Page 31 of No Time for Traditions

Chapter 11

Brittany floated through the front door, humming Christmas carols under her breath. She tried to keep quiet, as her parents were probably asleep. After dropping her coat and purse by the door, she tiptoed upstairs to her room.

When she turned on her lights, she saw a box wrapped and sitting on her bed. Brittany dropped her head, realizing what it was.

Each year, Sarah bought matching pajamas for everyone. Marty and Scott went along with it only to please her, of course, as they’d rather wear a t-shirt and worn-out shorts to bed. Still, it was one of their traditions to open the gift together on Christmas Eve and all wear them to bed.

Brittany pulled at the tape and carefully unwrapped the box. Underneath a layer of tissue paper, Buddy the Elf stared back at her. She covered her mouth, trying to muffle her laugh. Last year, they’d worn reindeer with sunglasses, and the year before that, Santa ice-fishing. ButElfwas her favorite Christmas movie.

Hugging the warm PJs to her chest, Brittany wiped away a single tear. She bet Sarah gave everyone the gift when Scott and Scotty were here earlier. She shouldn’t have left so quickly when Greg answered the door. Maybe her mom would understand.

Nothing about this Christmas had been normal. From Grandpa Barnes’s house going on the market to... well, Greg. If she could use one word to describe this Christmas, it would have to be “unexpected.”

Brittany changed into theElfpajamas, pleased to discover they were even comfier than she’d imagined. She climbed into bed and pulled her covers up to her chin. Tomorrow morning, she’d help her mom with breakfast and prepare food for a late lunch with everyone at the farmhouse.

But she couldn’t get Greg out of her head.

No matter how much Brittany wanted—and needed—to fall asleep, her mind drifted. Back to the kiss and every moment following, up until she walked through the door.

Like Christmas magic, they’d ended their kiss minutes before the tree lighting, so they were among the few people still on the ice rink when the countdown began. Watching from underneath the mistletoe, they had a full view of the town square tree as it lit up, starting at the bottom and ending with the top star.

After that, they’d found her family and made rounds at the food trucks. Everyone ordered different appetizers to share, except for Scotty, who’d insisted on eating nothing but chicken tenders. He and Scott left after that to take Bundt cakes to the hospital for Amber and her coworkers before heading home.

Brittany had watched her parents’ faces the whole time, trying to decipher what they thought of her with Greg. Marty most likely realized something was going on between them when Greg came to decorate the farmhouse. But they’d liked Greg long before she had. And now she was glad they did.

Brittany closed her eyes and decided it had been the perfect Christmas Eve. People smiled and laughed as they visited Santa and the food trucks. Hot chocolate and fried donuts scented the air while Christmas music played in the background. Lights glistened from the center tree and gazebo. Even the kids’ playground area was decorated with red-and-white wrapping on the poles to resemble candy canes and fake snow covering the ground around it.

And best of all, she’d kissed Greg. It was nights like this that made her never want to leave Alabama.

Brittany sat up in bed and turned on her bedside lamp. If she couldn’t sleep, she may as well write. She grabbed her laptop and notes, ready to work on her novel.

Before writing more, she read back through the chapters she’d completed. Brittany laughed, even more aware now of how much the love interest sounded like Greg. Instead of fighting it as she’d tried to before, she embraced it. Putting her feelings on the page brought the story to life. And it helped her sort out how she really felt about Greg, once and for all.

* * *

Brittany wokeup to pots and pans clanking. She rubbed her eyes and checked her phone. Nine already. Time to get up. Scott’s family would be here soon for breakfast and gifts.

She brushed her teeth and savored the minty flavor of her toothpaste. Greg had tasted like mints when she kissed him. Brittany stared down at her toothpaste tube and shook her head. She could literally make anything remind her of that kiss.

After leaving the bathroom, she slid her feet into purple bunny slippers. They were her most comfortable pair and seemed an appropriate match for the new pjs. She padded down the stairs, smiling to see her dad sitting in his chair, reading the paper. He was one of the few people she knew who still preferred an actual paper to online news.

“Morning, Daddy.”

“Good morning, honey.” Marty peered over his reading glasses and smiled.

As silly as she looked wearing the pajamas, Marty looked ten times that, if not more. He wore them only to please his wife, and they all knew that. Brittany hoped she could one day marry someone who would do such things just to make her happy. She walked over and kissed Marty on the cheek before continuing into the kitchen.

“Hey, sweetie.” Sarah glanced at her briefly before turning her attention back to the oven.

“Something smells good.” Brittany sniffed the air and sat on a barstool. “Can I help?”

“It’s breakfast casserole. And, yes. If you could scramble some eggs, that’d be great.”

“Got it.” Brittany went to the refrigerator to get some eggs.

“Later, after the gifts, you and I can make that new casserole recipe we looked at earlier.”

“Sounds yummy.” Brittany smiled at her mom, thankful she inherited her metabolism. Otherwise, she might not fit on a plane back to New York.

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