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I loved that he referred to Addy and Ember as his nieces. “I’m sure they appreciate you being here.”
Talon grunted and waved in the direction of the pieces lining the wall. “This is my contribution to the family. It’s not enough for everything they’ve done for me. It’s the least I can do.”
“Can you tell me about the pond?”
He winced.
“I’m curious what prompted you to create the lights in the water and how you did it.”
His expression turned thoughtful. “You’ll notice there’s no pattern to the lights. I was experimenting with methods on how to create the structure under the water. But I didn’t get it right. I’m still working on it.”
“Is that why you haven’t shared it with the family?” I asked gently, hoping he’d confide in me.
Talon’s jaw tightened. “It’s not ready yet.”
He kept his creations private until they were deemed ready for viewing. Maybe he was a bit of a perfectionist.
I heard the rumble of a truck outside, and a few minutes later, Sebastian came inside, with Ember skipping ahead. “Uncle Talon!” she cried, as he scooped her into his arms. “Where’ve you been hiding?”
“Nowhere, silly,” Ember said as she gazed down at him, and tugged playfully on his beard.
She wasn’t put off by his surly moods like her uncles were.
Talon rubbed his beard against the delicate skin of her neck, and she giggled.
The display warmed my heart. In a professional capacity, he was successful, but I couldn’t say he was happy or fulfilled.
Sebastian draped an arm over my shoulder. “Did you get what you needed?”
I pursed my lips as I watched Talon interact with Ember. “I’ve learned a bit.”
“That’s good.” Then he leaned in to whisper in my ear. “He’s a tough one to get to know.”
“So, it’s not just me,” I murmured.
I wasn’t sure how I’d get what I needed for the article. Everything he’d told me was already included in the various magazines that had already been written about his work and his origin story. I wanted a new angle that would interest the farms’ customers and local residents. But I wasn’t sure what it would be.
I couldn’t write about how lonely he seemed. But my heart went out to him. I wanted him to have what his other brothers had found—love.
But it wasn’t a surprise that he was the last one to be single. He kept to himself and focused solely on work. If one of his family members wanted to spend time with him, they had to seek him out.
Sebastian turned his attention from me to Talon. “How was your date with Holly?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked Sebastian, sure he was stirring up trouble.
Talon slowly lowered Ember to the floor.
“Apparently, Talon won a date with Holly at the auction,” Sebastian explained to me.
My mouth dropped open. “I didn’t know that.”
“I couldn’t let Teddy win her. Their Christmas tree farm is our competition. I don’t know what they were doing at the auction anyway.”
“Their sister, Daphne, was a bachelorette. They were just there to support her.” Then to me, Sebastian said, “Teddy is Daphne’s oldest brother. Their family owns Pine Valley Farms.”
“They had no business bidding on Holly. She may not be a Monroe—” he broke off, seemingly struggling to find words, ”but she’s one of us.”
“Because she works here, she can’t date someone from a competing Christmas tree farm?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.
