Author's note: This is the longest chapter I've ever posted for any of my stories, so Merry Christmas, readers! I don't know if I'll be able to post for the next two days, so I'm hoping 17 pages of text will hold you over and leave you with some warm fuzzies. I've divided the story into chapters, and it looks like there will be seven, so three more after this one. Thank you for the reviews so far! Please keep them coming; they always bring a smile to my face.
Piper had no intention of prancing around in her spandex that morning—she'd gone on a fantastic three mile run and had planned on making breakfast when she returned to the inn. However, when she saw the brunette's reaction to her workout attire, Piper was shocked by Alex's physical response. The blonde didn't know if she had the skills to pull off a healthy dose of morning flirtation, but judging by the way Alex couldn't peel her eyes away from her, she considered it a success.
"It should be noted that I've never gone sledding before." Alex looked at her outfit. "Is this ok?"
She had on the same clothes that she'd worn 30 minutes earlier.
"It's fine. How are those boots?"
"They're really nice, thanks again."
"Let's get going." Piper had changed into ski pants and a thick, Nordic sweater. "I already loaded the sled on top of the Jeep."
They made their way up the hill, and Piper told tales of sled races in the past when she'd run into a tree once and into the crowd another time.
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Can't wait."
Piper explained the basics of sledding as Alex watched a handful of kids jump on their boards and fly down the hill.
"Ready?" She put her hand on the brunette's shoulder. "I'll push off first, but you have to steer with these." She handed her the reins. "Just pull the strings either way to keep us going in a straight line. It's easy."
"I hope I don't regret this." She sat on the sled, and Piper pushed with all of her might to get them going.
They zipped down the hill, Alex yelling and making the sled zig-zag across the hill. Piper hung onto the brunette and grabbed the reins. "Like this!" They straightened out, and she handed the ropes back to Alex, who quickly got the hang of it.
They slowed down at the bottom of the hill and toppled over, Piper landing squarely on Alex's midsection. The women were laughing so hard that they couldn't get up.
"How was it?" Piper finally breathed out, inches away from the brunette's face.
"Awful," Alex complained with an extensive smile, tucking an errant strand of hair behind Piper's ear.
She got to her feet and stuck out her hand to help Alex up. "Too bad; we're going again."
They went up the hill four more times, and Alex liked the back position more than she did the steering one, though she wasn't an expert at either. On the last run, they fell off the sled again and laid there for a few minutes.
"You suck at sledding," Piper giggled, legs tangled with the brunette's and one arm resting across her chest.
"This is my favorite part." Alex smiled so sweetly, Piper thought she might melt.
As they piled back into the Jeep, both exhausted, the blonde wished that Alex wasn't there to buy her family's inn and that she wouldn't have to go back to Hartford so soon after the holidays. She wished time would stand still. Except for the lack of a kiss—she'd wanted to kiss Alex the day before—and that desire increased tenfold after getting to know her better.
They got back to the inn, both famished, and Piper baked a frozen pizza, while Alex tossed a salad.
"I had to cancel my Christmas party," Alex said out of the blue.
"Really? I didn't know you were hosting one." Piper lifted a mushroom off a slice of pizza. "Do you eat these?"
"Yeah." She took the proffered mushroom and popped it into her mouth. "I'll take all of yours. You can have my bell peppers."
"Yum. I love bell peppers, especially on pizza."
"Until I came here, the only thing I liked about Christmas was the parties. And the eggnog. I love eggnog." She grabbed a second slice of pizza, picking off the bell peppers and putting them on the blonde's plate.
Piper placed the peppers on her slice. "How many people were you expecting?"
"Eight to ten, figured I'd start small—it's my first one. Well, it would have been my first time hosting a holiday party," she said. "I texted my friends this morning."
"Were they upset?"
"A few of them were, but they'll find other parties to go to." She took a sip of water. "There are no shortage of Christmas events in Manhattan."
She finished her second piece. "Had you bought all the supplies and decorations?"
"Ha!" Alex covered her mouth with a napkin. "I hadn't even thought about any of that before I left. My apartment has a plastic wreath on the front door and pine scented candles in the living room; that's about it."
Piper threw her paper plate away. "When was the party supposed to be?"
