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“You didn’t go to school?”
Holly shrugged. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and it seemed like a waste of money.”
“You loved to paint.”
She gave me a pointed look. “Making a living as an artist isn’t lucrative. At least not for most people.”
“I don’t know if you need a degree, but it was nice to learn the different mediums and be around like-minded people.”
Holly sighed. “I didn’t have the money to go, not when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or that it would result in a steady job.”
“I feel like I’ve been able to create a good life for myself. I limit the number of commissions I take on so that I’m free to create whatever I want.”
“But you could take more?” Holly prompted.
I nodded. “But I work better when I have an open-ended project.”
“Yet you create holiday decorations for the farm.”
She was referencing the lights I’d created for the holiday light display. “At first, that was a challenge. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, and once I saw people’s reactions, I wanted to make more.”
“That’s why you put in lights on the pond.”
I pointed at her. “That I haven’t perfected yet. But I will. It’s just a matter of time.”
“It must be so freeing to make whatever strikes you.”
I glanced over at her. “I want that for you, too.”
Holly smiled sadly at me, and it made my heart clench. The only thing I’d ever wanted in life was to make this woman happy. Even if we couldn’t be together romantically, it was the least I could do for her.
Chapter 5
Holly
When we returned to the farm, there was a short line of cars waiting to get in. When Talon pulled up, Knox ducked his head. “Late night last night?”
When Knox noticed me in the passenger side seat, his eyes widened. “I didn’t realize—I mean, how did it go last night? It obviously went well if you’re still together.”
I leaned over the console. “We’re going ice skating. We have to take advantage of the rink before it’s gone.”
Knox flashed a smile as he backed away. “You have a good time.”
Talon waved a hand at him before he pulled away. “Well, that was awkward.”
I moved back to my side of the cab. “I think it was worse for him.”
Talon chuckled. “He didn’t know how to react to seeing you in my truck.”
Knox didn’t know what to think, and I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t either.
“He was rambling, wasn’t he?” I asked.
Talon glanced over at me with an amused expression. “He definitely was.”
I felt a little uneasy about seeing his whole family today. “Do you think the rest of your family will be okay with me dropping by?”
Talon parked next to a few Monroe Christmas Tree Farm trucks, presumably the rest of his brothers’. There was a thick line of trees. No ice rink was visible.
