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Holly laughed. “I can’t afford that. But it’s a nice thought.”
“Thank you for sharing your work with me.”
“It’s more like a hobby. I should probably get a steadier job with benefits.”
“Who told you that?” I asked her as I followed her to the door and helped her into her coat.
“Mom. My high school counselor. You know, you can’t make money selling art.”
I bristled. “I did.”
I waited for her to lock her door and followed her down the stairs. “That’s different.”
“How so?” I asked as we headed toward my truck.
Inside, she buckled her seat belt. “You were discovered by a magazine, right?”
“Are you saying I was lucky?” I asked, knowing she was asking from a place of curiosity as a struggling artist herself.
Her face pensive, she said, “I don’t want to take anything away from your success, but I have to think there was a bit of luck involved.”
“I sold my designs to the right person, and they recommended me to their friends. It was word-of-mouth referrals. I guess you could call it luck. But I like to think of it as putting your work out there and hoping for the best. I wasn’t looking to earn a living off of it, but it’s exceeded any expectations.”
Holly reached over and squeezed my hand that was resting on my thigh, and my extremities heated. “You worked hard for everything you have. I shouldn’t have said it was luck.”
I couldn’t manage anything more than a grunt because the warmth of her hand was seeping through my jeans, and my dick was stirring.
Holly removed her hand, and I shifted on the seat, hoping she didn’t see my reaction to her touch. “I love creating my designs, but I don’t think it’s sustainable. Let’s be honest, I sell Christmas ornaments. The season is two months a year.”
I knew something about the struggle, listening to my brothers bemoan the plight of the Christmas tree farm each year. “There are year-round Christmas shops.”
Holly pursed her lips. “None around here, though.”
“I think you could make your business work if you think outside the box. Could you make other decorations, similar to the ones in your window, and expand beyond Christmas?”
“I could make light catchers, something to hang on your porch or in the window. There’s a plant shop in a nearby town, and she has a few things hanging in the windows. I couldn’t help but think my designs would look amazing there.”
“There you go. You could ask the owner if they’d be interested in your bird ornaments. There’s also the museum shop option. Those items tend to be priced higher, and guests expect to pay more.”
“That’s an interesting idea. Right now, I’m limited to your farm because the other ones don’t want to sell the same stock.”
I frowned. “I didn’t realize that was an issue.”
“There seems to be a rivalry between the farms. The others wouldn’t even talk to me after they realized I had a contract with Lori.”
“I’m sure Mom didn’t mean to make things hard for you.”
“I know she didn’t. That’s the way these things work. It’s just business.”
I understood how business worked, but I didn’t like that Holly was suffering because she worked with my family’s farm.
Holly leaned across the cab, my senses filling with the scent of her, to rest a hand on my thigh.
Everything inside me tensed as the blood drained from my head and rushed to my dick.
She squeezed lightly as if she had no idea how hard my muscles were tensed underneath her palm. If she moved a few inches higher, she’d get a surprise. “Please don’t say anything to your mother. It’s not her fault.”
Holly removed her hand, and I let out the breath I’d been holding and tried to relax. “Your mom is the one who gave me a chance. I was just working as an office administrator before she gave me an opportunity.”