"Tomorrow night."
"But you knew you were going to be here for three nights." The blonde creased her brows. "Why didn't you just change the date or cancel it sooner?"
Alex scratched her head and averted her eyes. "I was only supposed to be here for two nights."
She shook her head. "I don't understand."
"I decided to stay an extra night," Alex replied in a hushed tone. "I checked with your grandma this morning, and—."
"I'm glad…" Piper smiled affectionately. "For whatever reason you wanted or needed to stay, I'm glad."
Alex's smile was equally soft. "Good."
Celeste rolled in with a cough, interrupting what was shaping up to be a meaningful moment between them.
She put her purse on the counter. "Sorry I'm late. Are you ready to talk about the inn with me, Alex?"
"Sure." She tore her eyes away from Piper, but the blonde recognized the warmth in her eyes.
"I have to run a few more errands before the tree lighting ceremony tonight." She put her glass in the dishwasher. "See you later."
"Bye."
Piper left the inn, feeling almost lightheaded. She wasn't the best judge of when someone liked her, but she was damn near positive that Alex felt something for her and wondered if the reason she'd chosen to stay an additional night had more to do with their budding relationship than business.
Just before 6 p.m., Piper journeyed back to the inn to find Alex glued to her laptop on the sofa. She was listening to a different Christmas album, tapping her socked foot against the coffee table to the beat of Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
"Hi." She removed her coat and scarf, hanging them on the rack next to the door.
Alex turned to face her but remained seated. "Hey. Busy afternoon?"
"Yeah. You?" She sat in the armchair across from Alex, trying not to stare, but that was like trying not to stare at the sun during a solar eclipse—she simply couldn't resist.
"Your grandmother and I had a good conversation. I'm just finishing my notes before I head over to the tree lighting."
She looked surprised. "I didn't think you were going."
"Of course I am." Alex shut her laptop. "I get paid to do touristy stuff—helps with market research. That's one of the reasons I agreed to go sledding."
That was why Alex had gone sledding? Not to spend more time with her? Piper worried that she'd gotten everything wrong. Maybe Alex was there exclusively for business, and when she mentioned her favorite part about sledding was when they fell in the snow at the end of the run, maybe the brunette meant lying on her back, not being tangled up with Piper.
Her disposition changed instantly. "Then, I guess I'll see you there."
The clock struck six, and suddenly Alex remembered that she'd set Piper up with Larry. "I'm going to go change into something warmer. I'll see you at the park."
Piper lifted her hand in a small wave. "See you."
As Alex made her way upstairs, the doorbell rang. She waited at the top of the staircase to watch what was about to transpire.
"Larry? What are you doing here?"
The man looked confused. "What do you mean? I thought we had plans to walk over to the tree lighting?"
She creased her brow. "Not that I know of."
"But, there was a woman here, a guest of your grandmother's, who told me you wanted to go with me."
Piper paused. "Was her name, Alex?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "She told me she was from Manhattan. Tall, dark hair, glasses…really pretty."
The blonde lowered her head, and then looked back up at Larry. "You know what, she was right. It must've slipped my mind." She smiled. "Give me a second to let my grandma know I'm leaving, and we'll head out."
"Ok." He looked like he'd just won the lottery.
Piper licked her lips and shook her head at Alex's crafty set up. If the brunette wanted to play games, she could play right along.
"Ready?" She approached Larry, hooking one arm through his bent one. "Let's go."
As far back as Alex could remember, she'd never been to a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. She didn't think it would be her thing, but she felt the need to get a full sense of how the Essex community celebrated the holidays before drawing up the proposal to buy The Haystack Inn. More than that, she was looking forward to watching Piper squirm as Larry's date. Alex had a hunch that Piper was most definitely not attracted to the man, so it would be interesting to watch her navigate the evening.
She went downstairs and called for Celeste.
"I'm in my room. You're welcome to come in."
The brunette opened the door halfway. "Are you going to the tree lighting?"
"Of course!" She powdered her nose. "Are you?"
"Yeah, I was going to walk there now, but I can wait for you if you want."
Celeste smiled. "That would be nice."
