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“Har har. You’re so funny. It’s fine. I said I haven’t had sex with another person, not that I haven’t been checking my own oil. Not having to worry about another person’s wants and needs has been nice, actually. Less complicated.”
“It’s only complicated if there are emotions. The only thing a man wants and needs is a place to—”
“Can you not finish that sentence?”
“What? Do you know how many men have actually worried about whether I got off or not? One. That is twenty-five percent of my sexual partners to date that gave a rat’s ass about my satisfaction. Sad, right?” Holly clucked her tongue and slammed the turkey down on the counter. “Just one of the many reasons I prefer to leave feelings out of it.”
Woodsman27 and his box checked “friends with benefits” popped into her head, but as a serial monogamist, she didn’t know how to have sex without emotions. You should at least like someone before you turn your body over into their care.
“I’ve never been the casual encounters type.”
“Maybe you should try it. You’ve done the whole year of singledom and figuring out who you are. Now you need your cleansing lay before you can move on to another relationship.”
“A cleansing lay? Where did you get that?”
“Just something that makes sense to me. Your ex cheated. You needed to heal your heart, but now, you need to boost your confidence with someone who cannot wait to rip your clothes off. Once those two things have been accomplished, you are ready for the one.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to be ready for the one.”
“Then if you aren’t actively searching for Mr. Right, you’ve got time to make some more items for my shop.”
Merry’s jaw dropped. “I gave you a laundry basket full of hats, blankets, and stuffies for Halloween and Thanksgiving a month ago.”
“What can I say? Frankenbear and Fall Fox were a big hit with the kiddos. Honestly, you should just open your own online store. Your stuff is so cute, you could make a decent profit. Maybe even quit the front office at the school.”
She’d been thinking of opening an Etsy shop for a while, but things kept cropping up and she’d get distracted. “It’s not like working at the school is a bad job.”
“But it isn’t where your heart lies. You want to grow Christmas trees like Dad. God knows why.”
“You seriously don’t care about the farm?”
“It will always be my childhood home and I’ll help out when I’m needed, but that place is all yours when Dad retires. Neither Nick nor I want it.”
“Thanks,” Merry said sarcastically. “I love being the default child.”
“Whoa! I only meant we won’t step on your toes. I thought you wanted to run the farm.”
Merry swallowed back her irritation. “I do want it, but sometimes I think Dad doesn’t trust me.”
“Now you’re talking crazy. The farm is Dad’s baby, like this store is mine. He doesn’t want to give up the reins to anyone.”
“Or he doesn’t want to give them up to me. If it were Nick asking—”
“Oh, don’t go there. Dad isn’t sexist. But he can’t boss you around the way he can Clark. Just give it time and I swear he will come around.”
Holly’s unshakable confidence didn’t convince Merry, but it wasn’t worth pressing the topic. “I’ll drop some more by tomorrow. I made the cutest fall leaves baby blanket, but I’m tempted to keep it.”
“For all the future grandbabies you’re giving Mom?”
Merry rolled her eyes. “I am missing a key element for children.”
“Not really. They make them in frozen pops now.”
“Okay, subject change. I need something from you.” Merry paused as she pulled the order form out of the binder. “Fill this out and give me your deposit.”
Holly set the turkey down on the counter and took the paper, the skin between her eyes wrinkling. “This is for the Festival of Trees.”
“I know. I’m organizing it this year while Dana is in California.”
