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“After Sebastian left to get ready for his date, we added the mistletoe to the strings of lights.”
“I’m sure he appreciated it,” Holly said as she handed the phone back to me.
“I hope this works out for them.”
“It must have been hard to go from friends to something more, but they don’t have a history like we do. They haven’t hurt each other. There’s nothing to get past or get over.”
“I suppose.” The thing was, I wasn’t so sure our past was as big of a hurdle as Holly thought it was. “You need to go home and get some clothes to go skating?”
“That would be great. All I have is this”—she gestured at my sweats—“and that red dress I wore last night.”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to you skating in that red dress.” Her legs would be bare, and then all I would be able to think about was them wrapping around my waist.
Holly rolled her eyes. “I’d be freezing.”
“Let’s finish our coffees and head to your place.” I was more than excited to see where she was living and what her life was like. I’d listened for news about what she was doing over the years but hadn’t gotten many details until she consigned her ornaments in our shop.
I drove her to her apartment in downtown Annapolis where she lived in a rental on one of the side streets. “I didn’t realize you lived downtown.”
“It’s nice. I can walk to the coffee shop and the harbor.”
Not wanting to wait in the truck, I followed her up the narrow stairs to the second-floor apartment. Holly pushed open the door, and I followed her inside. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”
I stepped into the living room, where she had ornaments resting on every flat surface in various stages of completion.
“I’m going to jump in the shower. Will you be okay?”
“More than,” I said to her before she headed down a hallway to her room. I moved around the room, looking at the different images on her ornaments. There was one of Matthew’s Inn, one with three evergreen trees that said Locally Grown Christmas Trees, and one with three yellow lab dogs with red ribbons around their necks. I assumed that one was for the dogs my brothers had adopted. They’d become a mascot of sorts for the tree farm.
There were a few clear ornaments hanging in the window. When the light shone through them, it created a rainbow effect on the floor. I hadn’t seen those at the shop. Each one had a different bird painted on it. I wondered if these were meant for something else.
I was still immersed in her designs when Holly returned a few minutes later.
“These are amazing. I can’t believe you made all of these.”
Holly shrugged. “It’s my job.”
“You’re an artist.” I knew that conceptually, but to see her space, and how it took up every nook and cranny of her life, it made me think we were more similar than I thought.
Holly gave me a look. “You knew that.”
“It’s just different seeing your process. You’re making these because it’s what Marley or my mom wants in her shop, but I think these”—I pointed to the ones hanging in the window—“are what you most enjoy painting. This is your passion.”
Holly stood next to me. “I love the way the light filters through these. You can hang them in your window and not just on your tree.”
I looked at her. “You know high-end museum gift shops would love these.”
Her forehead creased. “How could I produce enough of them to keep them in stock?”
I shrugged. “Work around the clock like I do.”
“I’m already doing that just to keep up with your mom’s shop.”
“Is that the only place that you sell your work?” I asked, more than curious about her business.
“I have an online shop, too. But it’s hard to keep up with that. I need to make them and ship them quickly. So many customers are used to two-day shipping.”
“You need to hire someone to package and ship.”