Alex and Celeste walked to the park, and the brunette was amazed at what she saw. There was a group of carolers singing in the gazebo, kids building snowmen at the far side of the lawn, and three-sided tents set up on the perimeter of the park with hot apple cider, baked goods, and a gingerbread house assembly area. There were at least a hundred people in the park, and almost all of them seemed to know each other.
"Celeste, over here!" A woman called. "Would you like to monitor the cider or the gingerbread houses this year?"
"Long time no see." Celeste greeted the other woman with a hug. "I'll take the gingerbread station—I'm not busting teenagers for spiking the cider this year."
The women laughed, and Alex smiled.
"Betty, this is Alex Vause from the Huxley Collection."
"Nice to meet you." Alex shook her gloved hand.
"Please don't turn Celeste's inn into some corporate hotel. We have plenty of those in neighboring towns," Betty said.
"I won't." Alex gave her a tight-lipped smile. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some hot chocolate."
The brunette walked around the park with a hot cup of cocoa and spotted Piper near the tree that was set to be lit within the next half hour. Piper turned around and made eye contact with her, and Alex could've sworn there was a flash of excitement on Piper's face if only for a second. Alex smiled at her, but Piper appeared to be in mid-sentence with Larry. He put his hand on the blonde's back as they made their way across the lawn.
"Hi," Piper greeted. "I heard you met Larry yesterday."
"I did." She smirked. "How's your date going?"
"Great," Larry quickly replied. "It's going great."
Piper gave Alex a two can play at this game look, and even though Alex had only known the other woman for a short time, she understood what Piper was conveying with her eyes.
"I told my friend Warren about you," Larry stated. "He'd love to meet you."
Both women turned their attention to him.
"Warren Littlefield?" The blonde asked. "The podiatrist?"
Larry pointed his cup towards the gazebo. "He's right over there."
Alex cleared her throat. "If you're trying to set me up on a romantic encounter, I'm going to have to decline," the dark haired woman said, flicking her eyes Piper's way.
He shook his head as if Alex had misunderstood. "Even if you're only in town for a couple of days, Warren would love to take you around. He'd be an excellent tour guide."
She sipped her hot chocolate, eyes remaining on the woman in front of her. "I think I'll stick with Piper."
"I'm sure she'd be fine, but she's not a local," Larry tried. "Warren has lived here all of his life. He could show you all the nooks and crannies of Essex. He's a great downhill skier, too, if you're into that."
"I'm interested in skiing, just not in men." She grinned.
Piper's eyes became the size of saucers. If the blonde didn't know Alex was gay upon meeting her, Alex left no room for interpretation at that point.
"Oh. I mean, oh." Larry ran his hand nervously down the front of his jacket. "I'm a Democrat—super liberal, so that's um…that's fine with me." He eyed Piper as if he needed saving, but the blonde bit her lower lip and tried to hide a smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready for the 45th annual lighting of the Essex tree?" A man asked through a megaphone.
The crowd cheered, but Alex and Piper couldn't tear their eyes away from each other as smiles cracked open on both of their faces.
A young girl walked onto the makeshift stage and recited a poem about Santa Claus.
Alex leaned over. "Is there any place in this town that serves hard alcohol?"
Piper nearly choked on her cider. "Yes, the Deerfield Tavern."
She put a hand on the blonde's lower back. "Meet me there in half an hour?"
Piper looked up and nodded. Maybe she hadn't misinterpreted anything after all.
The girl finished reciting her poem, and then the carolers sang Silent Night. Despite everyone else's eyes on the stage, Alex had a difficult time keeping hers off of Piper. She was beautiful, radiant even, and seemed to be highly intelligent and thoughtful. Piper knew how to take a joke in stride and had even one-up'd Alex on the whole Larry set-up situation. Alex appreciated a woman who could dish out as well as she could take it. Her smile had enough wattage to power the small city, and her eyes sparkled like twinkle lights.
She glanced around the park and had to admire the spirit of Essex. Families were huddled together, enjoying the festivities, while a group of adults sang Christmas carols, albeit a little out of tune.
After the carolers performed, the crowd counted down from ten to one, and the mayor plugged in the lights on the massive Evergreen. Everyone clapped, hooted and hollered, including Alex. Piper looked up at her, and the way the light danced on her face made Alex want to scoop her up and kiss her right there on the public lawn.
