Page 21 of The Holiday Exchange

She stops painting and watches me with a thoughtful expression. “It sounds like you’re really into sci-fi stuff.”

I shrug, trying to be casual, but on the inside, I’m excited to be talking about this. “I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but that is my preferred genre of books and movies.”

“Maybe you could make a recommendation for my book club. I don’t think we’ve ever chosen a science fiction book before and I’d love to try something new.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to.”

“And maybe you could come talk to us about the genre and what all it encompasses.”

“Oh, yeah…” I hesitate at the thought of being in front of a bunch of strangers. I look up and realize her eyes are twinkling. She can tell she’s got me again. “You’re really taking your duty to socialize me seriously, aren’t you?”

“I have to hold up my end of this exchange. Alright, how do my flames look?”

I nod approvingly. “Much better than mine would have.”

She moves over to help me with my red and white stripes. When she leans forward, concentrating on staying inside the lines I penciled on, her forehead nearly touches mine. She glances up and catches me watching her.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I bounce back from her like a rubber ball. “I think I’ll just start on this other candy cane. Maybe we can get done quicker.”

“Good idea.”

I focus as much as I can on creating neat, festive stripes, but it’s impossible for me to completely rid my mind of her big, golden-brown eyes only inches from mine.

She glances over at me. “You up for one more ‘peopling’ lesson before our deal expires?”

“Bring it on.” Something else to think about sounds good right now.

“Okay, my wisdom bomb for a good conversation is to find common ground. If you can identify something you have in common, it makes people feel connected to you. And it doesn’t have to be something you both love, it can be something you both hate.”

I nod. That makes sense. “But how do you find out if you have anything in common?”

“I’m so glad you asked. This tip pairs up with the ‘asking lots of questions’ tip we practiced last week. Asking people what they do for fun usually works pretty well. People love to talk about their hobbies, and with any luck, you’ll like some of the same things.”

“But what happens if you can’t find anything at all in common?”

She considers this for a second, then shrugs. “Then I guess it’s not meant to be. You can’t be besties with every single person you meet.”

I snort.

“What?”

“Guys don’t have besties.”

Her response is dry. “My bad. But that’s not the point. The point is finding common ground whenever possible.”

“You mean like agreeing thatJurassic Parkis a cinematic masterpiece?”

“Exactly. Or agreeing that biting into a chocolate chip cookie and realizing it actually has raisins is the worst.”

I shudder. “It really is. So, Kayla, what do you do for fun?”

“What an interesting question, Trevor.” She strokes her chin and pretends to contemplate her answer. “You probably guessed I like to read. I also enjoy theme parks, going out for sushi, and helping people organize their closets.”

“I’m on board with the reading and sushi but I’m out on the theme parks and closets. What do you like to read?”

“Books. Seriously, I’ll read almost anything.”

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