine cork as the tree trunk.
"Love it." Alex chose a reindeer and a snowflake, both made out of popsicle sticks just like she'd used when she was a child.
Piper held up a dove made out of pages from a paperback book. "This one is really cool."
"I made one exactly like this when I was ten." Alex gently took the ornament from her and stared at it. "My mom got upset with me for tearing pages out of her Harlequin novel, but I'd seen it in a magazine at the doctor's office, and I knew I'd get in more trouble if I'd ripped the pages out of one of my own books."
"I guess it was meant to be." Piper smiled softly at her.
They ventured into Swanson's Bookstore, where Alex purchased a book about rural Vermont as well as a first edition of her favorite childhood book, Charlotte's Web. Afterwards, Piper took her into the town church, where a school choir was practicing Christmas songs.
"Every year on Christmas Eve, the middle school choir participates in a state-wide caroling competition in Stowe," the blonde leaned over and whispered.
Piper's breath smelled minty, and a part of Alex wanted to kiss her ever so gently to see if she tasted like a candy cane. The brunette flicked her eyes towards Piper's mouth, and she was fairly certain the look wasn't lost on Piper.
"Mind if we listen for a while?" Alex asked.
Piper led her to a pew in the middle of the church, and Alex took off her coat and gloves as she sat next to the blonde. The large, stained glass windows were like nothing Alex had ever seen. The pews were decorated with garland, and the alter had four Christmas trees outfitted with white lights and ceramic ornaments.
"My grandparents got married in this church," Piper whispered.
"It's a beautiful space." Alex let her arms rest on either side of her body, hands pressed against the cold wood beneath them. She closed her eyes and felt Piper's gloved hand cover half of hers. The brunette wondered if Piper simply couldn't feel that she was touching her through her thick glove, but when both of them looked down at the pew at the same time, Piper squeezed her hand and smiled before releasing it.
Alex wasn't sure what to make of the gesture; all she knew was that she liked it—liked the way their hands looked together, liked the way it felt, and liked that Piper had the courage to touch her in the simplest way. Sexual desire gushed through her right down to her center, and she thought about giving into her Hedonistic ways and fucking Piper right there in church, but she thought that the choir director might have a problem with that.
It was as if the stars aligned and Alex was meant to be in Essex to get in touch with her inner Christmas spirit that had been dormant for 20 years.
That, and to meet Piper Chapman.