It had been a long time since Alex had been that attracted to another woman. She'd had a series of relationships over the past five years, but none of those women seemed to be well-suited for her. She didn't know if Piper would be a match, but something seemed to be happening between them, and she didn't want to pass up an opportunity to explore what that might be, which was the reason she'd extended her stay. If she'd been asked publically about staying in Essex longer, she'd say it was to "firm up her impressions of the inn and the town."
Alex slipped out of the crowd and asked a police officer where the Deerfield Tavern was. He pointed South, told her to take right on Front Street, and she couldn't miss it at the end of the road.
The tavern was exactly what she'd hoped it would be—rustic log cabin with mounted deer and elk heads around the room and a salty bartender who seemed to have been born for the place.
"What can I get ya?" he asked, wiping the wooden bar top with a rag.
"Whiskey rocks, please." She surveyed the room to find three men at a table in the corner, and a man and a woman playing darts. The jukebox was begging to be played, so she sauntered over to it, inserted a dollar, and chose four country Christmas songs (country seemed to be the only option on their playlist.)
"Garth Brooks?" A recognizable voice came from behind. "Reminds me of high school dances."
Alex turned and grinned. "Were you into country music in your youth?"
Piper's lips tugged up. "I'm still in my youth, but I am not into country music. Never was, except for Dolly Parton—her voice transcends genres."
"How'd you ditch Larry?" She accepted the whiskey from the bartender. "Thank you. Piper, what are you having?" She put a hand on the blonde's arm.
"Um, I'll have a margarita."
"It's the middle of fucking winter, and you're drinking a margarita?" Alex chuckled.
"I like what I like." She shrugged. "What are you drinking?"
"Whiskey." Alex slid the glass towards her. "Try it."
Piper brought the glass to her lips and took a sip. She quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "Sick! How can you drink that stuff?"
"It's delicious." She laughed. "I remember when I started drinking whiskey. I'd met this really hot woman at a bar. We were both pretty wasted and started making out like a couple of teenagers. She tasted like caramel and vanilla and alcohol." Alex smiled at the memory. "I asked her what she'd been drinking, and she handed me her glass. From that day on, I've loved whiskey."
"Maybe I'd like it better in a kiss," Piper boldly stated.
If she'd been even two drinks in, Alex would've kissed her right then and there, but she didn't want to risk a potential slap in the face if Piper wasn't ready. However, she'd put money on Piper being very interested in tasting whiskey, mouth-to-mouth.
The bartender arrived with her drink. "You two starting a tab?"
Alex pulled out a credit card. "Yes."
"Should we toast?" Piper asked.
"We should." She raised her glass. "To The Haystack Inn's past, present and future."
Piper smiled affectionately at the simple toast. "Cheers."
They sipped their drinks and made their way to a table next to a pellet stove as the song changed to Faith Hill's, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
The brunette removed her scarf. "Did you come here a lot when you were in town?"
Piper shook her head. "I've only been to the tavern two other times, both within the last year. We never left the Square much when we came up for the holidays."
Alex glanced around the room again, noticing several pairs of skis and snowshoes hanging on the far wall. "It's exactly the kind of bar a town like this should have." She took a sip of whiskey. "So, did your family spend every Christmas at the inn?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Piper leaned back.
"Were all the traditions the same as they are now?"
She nodded. "I remember winning the cookie contest when I was 15. That was back when you had to bake your own cookies—now it's just cookie decorating." She took a long sip of her drink. "One of the contestants, Mrs. Hatch, the only mean woman in the entire town of Essex, accused me of cheating."
"What?" Alex chuckled.
"She claimed that I'd used my grandma's recipe for chocolate molasses cookies." Piper shook her head. "My grandmother didn't even make chocolate molasses cookies!"
"Did you set her straight?"
"I did," Piper said with a mischievous grin that turned a bit sour upon further reflection. "Mrs. Hatch died the next year, so I shouldn't talk too much trash about her."
The brunette smiled. "I read that your grandmother hosted the cookie decorating contest. Will she do it this year?"
