Christmas Comes to Main Street Read Online Free

her—later, once he was properly attired.
    â€œBreakfast starts at seven, runs until nine, but I figured you’d want to get an early start on the day. There’s so much to see and do in Briar Creek, after all!”
    From his drive through town last night, Nate highly doubted that but managed a polite smile while he waited for her to finally leave his room. Briar Creek was his aunt’s home after all, and she was clearly very proud of that fact.
    â€œWell, I’ll leave you to it,” Maggie said as she walked to the door. She paused as she set a hand on the knob. “Still hard to believe my little Nate has chest hair! Where does the time go?” She shook her head in disbelief and let herself out, seemingly unaware of the groan Nate emitted as he sunk fully under the weight of the covers.
    He counted to ten and then flung off the blankets, hoping she wouldn’t surprise him with another visit while he was in the shower. Unsettled, he ran the taps and jumped in, eyes darting while he washed his hair at record speed, and he sighed with relief when he finally wrapped a towel around his waist.
    Still, he took far less time than usual in selecting his clothes for the day, not that he’d bothered to bring much with him from Boston. There were no meetings to go to. No suits required. It felt odd, and empty, as if he was forgetting something, when in fact he was just living like so many others did at this time of year. Taking a step back. Enjoying the holidays.
    He resisted the urge to check his email before heading down to breakfast and, after careful deliberation, left his phone on the nightstand, telling himself that nothing was so urgent it couldn’t wait and that this was his vacation, technically.
    His aunt was settled in the big dining room, chatting with guests, when Nate came downstairs at twenty past seven. Over her green sweater and black pants, she wore an apron covered with a holly and ivy print. The plates anchoring the buffet table donned a painted picture of a Christmas tree, and carols played from somewhere in the distance. Even though breakfast had just started, he was surprised to notice that the basket of croissants was indeed picked over, and several tables were already filled.
    â€œMost of the guests are heading up to the mountain shortly,” his aunt said as he helped himself to a cup of coffee from the carafe. “The bus arrives at quarter to eight to shuttle them. I don’t mind if you want to go skiing with them.”
    â€œMaybe another time,” Nate said. “Today I thought I’d hang out with you. Maybe walk around town a bit.” Maybe buy a padlock for his guest room…
    His aunt’s face lit up. “Oh, you should definitely get out and explore, especially with the fresh snowfall we had last night! Why it’s simply a winter wonderland out there! Certainly nothing like you have in Boston,” she was sure to add, pinching her lips.
    â€œWe have snow in Boston,” he assured her, taking a sip of his coffee. It was smooth and rich and exactly what he needed at this hour. He was still groggy, still in a state of disbelief that he was here at all. He should be en route to the office right now.
    He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was playing hooky.
    â€œYes, but
dirty
snow! City snow is always so
messy
. It’s the soot and the smog and…” She shuddered. “Once you’ve been to Briar Creek, you start seeing things a little differently.”
    Unlike himself, who had been born and raised in Boston, his aunt was a Briar Creek native. This inn was her family’s house, and when his uncle married her, he settled into it with her. Nate and his parents had visited a few times but not regularly. There wasn’t much opportunity for a vacation growing up, even if the accommodations were free of charge. “It’s good to know you’re so happy here,” he said diplomatically, taking a