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When she finally made it through the backdoor, it opened wide, nearly knocking her back, and Declan’s warm smile washed over her, along with a wave of relief.
“Hey, everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just super creepy out there by myself.”
He chuckled, closing the door behind her as she stepped inside, but stopped before he reached for her. “I probably shouldn’t touch you. I’ve got paint on my hands and clothes.”
“I don’t care,” she murmured, snuggling into him. “I need this.”
He wrapped her in a hug with his arms around her shoulders. “Something in particular spook you?”
“No, just being alone outside with a flashlight and those eerie yellow streetlights from fifty years ago gave me a small case of the willies.”
“So, no snakes or darkness rules out…cave spelunking?” he teased.
Holly pinched his side. “Don’t be cute. Haven’t you noticed I keep the lamp on in my room all the time?”
“Yeah, but you turn it off when you sleep.”
“Only when you’re there,” she whispered. Holly didn’t elaborate why Declan being in bed with her made her feel safe enough to let go of her security light, partially because she didn’t want to scare him. Holly hadn’t realized how lonely her life was until Declan and Leo moved in. She went from nights of takeout and watching TV or reading before bed, to sharing a meal with someone and spending that time before she eventually fell asleep learning about each other in and out of the bedroom. While before there were moments Declan would clam up when she asked him something personal, lately he’d answered every single one, which Holly knew was progress.
When Declan didn’t respond to her admission, she needed to fill the silence and asked, “Guess what?”
“You sold all of your gnomes?”
“No, although Merry wasn’t wrong about them being in demand this year.” Holly stepped back out of his embrace and pulled out her phone, tapping across the screen until it settled on her TikTok profile, and she turned the screen toward him. “Look at the views and read the comments. Everyone is loving the cooking videos.” Declan took the phone, scrolling through. “I’m trying to decide what to change my channel name to.”
“Why don’t you give me the options while I finish up in here?” he said, handing her the phone. “Then we can go home and I can teach you how to make honey garlic pork chops.”
“That sounds tasty.” Holly trailed behind him into the room and took a seat in the corner, watching him step back behind the easel. “Did you see your dad at all?”
“No, it was just my mom when I got here. I guess he got tired, so she took him home around lunch.”
“Do you think he’s okay?” Holly asked, watching his shoulders stiffen as he picked up his brush.
“I’m sure he is. He’d have days like this, but he was usually home when it happened. Now, give me name options.”
She tapped on her notes app and recited, “Holly the Culinary Disaster?”
Declan grunted. “Next.”
“Wrecking Recipes with Holly?”
“It has promise, but what happens when you learn to cook and the name no longer applies?”
“I can change it every thirty days, but be honest, do you really think I’m going to be able to cook anything without screwing something up?”
“I do. It just might take a lot of lessons to get there.” Holly flipped him the bird, fighting a smile when he waggled his eyebrows. “Later. We’ve got names to choose and I want to finish this section before we go home.”
Holly’s grin stretched across her lips when he called her house his home and it wasn’t the first time she’d been spun out by this reaction. She’d never lived with anyone, and while their situation wasn’t conventional, Holly didn’t run screaming for the hills at the sight of Declan’s toothbrush in the bathroom drawer. She knew that the first few weeks of any living situation was the honeymoon period and most people were on their best behavior, but Holly noticed Declan was a lot like her in the way he cleaned up after himself, especially while cooking. Throwing away trash as he went, and not leaving dishes in the sink, unless they got busy doing other things.
Holly knew she should steel herself for the day when Declan moved on. Whether it was getting his own place and staying in Mistletoe or leaving town, she couldn’t keep him.
Even if for the first time in her life Holly wanted to.
“But I still think that if you want to make this your new niche, it has to be about more than you not being able to cook.”
Holly realized Declan had been talking through her deep thoughts and nodded, pretending she’d been listening the entire time. “Right.”