"Fuck." Piper slapped the table. "That's tomorrow!"
"Let me guess: you're hosting it?"
"My grandma will be there, but she can't run the show." She put her palm on her forehead. "I was supposed to get all of the supplies today."
The brunette shrugged. "I can help you tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Yeah." She swirled the whiskey in her glass. "I have a little work to do in the morning, but I should be free by 10 or 11."
"That would be a huge help." She laid her hand on top of Alex's and their eyes met.
"Ready for another?" the brunette asked, downing the last swig of whiskey.
"Sure. Thank you." She slid the empty glass across the table.
Alex approached the bar, ordered two more drinks, and walked over to the jukebox, which had gone silent after the four songs she'd played earlier. "Any requests?"
Piper met her at the jukebox and leaned over to view the CD covers. Alex moved halfway behind her and rested her hands on the edge of the jukebox, effectively trapping Piper against it. The blonde turned her head slightly to the right and gave her the tiniest smile. If Alex moved her head two inches more, their lips would touch. Piper turned back to the music selection.
"Let's stick with Christmas," the blonde said. "Conway Twitty?"
"Conway Twitty? You're making that up—he doesn't have a Christmas album." Alex laughed.
Piper pointed at the screen, eyebrows raised.
"Wow, I stand corrected." She nudged her glasses. "How about Elvis?"
"I thought there was only country?" The blonde looked closer at the jukebox. "Well, I guess some of Elvis's albums could count as alt-country."
"I must've missed it the first time, which I believe, was when you walked in." She inserted three dollars. "Wanna play the whole album?"
Piper nodded, and then turned around. If Alex had kept her hands on the edge of the jukebox, she'd have squished Piper against it, so she removed her hands but didn't take a step back. Piper's cheeks were flushed, and Alex didn't know if it was due to the temperature of the room or their proximity. Piper removed her wool hat, and strands of blonde hair stuck straight up with static.
"Whoa." Alex smiled and brought her hands up to Piper's head to smooth her hair. "Don't touch anything metal right now—you'd get shocked from all the static."
The blonde brought her own hands to the top of her head. Their fingers tangled, and the women grinned at each other. Alex dropped her hands to Piper's shoulders and slowly lowered them down the backs of her arms, while Piper's eyes locked with hers, blinking only once.
"Drinks are ready, ladies," the bartender called, making Piper flinch at the interruption and pull away.
The brunette nudged her glasses and grabbed their cocktails, but the moment they'd shared wasn't lost on her. Elvis' version of White Christmas rang through the speakers as the women returned to their seats.
Piper took a sip and blanched. "This one's stronger than the last."
"It'll weaken once the ice melts a little." Alex sipped her whiskey. "Tell me about your job in Hartford."
"By the time I was a junior in college, I knew I wanted to write for a living, but I didn't think fiction or journalism was the route I wanted to pursue." She sipped her drink. "I interned at an ad agency the summer going into senior year, which was when I discovered copy writing for ads and stuff."
"Like, jingles?" Alex tossed back another sip of Crown. "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is…that sort of thing?"
The blonde leaned forward. "Did you know that Juliana Margulies' father wrote that jingle?"
She let out a short laugh. "Carol from ER?"
"Or Alicia from The Good Wife, yeah." Piper played with the straw in her glass.
"She's hot." Alex made little circles with her glass on the table.
"I agree, she's very pretty." Piper sipped her drink. "Anyway, we write jingles, sure, but it's more like simple descriptions or taglines for companies and products."
"Give me an example."
Piper rapped her fingertips against the table as she tried to think of an example. "We have a local trampoline company in West Hartford, which no one on my team really wanted to work on, so in a brainstorming session, I came up with the tagline, 'So much fun, you'll flip'."
"Seriously? That's kind of brilliant." She smiled, sipping her drink.
"Thanks." Piper took a swig of margarita. "I don't have any of my own accounts, technically, but I support the two copy writers. We're all part of the Creative Team."
"With ideas like that, you'll be head of the division in no time."
She shooed the compliment the flick of her wrist. "I'm not sure about head of the division, but I'd like the get the word, 'junior' removed from my title."
