Anya made her way through the rest of the evening as if in a dream. She was aware, on some level, of the conversation she was supposed to be engaged in but she was far from the center of attention.

She left that to Michaela and Gloria, who seemed to have found kindred spirits in one another as they swapped horror stories from college back and forth, Gloria's of the more culinary variety as her stories took place at a prestigious cooking school just outside of Paris.

Eve added where she could but let the youth take care of the flow of conversation for the most part. When she wasn't adding a smart remark into the mix or carrying on a quiet side conversation with Frank, she kept her eye on Anya.

It would have been hard to miss the vacate stare or the fake smile when everyone else at the table was laughing. And it would have been impossible to miss the glances at the silver swinging doors that led into the kitchen, through which Manny had just disappeared.

Dinner was eventually over and as almost one massive conscious decision, the guests made their way from their tables to the various other activities happening throughout the rest of the inn.

A few of the older couples stayed behind, instructing the newly arrived servers clearing away dishes to clear the dance floor. The jazz band took the hint and struck up a soft waltz to the vague tune of a Christmas carol.

It was far from the Inn's main holiday event, their annual Christmas Ball, scheduled for Christmas night, but the sight captivated Anya's sight nonetheless. She was the last to leave the head table and it took a clearing of the throat from Eve to get her conscious enough to stand and return to work.

She made her way through her nighttime routine as some of the guests took to board games in the main lounge, others took to the quiet of the fire in the den, but most headed for their rooms.

Luke seemed to be wandering all over the place as Anya spotted him several times throughout the evening, always a little too excited to catch her eye. But Anya's night was far from over and she always returned his wide smile with a nod as she continued moving.

Soon enough she found that she was the only person left downstairs. The dining hall had been returned to its default setting and was ready for the next evening's dinner. The restaurant was set for breakfast and all the guests had gone to bed.

Eve appeared to give Anya a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm heading to bed. Don't stay up too late."

"I won't. I just need to finish a few things in the kitchen."

If Anya's mind had been fully present she would have caught the sparkle that jumped into Eve's eyes but she was already turning away, waving over her shoulder as her grandmother headed upstairs to her room.

Anya took her time getting to the kitchen, a multitude of little jobs making themselves known on her way. Even in the silence, with no one around, Anya's mind kept ringing out echoes of the past and all of them seemed to center around the sound of Manny's laugh.

Anya shook her head before pushing against the silver swinging doors, hoping to somehow shake the past from her head. The attempt was futile as the past was standing at the sink, washing dishes, whistling the same waltz the jazz band had finished their final set with.

Anya froze at the sight and since there was no one else in the entire expansive chrome kitchen, any movement echoed through the room. Manny's whistle faltered as he turned around but started back up when Manny found Anya frozen in the doorway, just out of the reach of the swinging doors.

He managed a smile while still pursing his lips to make the high pitch melody pour forth. He gave a nod of welcome and, faced with the physical embodiment of all the tension and stress Anya had had to deal with that day, Anya's mind came crashing back to earth and she found her feet stomping across the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

The words were harsher than need be but Anya didn't have the energy to care.

"What does it look like, Anie? I'm washing dishes."

"Don't call me that. And who let you in here?"

"You seem to forget that my sister runs this kitchen. I was helping cleaning up dinner and I told Joe I would take over dishes."

The reasoning was too logical for Anya's liking.

"Well. That was very nice of you. He's got a pregnant wife at home. I'm sure he appreciated the help."

"Yeah. Marie's due any day now."

Again Manny's cool manner and knowledge of her staff rankled Anya and it was becoming hard to act the tough and menacing authority figure and she hated that.

Manny let out a light laugh at the frustration lighting up Anya's face.

"You seem to forget that I know this inn just as much as you do, Anya."

Anya couldn't think of anything to reply as he was looking straight through her defenses down to the core of what was bothering her.

"Make sure you use-"

"Hot water to wash the dishes."

The interruption did not help Anya's attitude.

"And-"

"And hot water to rinse with as well. And make sure to air-dry the dishes. Yeah. I know. It hasn't been that long, Anie."

The nickname was back and Anya's pride had been knocked down several pegs. Finding no reason why she wanted to continue speaking, she walked away, determined to do her work without being bothered.

She chose the open counter space farthest from the sinks and got to work. Manny was whistling again and his back was to her when she returned from the refrigerator, her arms full of all necessary ingredients. The simple motion of chopping fruit helped calm her down and the needed focus kept her eyes away from watching Manny's back as he worked.

His whistling was the only sound either of them made and it annoyed Anya less than she expected. Eventually, the sound of running water stopped and Anya focused extra hard on peeling the kiwis.

"What are you doing?"

He shouldn't have been able to startle her as Anya's ears had been following him and yet she still jumped when he appeared at her side, drying his hands on a towel, dropping the towel on his shoulder as he leaned against the counter.

He smelled like soap but Anya tried not to think about that.

"Making fruit salad."

