The daylight of Christmas morning came sooner than Alissa thought. She had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning thinking about Trevor. She hadn't been this enamored by someone in a long time. If she was being honest with herself, since Marc.

Not hearing from him, yet having him leave such a lasting first impression, was driving her up a wall. She needed to see him the second she returned to Denver.

She spent the morning in bed catching up on sleep. Luckily, her parents had left her alone. They never opened presents until they were at Grandma Beth's for dinner again, anyway.

By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, Alissa had felt rested and decisive. She was going to text Trevor a Merry Christmas. After she hit send, she dressed in a royal blue sweater dress and slid on black leather booties. She brushed her tangled mess on top of her head then headed downstairs.

She looked through the window of the mudroom door in the kitchen to see her father coming in from plowing the snow. He kicked his boots off then looked up and saw her. She smiled before heading over to pour herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip, noticing it tasted a bit burnt when Richard walked into the kitchen. He shook the cold off of him grabbing a mug to pour himself some of the dark liquid as well.

"I hope you slept well," he said after taking a sip.

She nodded, "What time are we leaving to Grandma's?"

"Around five, but maybe sooner if your brother returns with company."

She quirked an eyebrow, but he didn't mention anymore.

"So, tell me, how's the board?"

Richard was on the town board's committee as the vice chairperson. He had been since she was a kid. Her mother had always pushed for him to take a stab at running for mayor, but he had said the committee was political enough for him.

His nose scrunched up and he blew hot air out of his mouth. "As stubborn as ever."

She grinned.

"How's the firm?" he asked her.

"If we forget about this past week, everything is good."

"What happened this past week?"

Alissa was about to tell him when Zach walked in from the mudroom, his lips in a thin line. Following him was a short brunette wearing a large frown.

"Hello, Hannah, dear. Merry Christmas," Richard said.

She grumbled a response before heading upstairs, Zach trailing after her.

"Well, she seems peachy."

Richard chuckled, "Be nice. They've been having problems lately."

"More than they usually do?"

He nodded before finished his mug and smacking his lips together. "Time to get ready," he said as he left his mug in the white farm sink and headed upstairs.

Alissa sighed as she leaned against the island finishing up her mug. She grabbed her phone, taking a look at it to see if there was a text. There were three.

Her eyes lit up only to see they were each from Sarah, Hwan, and Veronica all wishing her a Merry Christmas. She smiled. They were too good to her. She responded to each of them before Bridgette walked down the stairs.

"You're ready?"

She nodded, "I guess we're just waiting on the men, huh?"

Her mother smirked. "My, how the tables have turned," she joked.

Growing up, it was always Alissa and her mother who took forever getting ready and it always made them late.

Zach and Hannah rounded the stairs and came into the kitchen. Zach had changed out of his hoodie into a button down.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Adams," Hannah said, shining her white teeth. She wore a cream lace dress that ended at her knees. With no stockings underneath, Alissa wondered how the girl survived in the cold.

Hannah was always trying to get on Bridgette's good side because she knew Zach's mother didn't think she was good enough for her only son.

Bridgette eyed Zach warily before responding, "Merry Christmas. Are you joining us for the holiday?"

Hannah nodded. "As long as I am welcome to," she said shyly.

Bridgette smiled, "Of course. Let me go upstairs and see if Richard is ready yet." She headed to the stairs before turning around and giving Alissa a wary look. Zach and Hannah's backs were facing the stairs so only Alissa could see. She knew what her mother was thinking: 'Keep an eye on these two.'

"So, Hannah," Alissa started, "what have you been up to since we last saw each other?"

If Hannah was going to be spending the whole holiday with her, she might as well make it civil and less painful than it had to be.

"Well, I found a job," she shrugged her shoulders.

"That's great! Where at?"

Hannah was one of those people who after high school stayed in her small town hopping from job to job, but never one to chase after a career. Hannah was the type of person Alissa always feared of becoming.

"Well, right now it's at Stewart's," she paused, "but the middle school is looking for a new secretary, so I might try that out."

"Well, that's good. A secretary at the middle school sounds like a steady job."

Maybe there was hope for this girl after all.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Well, I'm still with the marketing firm, of course. My friend, Sarah, is up for a promotion, so if she gets it, I might get her position as marketing director."

"Alissa, that's awesome," Zach exclaimed, finally joining the conversation.

"Yeah..." Hannah trailed off.

Her parents came downstairs. "All ready? Let's go," Richard said.

As she pulled on her jacket from the mudroom and followed her family outside to the cold car, her phone buzzed. She took it out of her back pocket only to smile at the screen.

Merry Christmas, beautiful.

~~~

A/N: Excuse me while I go sigh, lol. Please remember to vote if you're enjoying this! It means a lot to me! xoxo