"Tell me about it." Alex swirled her drink. "When I first started, I didn't have the word junior in my title, but it was clear to people in the business that anyone without the words 'associate,' 'senior,' or 'executive,' in your title, was a nobody."
Piper leaned back again. "You had growing pains when you first started at the Huxley Collection?"
"Are you kidding? I was your basic paper-pusher for the first year. It wasn't until one of the associates went on maternity leave when I had the opportunity to prove myself." She bent her elbow over the back of her chair. "I'll never forget my first trip—it was to Ashville, North Carolina at this roadside motel. It was a real shit hole, but my company wanted the property."
"So what did you do?"
She shrugged. "I bargained with the motel owners and saved my company $30,000."
Piper finished her drink. "Wouldn't that mean that you paid them less for their property?"
"We promised not to talk about business, but feel free to tell me more about your famous jingles." She grinned, hoping that she deterred Piper from reading too much into what she'd confessed.
"I think I'm done." She pushed her glass forward.
Alex took the last swig of whiskey. "Wanna get out of here?"
"Yeah." Piper smiled. "I do."
Piper was dizzy in the best way, and it had little to do with the alcohol and everything to do with Alex. They'd shared a series of ups and downs over the past two days, but the majority of their time together had been magical. Even though they'd only touched a few times, Piper's heart felt like it would explode right out of her chest every time Alex's fingers landed on her body. No one had ever made her feel that way, and it was one part exciting and one part frightening.
She couldn't stop herself from worrying about getting too close to 'the enemy' and hoped that Alex was sincere and not trying to pull a fast one on her so she'd acquiesce and convince her grandma to sell the inn without second guessing herself.
Alex walked beside her and admired the Christmas lights on the houses and business on Front Street. "You never told me how you ditched Larry."
Piper snorted. "I told him I was meeting someone for a drink."
"That was it?"
She smiled. "I also told him that we weren't on a date tonight, and that I enjoyed his friendship, but it would never be more than that."
Alex pulled her head back. "You said that?"
She nodded. "I don't want to play games with him. This has been going on for years, and he just keeps hanging on to hope that one day, I'll change my mind."
"You sure you won't?" The brunette bumped her shoulder against Piper's.
Piper looked up at her. "Positive."
They walked in silence along Front Street until the blonde stopped in front of the only house on the block that wasn't all lit up with Christmas lights. The only outward sign of the holiday season was the electric, flickering candles in each of the forward-facing windows.
"That's my grandparents' place," Piper noted. "My father grew up in this house."
Alex stopped and regarded the old home. "Really? Does your grandmother still own it?"
The blonde nodded. "She moved into the inn when it became too much trouble to walk a couple of blocks in the winter."
"It's a beautiful home." Alex put her hand on the white picket fence. "I'm sorry she isn't healthy enough to stay here or to decorate for Christmas."
"Please don't mention decorations to her," Piper pleaded with a slight smile. "She's brought it up since Thanksgiving, and I know she wants me to hang lights along the porch, but I don't have the time or the energy," she sighed. "Besides, she doesn't pass this way very often, so for all my grandma knows, it's all lit up."
The brunette let out a soft chuckle. "I doubt you'd be able to pull a fast one on Celeste—she's far too savvy for that."
Piper resumed walking. "You're probably right."
Alex joined her and looked up at the night sky. "It's so quiet here. No airplanes flying above, no sirens, no honking horns. It's like the rest of the world doesn't exist."
"Mmm," she let out a sound of agreement. "I love it when I'm here, but I don't know if I could live in a place without at least a little action."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Alex sat on the steps leading to the inn. "Mind if we sit here for a while?"
Piper sat next to her, legs outstretched, touching Alex's thighs. Once again, the mere touch sent shivers throughout her body.
Alex breathed out a visible puff of cold air. "I don't know if I've ever seen stars like this."
"There's the big dipper." She craned her head back as she gazed at the sky, unintentionally leaning into the other woman. "And that's Orion."
"There's the moon," Alex mentioned in all seriousness until her face cracked into a wide smile.
"Wow, thanks for pointing that out. I never would've known." The blonde grinned, jabbing her in the ribs with her elbow. "Oh, there's Cassiopeia." She pointed to the West. "Do you know the story of Cassiopeia?"
