It was strange to be waking up in her old bed. It was strange to have slept on a surface and in an establishment that stayed in one place at all times. Anya would have experienced something close to land sickness if she hadn't fallen immediately asleep as soon as she had dropped her bags on the floor and collapsed into bed.

The inn was eerily quiet when she awoke the next morning, the high winter sun shining into her room. The snow clouds had stayed at bay for now and Anya breathed a sigh of relief. Things could go according to plan.

She had a text message waiting for her that read "On our way." Those three words acted faster than any cup of coffee could have and Anya was dressed and out of her room in record time.

She made her way downstairs and found Michaela standing behind the front desk, her eyes sorting through the pile of mail in front of her.

"Good morning."

"Morning, Cuz. You sleep well?"

"Amazing. It's nice to be back."

"It's nice to have you back."

The two cousins hugged, squeezing tight as it was a treat to be once again in each other's presence.

"Thanks for picking me up."

Michaela nodded.

"Of course. It particularly tradition at this point. Besides, there's no one else around to do it."

The quietness of the place was still hanging heavy in the air. Anya's ears were still adjusting to the lack of vibrations through the place, especially during what was usually their busiest time of year.

"Any word from Grandma and Frank?"

"Oh. Yeah. I just saw it."

Michaela reached into the stack of mail she had just been sorting and pulled out a postcard. A picture of Greece filled the front with the words "Having a great time. Not missing you at all. See you New Year's Eve" filling the back.

"Since when was Greece on the itinerary?" Anya asked.

"I'm guessing they didn't like Florence as much as they were thinking and made some adjustments to their plans. Talk about a honeymoon. Who knew they would be gone this long?"

"Considering the last time Grandma got a vacation, I think it's okay."

Michaela nodded in agreement. The thought of the crowd currently making its way in their direction brought all matters of business back to Anya's mind.

"So. Is everything ready?"

Michaela nodded. Her name tag gleamed in the overhead light, the word "assistant" long since removed so now it just read "manager". Anya had retired hers for good when Michaela had taken over full time, moving from Chicago after graduating in May.

"We have the crew and most of their families staying here in the inn. A few requested a loft out in the barn. They'll be the first guests to try out our new accommodations."

"And we're filled to capacity?"

Michaela nodded.

"They're bringing everyone. A crowd totaling almost 200. They'll be filling every bed, including the new wing downstairs in the basement apartments."

"Perfect. This will certainly be a new type of Christmas. When does Gloria arrive?"

"She'll be here shortly. The cleaning crew has already come and gone. The wait staff will be here in time to serve some refreshments once our guests arrive."

"I think I hear them."

Anya had picked up the sound of tires rolling over packed ice. Michaela grabbed her clipboard and the two of them headed for the inn's front entrance.

They stood under the awning that extended out over the walkway, ending where the driveway curved. The first van came into view, shortly followed by several more. It ended up totaling in fifteen full vans, all of them parked in the curving driving in front of the inn.

The door to the one parked right in front of where Michaela and Anya stood opened and deposited Manny. His eyes lit up when he met Anya's, even though they had seen each other two days before.

As he ran up to her and gave her a kiss hello, the rest of the vans started to unload. The farmhands appeared and started unloading the mountain of luggage sure to accompany the size of the party just arrived.

Anya recognized only a fraction of those that poured out of the vans and started to look around, a few even whistling at the sight of the tower inn above their heads.

A few particular guests made their way straight for Anya, greeting her as the old friend she had become months before.

"Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Holly Inn."

Tommy let out a low whistle, his eyes going wide and looking like more like Manny with each second as he took in the scene around him.

"You've got quite the place here, Anie."

Jay, Tommy's bandmate was the first of her friends to speak. The rest were still taking it all in. Anya's nickname had caught on quickly with the band and it was the only way she was addressed within the first two weeks working for them

"This place is gorgeous," Casey, Tommy's wife, said.

"Seriously," Mia, Jay's fiancee, added.

"You outdid yourself. I know you take the term "hospitality concierge" seriously but this is something else."

Anya nodded to the weight of Tommy's compliment. After spending the better part of the last year orchestrating hotels, excursions, vacations, even decorating tour buses and dealing with any other hospitality-related issues that came with touring the world, Anya had earned her place among the 7 Ships crew. And now she was bringing them to her home.

"Welcome, everyone."

She raised her voice so it could reach all the guests now moving towards the entrance. And there were a lot of them.

The entire families for every member of the core crew had been invited. The band's photographer had brought his mom and sister. Tommy's parents were among the number. But Mia's clan took up the most as every one of her six siblings had RSVPed along with two nieces and her mother.

"Let's hurry inside. There are refreshments waiting. Room assignments will be passed out once we're out of the cold."

"Please follow me."

The crowd heeded Michaela's instructions and slowly followed her inside. Anya and Manny stepped to the side, smiling and saying hi to those they knew, Anya even getting a hug hello from Mia's mother, a high five from her younger sister and a strong handshake and an "Impressive" from Mia's older sister.

Anya had met them on the road and was thrilled that they were now going to be spending Christmas here at her inn.

She moved to follow the crowd but Manny's held on to her hand and kept her from going too far. He pulled her in close for a hug and their eyes fell on the small town of Holly where it stood among the snow-covered hills.

With a deep sigh, Anya said: "It's good to be home."

They only moved to follow the crowd when Tommy's voice called for them to stop being so cute and join them. They entered the inn and the holiday spirit already filling every corner, walking hand in hand.

Somewhere, far above them, out sight, something moved at an increasingly alarming velocity. It came hurtling out of somewhere, having hit a satellite high above the earth's surface, the collision altering its trajectory and sending it hurtling towards the earth.

And its current target: the small Vermont town of Holly.

Just kidding! I couldn't do that to you guys a second year in a row.

The End!

A/N:

Raise your hand if you recognized some of the characters from this chapter!!

🙋‍♀️ 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♀️

Hey! Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I have!

I hoped you enjoyed your stay at "The Holiday Day"!

That was hella cheesy but I couldn't resist. 🤷‍♀️😎