Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
JACE
Ican’t seem to shake this feeling of dread that’s building in the pit of my stomach.
Kicking my feet up onto the front desk and crossing my ankles, I lean back and stare at my phone in my hand.
My eyebrows tug together and my eyes dart back and forth across the text on the screen.
This is the first that I’ve actually looked up the rink since Harrison and I spoke about it.
The thought of doing something with it is overwhelming, but the thought of someone else coming in, tearing it down, and building something else feels even worse.
I’m not so sure I can let that happen.
The bell dings from over the front door, but it doesn’t drag me away from the listing.
The price isn’t outrageous, which has me wondering how bad the interior is.
Mr. Nelson owned it when I was a kid and he passed away a few years ago.
I’m guessing it belongs to someone in his family now, so I’m curious whether or not anyone has kept up with anything.
My feet abruptly fall to the floor and the movement jerks my body upright, my phone almost tumbling to the floor. Pressing the button on the side, I lock the screen and my eyes widen as they flash to the person who knocked my feet onto the ground.
“Hey,” Willow says, an innocent smile stretching across her lips. “You shouldn’t put your shoes on the desk.”
My nostrils flare and my eyebrows lower. “Well, you shouldn’t surprise someone like that either.”
Willow shrugs her shoulders. “The bell rang when I walked in. I thought you knew I was here.”
“And what gave you that indication?”
Willow stares at me for a moment, the smile falling from her lips as she lets out a sigh. “Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” She lifts her eyebrows. “What’s got you all irritable this morning?”
Bracing my hands on my knees, I rise from the chair with a sigh and unlock my phone screen before I turn to show it to Willow. “They’re selling the rink.”
“Oh, yeah, I saw,” she says quietly, her eyes scanning the screen as she holds my phone. I move out of the way, pushing the chair closer to her. “I know it hasn’t been open for a few years and I don’t think the Nelson's have the money, time, or energy to reopen it.”
“Yeah,” I say, my chest falling as I let out a deep breath. “In the listing, it says that it’s available for purchase for development, too.”
Willow’s eyes widen and she hands my phone back to me.
“No, they can’t do that. They can’t get rid of one of the places that has been here forever.
They can’t let a builder come in and turn that land into a development.
That will take away from the small-town charm of Sugar Hill Hollow.
” She pauses, shaking her head as I motion for her to sit.
“It’s a shame there’s no one to reopen the rink. ”
She spins in her seat, her eyes flashing to mine as she tips her chin up to look at me. “You should buy it.”
My eyebrows tug together and a laugh catches in my throat. “No.”
“Why not?” she challenges, crossing her arms over her chest. “You would be the perfect person. You could fix it up and reopen it.” She pauses, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. “Do you want to see them destroy it and build a strip mall?”
The muscle in my jaw tightens. “Well, no,” I admit, swallowing roughly. “You remember Harrison?” I pause and Willow nods. “He suggested the same thing, except he said we should buy it together.”
“That’s the perfect solution,” she says matter of factly, releasing her arms as she shrugs her shoulders like it’s just that easy. “You know people and have all the connections needed in that world.”
My eyebrows lift and I give her an incredulous look. Does she realize how outlandish this entire idea is? I shouldn’t have expected anything else from Willow. If there’s one person who has always believed in me, it’s her.
“I don’t know,” I say softly, tilting my head to slowly search Willow’s features. She stares back at me like she always did while we were growing up. Like she believes I could reach up into the sky and grab the moon with my bare hands if I truly wanted to.
Like she knows I can do anything.
“I think it’s at least something worth considering,” she says. The hues of blue make her eyes appear as though they’re shimmering beneath the fluorescent lights of the vet clinic. “No one said you have to make any decisions on it, I just think it’s something you should think about.”
Running my tongue over my top row of teeth, I slowly nod. “I have been,” I agree, dipping my chin.
A satisfied smile lifts the corners of her lips. “Good.” She tips her head toward the front door. “You ready to head to the shop?”
I rise from my seat, stepping up beside her. “Absolutely.”
