Free 'Twas the Week Before Christmas by Olivia Miles

aside an image of the last time he had seen his mother. Her absence was his answer. She’d followed her dreams, maybe even fulfilled them. She’d moved on with her life. A life without him in it.
    “Will you be spending the holiday with your parents?” Evelyn pressed.
    “Nope,” Max said simply. He tried to ignore the heaviness that was forming in his chest. Sensing Evelyn’s alarm, he said, “They’re away.”
    Not the truth, per se, but not a lie, either. His parents were away. Where they were, he hadn’t a clue, but away, yes. They were gone, long gone. Even before they disappeared in the physical sense, they’d always had one foot out the door, searching for escape in one form or another. His dad found it in the bottle, but his mother... Well, she had greater aspirations than caring for an unwanted kid, it seemed.
    “Well, then why don’t you stay and have Christmas with all of us here at the inn?” Evelyn suggested, her face lighting up at the idea. “Nelson and I would love that. And Holly, too, I’m certain... I mean, Miss Tate. ” She paused. “She’s quite pretty, don’t you think?”
    Max bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She always found a way of squeezing Holly in, didn’t she? Any thoughts he had that Holly might be spoken for romantically had been erased by Evelyn’s overt matchmaking when it came to her beloved innkeeper.
    “In fact,” Evelyn remarked, “she’s really far more than pretty. One might even say that Holly is beautiful.”
    Max chuckled softly but he couldn’t deny Evelyn was correct. From her soft hazel eyes flecked with green to her silky chestnut hair and those perfectly full lips, Holly was truly beautiful. Both inside and out, he mused, recalling that dazzling smile that caused her eyes to twinkle.
    “Mmm, quite,” he said to Evelyn.
    Evelyn latched onto his words. “Then you’ll stay through the holiday?”
    “Unfortunately, I’ll need to be getting back to New York before then.”
    Evelyn’s eyebrows knitted with indignation. “Whatever for?”
    “Work?”
    “No one works on Christmas!” Evelyn said, her agitation building.
    “Holly does,” Max pointed out.
    “Well, that’s different, ” Evelyn said petulantly.
    “Is it?” Max asked mildly. “How so?”
    “Holly loves what she does.”
    Max shrugged. “So do I,” he countered.
    Evelyn sighed in exasperation. She was a feisty little thing, and much as she was getting irritated, he could tell she was enjoying herself, too. “It’s different. This is Holly’s home. And she likes having guests in her home for Christmas. It isn’t work to her. It’s...an invitation to share the holiday.”
    A hush fell over the room. Max felt a punch to the gut at the sudden revelation. Evelyn was right. This was Holly’s home and she was purposefully filling it with strangers for Christmas.
    Where was Holly’s real family?
    * * *
    “And then there were five.” Holly placed the key to the Orange Room in the drawer and waved sadly as the Browns rolled their luggage through the lobby and out into the cold late afternoon. The Dempseys and Fergusons were already gone, and with the departure of the Browns, that left only the Adlers, the Connellys and, of course, Max.
    Abby turned to her. “Anything I can do?”
    Holly glanced at the clock. “Has Stephen started dinner prep yet?”
    “I could check.”
    “Thanks. Let him know about the new head count.” Holly made a note about the change in reservations. This storm was costing her more than personal company; it was costing her money, too. And with the purchase of the estate only five days away, she wasn’t in a position to be taking a financial hit.
    By now, every reservation scheduled through the first of the year had called to cancel. Their money had been refunded in full. Those who checked out early were also refunded their money—Holly wouldn’t have felt right keeping it from them when some, who were scheduled to leave tomorrow or