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Emily Reid drove down familiar roads surrounded by white-tipped pine trees, steering her rental car around a bend, the snow falling heavier here than it had been when she’d left the city a little over three hours ago.
The afternoon sun had already begun to disappear behind the trees as Emily turned down Main Street where storefronts twinkled with lights and festive wreaths, a wave of nostalgia coming over her as she drove slowly, taking in her hometown and all its familiar sights, like Tony’s Pizzeria and The Winding Stairs, the bookshop where she used to beg her parents to take her to every weekend, always ready to dive into another book.
The lampposts were wrapped with garland and warm lights, the sidewalks covered in snow, and Emily couldn’t believe that she hadn’t made it home for Christmas since she’d left almost twelve years ago.
It was impossible to ignore the guilt that bubbled up as she continued driving down the street as the fading light dipped behind the buildings, and the Christmas tree in the town square came to life as the lights were switched on.
New York City had always impressed her this time of year, but there was something special about being back here, where she grew up, and Emily wished it hadn’t taken her so long to come back, that it hadn’t taken the loss of her last living grandparent to get her here.
When her grandfather passed away in January, she’d intended to come home for Christmas this year, knowing how much it would mean to her family to finally get back, even if it was just for a few days, but when she received the news a few weeks ago that she was going to inherit her grandfather’s cabin, she knew she’d need to spend more time here.
When her boss had found out, he’d insisted that she take the entire month of December off to come upstate and decide what she wanted to do with the property and spend time with her family.
Emily had been so shocked by his suggestion that she hadn’t pushed back.
A month off of work?
Yes, she was due time off. But that was because she worked so hard that she could never seem to use up her vacation days.
How could she take a month off?
But here she was, on December 3rd, turning off the main road, following the twists and turns until she was several miles away from town, surrounded by woods, her headlights illuminating three deer as they darted across the road and into the snow-covered forest, leading her up to her grandfather’s log cabin, the tires crunching on the snow.
Darkness had all but set in as Emily left the car running, the headlights shining on the property. The logs were barely visible beneath the snow, everything a blur of white and gray and black. She hadn’t received the keys yet. She would any day now according to the attorney that had gotten in touch with her. But she wanted to come out here before she went to her parents’ home. She knew she wouldn’t be able to see much now that it was practically dark, and she didn’t even get out of the car, the flakes drifting to the ground and gathering on her windshield.
She sat there for a few minutes, in the driver’s seat, wondering how so many years could have passed so quickly. She was thirty-five years old, and while she’d achieved so much professionally, living a fast-paced in New York City, she had to ask herself, at what price?
She could have come home for Christmas any year, but she always chose not to, knowing that her boss would be short-handed those days. Not everyone celebrated Christmas, and he always said that while others were drinking egg-nog and running around buying last-minute presents, there were so many deals to be done, so many campaigns to pitch and clients to close.
And Emily had bought into that mentality.
She felt a pang in her heart now as she took one last look through the gray haze, the snowflakes thicker now, before she reversed her car out of the snow-covered driveway and onto the road. She couldn’t change the past. She had plenty of memories to remember her grandfather by, and he had lived a long life, getting to eighty-seven years old, but that didn’t stop Emily from being shocked by the call she’d received from his attorney.
Why had he left her the house? She only had one older sister, Rebecca, and she had a beautiful home with her husband, but there were other members of the family that he could have left it to.
Why hadn’t he just left it to his children to decide who might like to live there or if they were better off selling and splitting the proceeds?
Emily had no idea.
They’d had a close relationship right up until she decided to move to the city, but she’d visited so rarely, that his decision baffled her. It was all she could think about as she drove back down Main Street, and she had to pull in, finding a space right outside the coffee shop that was still there all these years later.
She wanted to think about her options before she went home and got swept up in baking with her mother or watching college football with her father. Now, that she’d been up to the cabin, it suddenly became so much more real.
And she had to decide what she was going to do with it. She wanted to do some research, even if it was just a few minutes spent on her phone, checking local real estate prices and comparing the short-term vs long-term rental markets, because she knew she wasn’t ready to sell it. Not yet, anyway.
The snowflakes continued to fall from the dark sky as she got out of the car, the town looking even more festive now that all the lights were on, glowing against the night sky. The sidewalks were busy with couples and families out on a Saturday evening, maybe doing their first bit of Christmas shopping.
Emily pulled open the coffee shop door, the scent of hot chocolate immediately hitting her as she took in the bakery, noticing all of the things that had changed. It still had an incredibly cozy feel, but the tables were all new, even if they looked rustic.
The fireplace was still there, the flames licking the split logs that crackled as two women sat at the table beside it. A huge blackboard hung behind the counter displaying a wide range of coffee varieties, desserts, cakes, and sandwiches written in beautiful white calligraphy.
Her stomach rumbled, distracting her as her eyes moved back over the menu, unable to decide what she wanted until she saw a young woman behind the counter bringing out a fresh batch of apple crumble tarts.
That was exactly what she needed right now and a cup of coffee. Then she’d head home before too much snow had fallen.
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