Ignoring him would be impossible as he was leaning right in front of her pile of fruit.

"What for?"

"Breakfast."

"Need help?"

Anya looked up and found him standing ready, no longer leaning, with nothing sinister hiding behind his genuine features. A glance at the clock told her it was later than she expected.

"Fine. Here. Pit these strawberries and then cut them along their length."

"I know how to cut strawberries. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not completely useless."

"I've never said that."

"I never said you did."

Stuck at an impasse, Anya set the example of making work the priority over conversation and Manny followed suit. They cut in silence and fell into a rhythm, the fruit in the large metal bowl piling up at double the speed.

"It's been a while."

Anya shook her head at Manny's choice of words to break the silence.

"Apparently we're stating the obvious."

"So how have you been?"

Anya looked up from the bananas and met his eyes. He wasn't joking and she wasn't sure how to respond.

"Fine. I guess."

"What have you been up to?"

"Are you serious?" All thoughts of fruit had vanished as Anya felt her temper start to simmer.

"It's been four years, Manny. You show up unannounced and you ask me what I've been up to? I've been here! Where else would I be? College? Nope. Can't do that since, you know, my grandpa died and someone needs to help Grandma run the inn. This is really the best you can do? 'What have you been up to?'"

"Okay. I get it. I'm sorry. Yeah. It's been a minute. And I'm sorry about your grandpa. I'm sorry I missed the funeral. I imagine it must be tough not having him around anymore."

He knew her weak spots. Anya couldn't get mad at the mention of her grandfather. She could only get sad.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it, Manny. You disappeared. I should be asking you what you've been up to. It's been four years and I haven't heard anything from you. Even Gloria wasn't sure where you were half the time."

"You asked Gloria about me?"

Anya couldn't help the blush that ran up her neck and invaded her cheeks. Suddenly the bananas had her full attention. She found she almost missed Luke. Luke believed what she told him. Luke thought she was who she wanted him to think she was. Luke hadn't known her since she was twelve.

"Shut up. Cut your strawberries."

And they were back in the thick of the silence. Tempers had risen, only on Anya's side, and things had been said, again only on Anya's side. Manny acted as he had never left. And it was driving Anya crazy.

"So where have you been?"

It was Anya's turn to break the silence. She could almost see Manny smile even as she stared intently at the grapes she was carefully cutting in half.

"Everywhere, I guess. Traveling. Touring. Do you remember my cousin Tommy? Well, he-"

"Tommy. The one with the band, right? You're still doing that?"

Manny's response came after a moment's delay.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm still doing that."

Anya felt the starting of a pit in her stomach and her shoulders felt heavy, both sensations she didn't particularly like. Manny's enthusiasm seemed to have evaporated and Anya felt a nagging feeling that she was the one responsible. To make up for whatever she had done, she tried to keep the conversation going.

"So. Did they make it big enough to finally start paying you?"

Anya forced a light laugh into her words, recalling to both their minds the countless conversations they had had regarding the countless hours Manny had willingly donated to his cousin and his band in all manner of activities. He had even been their photographer for a spell before they found someone who actually knew what they were doing.

"Uh, yeah. I guess you could say that. We've just been touring all over. The whole crew was more than ready for a few weeks off. We just got back from a stint in Australia."

"Wow. Australia? Really?"

Anya dared to meet his eye and the light was slowly returning his eyes and the excitement to his voice.

"Yeah. We were there for about three weeks. We went everywhere. We missed Thanksgiving so Mom was kind of bummed about that. I think it was payback that for the one holiday this year I could make it back home, she and Dad decide to take that cruise they've always wanted to take."

"That sounds like Rita."

And somehow they found they were laughing together. It wasn't the ceaseless laughter like they were known for. But it was something.

"Do you make it home often?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Anya until Manny had mentioned his mom. Never did she think that he would return to Holly to see his family and friends and no stop by to see her.

She had assumed that he had just never returned, her mind actively ignoring the part of her that knew that wasn't true. The Manny she knew loved his family too much, he would have never stayed away if he had to. Gloria's little boys knew him too well as Uncle Manny for that to be true.

The question brought the small amount of friendliness between them to a fiery end as Manny stammered to find an answer. Those seven simple words, arranged in that particular manner, brought with them all the tension Anya had been holding in her chest regarding Manny for the past four years and her heart was starting to race.

Before Manny could even try and answer Anya answered for both of them.

"You know, what? I don't want to know. And look at that, the fruit salad is done."

Anya gave the pile of fruit one good stir before lifting it from the counter and carrying it to the walk-in fridge. Manny was still standing at his post and Anya was sure he had some look of regret or sorrow on his face. She had no interest in finding out which particular look it was. She kept her eyes narrowed and soon enough her station was cleared and all the dishes were in the sink.

She gave them a nod as she untied her apron and threw it in the hamper.

"Wash those for me, will ya? Thanks."

"Anya! Wait. Let me-"

But the silver doors were swinging behind her before Manny could finish whatever excuse he was going to try and sell.