AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That would be amazing.” Marley’s energy was infectious.
She believed in me. She wasn’t just being nice because I dated her future brother-in-law in high school, or even because we were becoming friends. She believed in my product and my work. The support was an incredible feeling.
“It just needs one more thing.” Marley grabbed a spool of ribbon from behind the counter, and together we wrapped it around the tree. Now it looked elegant.
“We’ll have gift boxes behind the counter if they want to buy the ornaments. Do you have extras so we don’t need to pull from the tree?” Marley asked.
I moved to the pile of boxes, separating the empty ones to show her that I’d included one box. “I’ll make you more.”
“You’ll need to. I have a feeling they’re going to sell out this week.”
“This morning, I’m going to work on the glass ornaments, and then I’ll get to these.”
Marley hugged me a second time. “Thank you so much for this. I love offering local specialty items.”
“I’m hoping to offer more glass items year round as soon as I get the design right. Maybe you could hang them in the windows of the rooms.” I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but after spending time with Marley, I was getting the idea that I needed to just go for what I wanted, regardless of my fears.
“I love that idea. We could hang them from a hook, or do you have one of those little stands that could hold one ornament?” Marley demonstrated what she was thinking of with her hands, then pulled up a picture on her phone.
“Let me check with Talon. He made a large one for when I’m painting. But I would think he could make individual stands.”
Marley raised a brow. “You’re spending a lot of time with Talon?”
“He’s letting me store my kiln in his workshop.”
Marley touched my shoulder. “You know, Heath and I dated in high school. It was a secret because he’d told my brother, Aiden, he’d watch out for me when he enlisted. Then he broke things off because he didn’t want to break his promise to Aiden.”
“How did you move past that?” I asked, genuinely curious to hear about a similar situation to ours.
“We spent a lot of time together and really reconnected. I was staying in his house while he renovated the inn. I think it made things progress faster than if I was in California, or even staying at the inn. We were forced to deal with our past, forgive ourselves, and truly move on. What we have now is a more mature relationship. We’re not hiding. It’s not a secret. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever experienced.” Marley’s lips spread into a wide smile. I could see the love shining through her eyes.
Was it possible to have something better than what we had before? If so, didn’t I owe it to myself to forgive myself and give this thing between me and Talon a real shot?
Chapter 16
Talon
My body hummed with awareness. Every few minutes, I glanced toward the door and listened for the sound of Holly’s car on the lane. As a result, I wasn’t focused on my work, and I wasn’t getting anything done.
Normally I’d be irritated with myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about work and deadlines today. I just wanted to spend time with Holly.
We’d shared something special the other night, and she’d retreated somewhat since then. She’d had dinner with her mom and then stayed at her apartment last night. I tried not to let it mean anything, but it was hard when our relationship was on such precarious footing.
When I finally heard the sound of her car, I put my safety goggles and headphones on the table and moved outside to greet her.
She wore jeans, a sweater, and boots and smiled brightly when she saw me.
“How was your meeting with Marley?” I asked as I leaned down to kiss her.
“Great.” Her body was practically vibrating with energy. “We decorated a tree by the front door. It’s in the entryway, and you can see it from the porch. It’s in the prime location for guests to see it.”
“Did you expect anything less?” Marley didn’t make empty promises.
“You can’t miss the display. I should have optimal exposure there. Marley wants me to make extras in case she sells out. She’ll film in a couple of days. So my online orders might go up.”
“Sounds like you’ll be busy.” I was happy for her, but I wanted her to work here, not at her apartment. It was a bigger space, and then we could spend our limited free time together.
“She mentioned making individual stands to display them in the rooms of the inn.” I pulled up the picture and showed him. After he studied it for a few seconds, he nodded. “I can make these.”