Alex shook her head. "Mm mm."
Piper's body was now perpendicular to Alex's, and the brunette's arm wrapped around her midsection, fingers dangling on Piper's leg.
"In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia was a vain queen who bragged about her beauty. Unlike the other figures being placed in the sky in honor, Cassiopeia was forced there as punishment." Piper wrapped an arm around Alex's knee as she continued, almost unaware that she'd done so. "As the story goes, Cassiopeia boasted that she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, which was a big no-no according to the gods, and she was banned to the sky for all to gawk at."
"So, she's the hottie constellation?"
The blonde snorted. "According to her, yeah."
Alex yawned, and Piper felt the movement of her body. She looked up at the brunette. "Getting sleepy?"
"I guess, but I'm not ready for this night to end," she confessed.
"I have an idea." The blonde stood abruptly, and reached for the other woman.
Alex grabbed her hand, pulling herself to her feet. "Do you always get that look in your eye when you have something up your sleeve?"
"What look?"
She held the door open for Piper. "Your eyes sort of twinkle, like when you asked me to go sledding this morning."
"Huh, I never noticed." She stepped inside and put a finger across her lips, signaling that they should enter the inn quietly. "I'm sure my grandma's asleep, but let me check." The blonde walked quietly to Celeste's room and noticed that the light was out. She padded back into the lobby, taking Alex by the wrist and heading into the kitchen.
"Are you planning to kidnap me?" she asked with a slight laugh.
The blonde turned to face her companion. "I want to bake."
Alex lifted her eyebrows. "At midnight?"
"Who cares what time it is." She spun around and began hunting for baking products. "You're the one who said it was a shame I haven't baked in so long."
The brunette put her hands on her hips. "Do you even have all of the ingredients?"
"We'll soon find out." She pointed to a cabinet. "Will you grab the flour and sugar? See if there's any pumpkin pie filling in there, too."
Alex did as she was told. "There's a can—wait, two cans of pumpkin puree."
"Perfect." She popped up from behind the island with a round pan.
"Does this thing work?" Alex pressed a few buttons on the under-the-counter CD player and it came to life, playing There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays. "Is that Dean Martin?"
"Perry Como," the blonde announced, measuring flour in a cup. "Did you know that he didn't start speaking English until he went to school? His family only spoke Italian."
"How do you come up with this stuff?" Alex chuckled, pulling down two glasses from a high shelf.
"His real name was Pierino, and he was one of ten kids," the blonde continued.
"If I ever play bar trivia, I want you on my team." She searched two cabinets until she found what she was looking for. "Ah ha." Alex held up a bottle of Bourbon.
"Gross." Piper poured water into a big bowl and sifted the flour into it. "Anything else in there?"
Alex got on her tip toes. "You're in luck: a bottle of Svedka."
She added a pinch of salt to the mixture. "I'm sure there's some juice in the fridge."
"Are you making this from memory?" Alex pulled out a carton of orange juice and one of cranberry juice.
She nodded. "It's like riding a bike." As Piper began forming the dough, she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed baking.
Alex whipped together a vodka-based cocktail for the blonde, and then poured herself two shots of Jim Beam over ice. "Try this." She lifted the mixed drink to Piper's mouth.
"Mmm. Perfect." She licked her lips. "I'll mix everything if you keep giving me sips of booze."
"Deal." Alex placed a hand on the blonde's upper back as she gave her another sip.
The next Christmas song came on as Piper set the oven to 350 degrees. "So how did you get to do what you do for a living?"
"I sort of fell into it," she began around a sip of Bourbon. "I never went to college, but I always had a job, and I'd meet people who often helped me land my next gig."
Piper sprinkled flour on the granite, and then laid the ball of dough on the surface. "Help me kneed this." She showed the brunette how to work the dough, hands on top of hands, both women smiling. "Got it?"
"I think so." The dark haired woman grinned.
"You were saying?"
"I dated a woman who worked for the Huxley Collection, and she thought I'd be perfect for the company, so I went in for an interview a couple months later, and here I am."
"Sounds like it was meant to be." Piper rolled out the dough, and then took a sip of her drink. "Your hands are full of flour now. Want some?" She lifted the glass to Alex's lips.
