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“My parents watch Addy when they can. But they have an active social life.”
I grabbed another cookie from the tin. The gingerbread men were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just how I liked them. “The cookies are payment enough.”
Sarah smiled softly. “I’ll put some in a box for you to take home.”
“I hope my mom doesn’t get jealous that I have a new cookie supplier,” I teased.
Sarah laughed, and again, I was enthralled with the sound. When had I cared if I pleased anyone else, much less made them laugh with abandon? It was becoming one of my favorite challenges.
She straightened and rested a hand on my thigh. The warmth of her palm seared through my jeans, and my breath caught in my throat. Then she lightly squeezed my thigh, and desire shot straight to my dick. I nearly groaned when she removed her hand. “You’re sweet. I bet your mom loves having so many boys.”
“I don’t know if she’d say that. Growing up, we were a handful,” I said, trying to distract myself with thoughts of my mother.
“I bet.” Then she tipped her head to the side. “What were you like?”
Our faces were close, but I didn’t want to lose the connection, so I didn’t dare move away. “I was a daredevil. Emmett tried to corral us, but I was the second oldest, and I didn’t feel the same need for safety or adherence to authority.”
“You were wild?” Sarah asked, leaning in even more.
“I’d say adventurous, with no care for my safety.”
She tipped her head back and laughed. “I love it.”
“Emmett was grumpy, even back then. He was the one who’d get the most flack from my parents. He was supposed to know better.”
She smiled at me, sending my heart tumbling. “But not you?”
“I had a little more leeway. Looking back, I feel a little bad about it. But at the time, it was fun.”
“I bet. What was Sebastian like?”
“He brought a book with him everywhere we went. He wouldn’t necessarily participate in whatever crazy scheme we were involved in, but he’d be there with us. He’d help us when we ran into a problem, especially if it involved numbers or measurements.”
“So he was always good at math.”
“Scary good. The rest of us were more all over the place with grades. But I excelled at things where I could use my hands.” Then my cheeks heated, even though I hadn’t intended to make an innuendo.
“Oh, really?” she asked, amusement evident in her voice. “I would think all of you would be good with your hands since your brothers work in construction, art, and furniture making.”
“I suppose that’s true.” But I wanted her to think of me. Not my brothers. I was tempted to ask if she preferred someone more studious, like Sebastian, who had an office job. But I didn’t. I told her I wasn’t interested in a relationship, and I shouldn’t lead her on.
“I think what you’re doing on the farm is amazing. With your family working together, you’ve created a magical place.”
“We need more people to think like that. The farm does okay, but it has to sustain us for the whole year. That’s why we have side hustles and are continually coming up with ways to make it more profitable.”
“I don’t have any advice. Although I’d love to see the drive-through light display. Addy would, too.”
“I think it would be time-consuming to make a lot of those structures. The present Talon made for you was small. But I’ll see what he thinks about it. I know he’s busy with commissioned work this time of the year.”
“I think I’ve seen some of his work at a shop downtown.”
“He does consign his work and takes orders for custom pieces. I think he’d prefer to go to custom pieces in the future.”
“I wish I had a talent for something like that.”
Knox smiled. “I’d imagine you’re good with grammar.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not exactly an exciting or interesting career. Besides, most people hate commas.”