Her perfume, a mix of lavender and vanilla, infiltrates my senses, triggering a part in my brain that sends a shiver down my spine. I swallow roughly, looking at her from the corner of my eye before we head out onto the street.
Leave it to Willow Alder to get the gears in my mind turning.
Leave it to her to think I can do anything.
A leak in the bathroom keeps me busy for most of the day and I’m in and out of the shop, attempting to play plumber as I try to repair the leak myself. Willow grabs me every now and then for my opinions on paint and different things for the store.
As I pull back up in front of the shop with the supplies I collected from the hardware store for my last ditch effort at fixing the plumbing issues, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I kill the engine and pull it out, glancing at the screen. It’s a message from Harrison.
Harrison
So, did you think more about the rink?
Jace
I did.
You seem to be all about this idea without even having a plan.
Harrison
Oh, I already have a plan.
A document comes through and I laugh to myself, shaking my head as I open it and scan the things he’s written down. He has information from his financial advisor, along with the steps we need to take to start a business.
Jace
Damn. You’re really serious about this.
Harrison
Dead ass.
I’m tired of working for other people. I’m ready for the next chapter in my life.
Looking up from my phone, I catch the shop door opening. Willow walks just inside past the front door with my cat tucked under her arm. Dr. Grey looks less than pleased.
Jace
This is a huge project. What does Erin think of it?
Harrison
She hasn’t said much about it, but she knows I’m not happy where I’m currently at.
Jace
Yeah?
Harrison
I have an itch for a new adventure and I think we should do it together.
Jace
Having a partner makes it a bit more enticing.
Willow lingers by the doorway, her eyes meeting mine from across the sidewalk. Dr. Grey wiggles again in her arm and her lips part, as if she’s laughing. She gives me a small wave with her left hand before she sets the cat down and walks away.
My reaction is delayed, but my heart pounds a little harder in my chest as I lift my hand to wave back at her. My gaze doesn’t waver for a moment as I suck in a deep breath. Then my phone buzzes again, pulling my attention away from her.
Harrison
How bad of condition is the place in?
Jace
I have no idea.
Harrison
Well, go look. Check it out and if it’s something you’re interested in, I’ll come by and we can sit down and have a serious talk.
Jace
Deal.
Locking my phone screen, I tuck the device back into my front pocket and collect all the supplies in the front seat before exiting the truck. My footsteps are light as I walk back into the shop and find Willow putting Grey back into her carrier.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, her head tilting to the side, eyes glancing at the tools then back up to mine. “You were sitting out in your truck for a while.”
If there’s one person who always noticed if I were missing or if something was wrong, it was Willow.
And even now, she still doesn’t miss a thing.
A smile slowly lifts the corners of my lips as I stare at her from across the space. “I was texting with Harrison and I think we’re going to at least look at the rink.”
Her eyes widen before her face relaxes and she smiles. “I think that’s a great idea.”
“Yeah, I don’t know that we’ll buy it, but I want to at least check out the condition it’s in.”
“That’s great, Jace,” she says quietly, although there’s something off about her tone. She collects her things and I slowly pick up my backpack with Dr. Grey in it. “Do you want to just finish the bathroom tomorrow?”
My eyebrows tug downward. That was not the reaction I was expecting from her, especially when she was the one telling me to consider buying the rink. “Yeah... sure,” I say, though I’d rather stay and finish it today.
She slowly nods and her expression relaxes again. “Same time, same place tomorrow?” she asks. She looks almost hopeful.
“I’ll be here.”
Her smile softens a touch. “Great, see you then.”
I follow her out of the shop, neither of us saying anything more.
I don’t get into my truck until she’s in her car, pulling away from the side of the street.
I don’t know what that was—that strange shift in the way she acted.
I thought she would have been more excited about me wanting to look into the rink.
She seemed so serious and hopeful when she tried to convince me that I should consider buying it. Maybe she didn’t actually mean it, but that’s so out of character for Willow. She doesn’t often say things she doesn’t mean.
Well, she didn’t used to be in the habit of doing that.
Maybe Willow Alder isn’t the same girl as I remember.