"Thanks." A drop dribbled down Alex's chin, and she tossed her head back as if trying to stop it from falling without using her dirty hands.
Piper swiped it with a finger, and then popped it into her mouth. "I like this stuff better than what you were drinking at the bar."
"Bourbon is sweeter." She grinned. "Tastes equally good in a kiss."
Piper blinked up at her. "I'd like to try that some time."
"Some time like now?"
Her heart raced and she gulped as Alex leaned closer, lips inches apart. Before she knew it, Alex was kissing her. Her lips were soft and full and she tasted exactly as Piper had imagined—like vanilla and caramel. Her body swirled with desire, but the kiss only lasted a matter of seconds.
"Well?" Alex smiled.
"You're right—much better in a kiss." Piper put a hand on the back of Alex's neck, pulling her in for another kiss, and the brunette's hands cupped Piper's face. She could feel the flour and dough on her cheeks and smiled into the kiss.
"My hands?" Alex guessed.
"Mmm hmm," she laughed, mouths still fused together.
Alex spun them around until Piper's butt was backed against the island counter, and their hands began journeying to other parts of each other's bodies. Piper moved hers to Alex's upper back, and the brunette's ventured to Piper's ass. They changed angles, and it was as if their mouths were made for each other.
The oven beeped, signaling that it had reached 350 degrees, and the women pulled back, foreheads resting together, breathing slightly elevated.
"How is it that I've known you for 48 hours, yet I feel like I've known you my whole life?" Piper whispered.
She shook her head and replied in an equally soft tone. "I don't know."
They kissed much more gently this time before backing away. Alex ran a hand through her hair, leaving a white streak of flour in her dark locks. Piper laughed, and the brunette looked at her sticky hands. They caught their reflection in the mirror on the far wall and snickered at the flour and dough on their clothes and in their hair.
"If anyone walked in here right now, it would be blatantly obvious what we were doing," the blonde noted.
"I'll wipe your back off." She handed Piper a damp paper towel to wipe her face, and Alex brushed off her back.
"I'd really like to get back to the whole kissing thing as soon as humanly possible," Piper stated. "But I have to make the pie filling. You can stretch the dough into the pan."
She washed her hands, and then placed the dough inside the round pan, getting a little help from Piper when it came to pinching the edges. Their fingers overlapped on the perimeter of the pan, and both women grinned stupidly at the other.
"You were telling me about the woman you were dating," Piper reminded her, trying to keep her mind off of kissing Alex for the time being. "Was she your boss?"
Now that their first kiss was out of the way, the blonde hoped it would be easier to give into the temptation to touch or kiss Alex whenever she felt like it.
"No, she was never my boss," Alex picked up from where she'd left off. "She moved to London a couple of months after I got the job, and we just sort of fizzled out."
Piper grated ginger into the pie mixture. "Have you always dated women?"
"My whole adult life, yes." Alex took another sip of Jim Beam and wagged her eyebrows.
"So what, I'm like Pavlov's dog now?" Piper grinned. "Every time you take a sip of Bourbon, I kiss you?"
She pushed her glasses higher with her index finger. "I'd be ok with that."
"Would you?" Piper strung her arms around Alex's neck and leaned in, brushing her lips lightly against Alex's.
"I'm telling you, after tonight, you're going to become a whiskey drinker." Alex gave her a peck on the lips before peeking at the crust in the oven, which was starting to smell delicious.
Piper released the brunette and sprinkled a dash of nutmeg into the mixture. "I'd rather just suck it off of your tongue."
Alex scrunched up her face and laughed. "When you put it like that, it sounds gross."
"It does, doesn't it?" She pulled out the pie crust and scooped the filling into it. "Ok, now it has to bake for about 30 minutes." She shoved it into the oven and set the timer.
Alex sashayed over to the blonde. "What are we going to do to kill the time?"
"Let's go for a walk out back."
Alex looked at her as if she'd grown three heads. "I was thinking more along the lines of figuring out which parts of your body are more sensitive than others." The brunette placed a kiss behind Piper's ear. "Like this area, for instance."
"I know." Piper grinned. "My idea is way better."