Chapter 5
Chapter Five
T he second the kitchen doors swung shut, Willow slumped against the counter.
What. Was. That?
She shook her head, trying to calm her racing heart. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what had left her so rattled.
She hadn’t loved the accusatory tone when Dallas had first started questioning her. And yes, perhaps guilt had played a part in her initial discomfort.
It wasn’t like her to keep secrets from her family. And sharing a hidden treasure with their archenemy was a big one. The fact that it could be used to determine the fate of the inn and the future of this property…?
She swallowed hard and tugged the saucepan off the lit stovetop before it could burn.
The problem was, it wasn’t guilt that had shaken her.
For better or worse, she’d gotten somewhat accustomed to evading the whole truth of where she’d been or where she was going when she stole off to No Man’s Land.
It was Dallas’s talk about her dating that had caused her pulse to spike, and then all that talk of secret love affairs that had her heart hammering.
Did he say “secret love affair” or had she?
She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and took a few slow, steady breaths. Get a hold of yourself, Willow!
It was just…
She let her hand drop to her side.
It was the mere mention of dating. The suspicion that she was running off to meet some secret lover.
Willow’s cheeks burned all over again, and she backed away from the stove. She only stopped when her lower back brushed against the opposite counter, and she leaned back with a sigh.
She hadn’t been lying about not dating. She never dated. Nothing serious, at least.
So why had it felt like she’d been lying?
And why had she felt such a rush of disappointment as she’d spelled it out that there was no secret love affair?
Her head fell back, and she found herself studying the ceiling.
She had a secret, yes. But not a secret boyfriend.
There was a difference.
The secret would end soon enough. Of course, she wasn’t sure how or in what way. But eventually she and Eric would come clean about what they found, right?
Once they knew what it meant?
Her brows were furrowed so tightly, her head started to ache.
The problem with this whole plan to keep a secret was that they’d never discussed how it would end. Or even what would end it.
Definitive proof that one family had the rights to the land?
Finding the legendary contract that allegedly made it so that neither family could touch the land?
A spark of hope had Willow straightening.
Yes. There was still a chance that the contract would be found, and if it was, it wouldn’t matter who the treasure chest belonged to or how long they’d kept it a secret.
“Right?” she whispered, not expecting a response.
So when a loud “Right about what?” came from behind her, Willow let out a squeak. And that mouselike sound turned into a squeal when she saw who was standing in the doorway. “April!”
Her friend/sometimes-employee gave her a hug. “Ooh, I’ve missed you!”
Willow held her tight. It wasn’t like they never saw each other anymore. But since April’s boyfriend lived in the town of Aspire and she’d recently opened a bakery—O’Sullivan Sweetness—with the help of her sister Dahlia, her visits to the inn were far less frequent.
“How’s the bakery? How’s Boone? How are your sisters? Your nieces and nephews?” Willow pulled back to look at her. “Tell me everything!”
April laughed and headed toward the peg that held Willow’s aprons. She pulled one off that read “Kitchen Wizard: Level 99” and slid it over her neck. “Only if you let me help.”
Willow beamed at her. She had a couple part-time helpers here in the kitchen, and they were great. But there was something so comfortable and cozy about working alongside a friend who was just as at home in a kitchen as she was.
Willow set April to work on some simple buns for dinner—an easy ask of the talented baker—while she got back to work on her sauce.
She quizzed her friend on all things Aspire and O’Sullivans. Finally, she asked, “And how’s my favorite ranch hand?”
April’s smile grew outrageously sappy at the mention of Boone.
Willow sighed, but it was all for show. She loved how much her friends adored each other. “Okay,” she drawled. “So I take it ‘the boyfriend’ is good.”
April turned to face her slowly, holding up her hand to show off a ring. “The boyfriend isn’t the boyfriend anymore…”
Willow gasped, and then the two girls were hugging and squealing so much, Dallas poked his head in to make sure a fire hadn’t broken out.
Willow shooed him away so she could hear all the details.
She was so smitten with the story, she’d nearly forgotten her earlier freak-out. Until April brought the topic back to Willow and her love life—or lack thereof.
“I wish we could find you someone,” April sighed.
Willow smiled. “You know me. If it happens, it happens. I’m not looking for romance. At least, not yet.”
April nodded. They’d had this conversation before.
The difference this time, though…
The words didn’t feel right. It felt like a speech she’d recited so many times that she’d forgotten the meaning.
It didn’t feel like a lie, necessarily, but that earlier unsettled feeling was back.
“You deserve romance, though,” April was saying. She wore a big grin when she turned to her friend. “The epic kind. The kind they write movies about and sappy love songs…”
Willow’s smile wobbled. She couldn’t help but think of Rose and Charlie. Had they had that kind of love?
And then, because they went hand in hand, she found herself thinking about Eric.
Just like when Dallas had teased her about having some secret boyfriend, she saw Eric’s face in her mind’s eye.
“I’m not saying you need to get married,” April continued. “But wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to go out on a date with?”
Willow could see it. She could see it so clearly it took her breath away. Walking down Main Street with Eric, their fingers interlaced. The way she’d tease him until that unflappable mask cracked—just a little.
The way he’d say something with that dry sense of humor of his, but his dark brown eyes would be warm with affection, belying his cynical comment…
“How cool would it be to go out with someone who feeds you every once in a while?”
Now she saw Eric sitting across from her in the cozy, romantic glow of candlelight. The way he’d lean in to hear her speak, that crooked smile when she made him laugh.
April nudged her. “How nice would it be to have a partner in crime at family dinners, amiright? I mean, it must get old being surrounded by two ridiculously happy couples.”
The vivid daydream popped like a water balloon, and Willow was left blinking in horror at the turn her thoughts had taken.
“Hey.” April touched her shoulder, her expression buckling with concern. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad?—”
“Nope. You didn’t.” Willow’s smile was back, but she couldn’t meet her friend’s eyes.
If there was anyone she could talk to about her confusing feelings for her family’s archrival, it was April.
But she didn’t want to.
Willow reached for her whisk and aggressively went to town on her sauce.
She wouldn’t bring up Eric to April, or anyone else.
Because really, there was nothing to talk about.