Lily and Presley echo her.
I laugh because it’s what I’m supposed to do, but I’m reminded by their sarcasm that they’re all in loving, healthy relationships. Their husbands would all jump in front of a bullet for them, as opposed to lying and scamming.
And I know I claimed I wanted nothing to do with the single men of Fawn Hill, but I can’t get the most enticing one out of my head.
It was only two days ago when Fletcher walked in on me butt naked and spilled all of his feelings about exploring my body. Christ, even thinking about it now makes my skin ignite and my stomach dip with temptation. The way I’d let his eyes comb over every inch of me for just a brief moment … Lord, it had felt like I would combust from just his gaze alone. All the air had gone out of the room, and the sexual desire between us had practically suffocated me. It was dirty and yet so right.
For a brief second, I’d almost gone to him, asked for something that went completely against my vow to myself. By then Fletcher had done us both a favor and turned around, but not without obliterating me in the process.
“I’ve thought about this for a long time. Probably too often, if I’m being honest.”
If he only knew …
“We’ll beat them off with a stick, then. Anything for our girl.” Presley slings an arm around my shoulder, trying to subtly hint that I was a part of their world now.
“Thanks. Hey, can we go get those sticky buns from the coffee shop? I’ve been dreaming about them since I left two years ago,” I ask, trying to change the subject.
Penelope raises her hands, praising my suggestion. “Hell yes, I need sugar and carbs, stat.”
6
Fletcher
Each plank of wood was smooth and soft to the touch, the work I’ve put in on each board apparent.
With a steady hand, I run the sander over the grain, rounding off any sharp edges or splinters. The pieces would have no hazards once they were stained and sealed, but you could never be too careful. This is the crib for my first niece, after all.
I hadn’t known what to get Bowen and Lily when Molly was born and having little money to my name didn’t help. But what I lacked in financial gains, I made up for in homemade gifts the past few years. First, it was the gift I gave Keaton and Presley for their wedding. Then, I built the flower arch that Bowen and Lily stood under for their wedding. Then I designed a bench for Bloomfield Park, and have done some other work for local friends and family.
Recently, I’ve been commissioned to design a chuppah for a prominent Jewish couple in New Jersey who found my work through Instagram. They surprised the hell of out of me when they offered two thousand dollars for the piece. It has been my largest sale thus far, and I’ve gotten a few inquiries recently just from their word-of-mouth praise.
I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to do this full time. Build furniture, make wooden art pieces, use my hands to distract from the shaking cravings that run through my body almost all hours of the day.
That’s why I started doing this. At first, it had been model ships in rehab. One of my counselors there had suggested a distraction that got me off the grid of TV or Internet … because alcohol commercials could pop up at any time. Even those were triggering for me back then. He said that reading could help, but my attention span was so shot that I gave up on that idea quickly. Arts and crafts were a last-ditch effort, that I found, shockingly, helpful.
I built three model ships during my time spent at the in-patient facility. Once I came home, I knew I had to find a way to distract myself from the constant temptation to drink.
It was fate that I stumbled on an old friend from high school who now ran his parent’s farm. He’d randomly started talking about some scraps of woods and old pallets he needed help getting rid of. I offered to make use of them, take them off his hands … and what started as just tinkering around with no knowledge or skill, turned into a passion.
Now, I can’t imagine my life without it. Woodworking, turning scraps and discarded planks into something beautiful, there was a symmetry to