Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Okay. How many bundles will we need?”
“Tons. Once we have a lot of them, we’ll string them together to make garlands, and we’ll fasten them to metal forms to make wreaths, like this.” He held up a round wire frame and placed the bundle on it to show me what he meant. “I got a bunch of these frames from JoJo. She went through a wreath-making phase at some point, and luckily, she never throws anything away. I’m going to make a super nice wreath for her as a thank you for letting me have these.”
I put on Dylan’s gloves and took over the job of snipping sprigs while he turned them into bundles. We ended up working late into the night, while he told me stories about life on the road and the ways he’d found to entertain himself when he was younger.
Given the way he’d grown up, I realized this project was right in Embry’s wheelhouse. He was used to making something from nothing, using whatever resources were available and spinning them into gold. It was pretty impressive.
So were the things we were making. As the wreaths and garlands came together, each was more beautiful than the next. At one point, I asked, “Where did you learn how to do this?”
“I had a lot of different jobs over the last decade, and each one taught me something new. At one point, I worked for a florist, and she showed me this technique. I guess there’s something to be said for getting fired pretty regularly and jumping from job to job.”
I started to fade around one a.m., and Embry told me, “Go get some sleep, Bry. I’ll finish up here.”
“You sure?”
“Definitely.” I took off the work gloves, and he gave me a hug and said softly, “Thanks for trusting me with this and letting me do what I wanted. It meant a lot to me.”
The next morning when I opened my bedroom door, there was a crisp pine scent in the air. The banister was draped with a thick, elegant garland, and downstairs in the foyer, a beautiful wreath was hanging on the back of the door.
I went into the living room, where another garland graced the fireplace mantel, and discovered the Christmas tree had been completely transformed. Embry had moved it onto a crate draped in fabric to give it some height, and he’d used the white lights and the ornaments I’d had in the garage, but he’d picked out just the red, gold, and silver ones. He’d also swagged it in the wide, purple ribbon he’d bought on his shopping trip, to tie in the color scheme from the front of the house.
But the real magic was in the “hair extensions,” as he’d called them. He’d made longer bundles of mixed greenery, compared to the ones we’d used for the wreaths, and woven them in among the tree’s spindly branches. They gave it shape and volume and made it look like some sort of wonderous fantasy hybrid. The end result was absolutely beautiful.
Throughout all of this, I’d been so impressed with Embry. He was clever and creative, and it made me think he really needed the opportunity to launch the cake business he’d told me about. He’d be great at it. I’d have to figure out what I could do to help him make that dream a reality.
A minute later, I found him sound asleep on the couch in the lounge. There was a pretty arrangement of greenery and holly on the coffee table, a garland on the mantel, and a wreath over the fireplace. They must have been the last things he put in place before finally passing out.
The dog was curled up with him, and he started thumping his tail when he saw me. I opened the back door for him, and Dusty leapt up and ran outside.
That sudden motion woke Embry. He sat up and blinked a few times. It took him a moment to get his bearings, and then he mumbled, “Guess I fell asleep.”
“Really late, by the look of things. I can’t believe you did all of this. The tree is stunning, by the way.”
“Stunning in a good way, or like, you’re stunned by how bad it is?”
“Stunning as in drop-dead gorgeous. It’s absolutely amazing, Embry.”
He flashed me a drowsy smile. “Did I tell you, or did I tell you?”
“I’ll never doubt you again.”
While I made some coffee, he joined me in the kitchen and filled Dusty’s bowls with fresh water and food. As soon as the dog heard the kibble hit the bowl, he raced inside and did a little dance until his dish was set down in front of him.
Embry opened his cabinet and started to reach for a box of cereal, but I said, “Let me make you breakfast. I got some nice brioche bread with our grocery order, so would you like some French toast?”