Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
~WILLA~
“ M om!” Alexander Cary Monroe, the love and light of my life, squirms in excitement as I try to get his shirt buttoned up. Winter means it’s time for flannel, and flannel has buttons, and my eight-year-old doesn’t stand still for long. “Mom. Mom. Mom.”
“I’m changing my name,” I inform him and wrestle him around so his back is pressed to my front. I quickly fasten the last three buttons. “My name is now officially, Penelope.”
“Whatever, Mom,” he says with a giggle. “I need to have a serious conversation with you.”
“Then stop trying to get away from me. We have to leave in three minutes, and you don’t have socks or shoes on.”
My cell phone rings, and I blow out a breath of defeat.
“It’s Nana!” he exclaims, accepting the call. “Hi, Nana. Yeah, I’m ready for school.”
“Little liar,” I mumble as I sweep spilled cereal into my hand and throw it in the trash, then quickly wipe down the countertop and grab my purse. “Socks and shoes, Alex.”
“I know, I’m excited for the weekend, too. I get to go to Miss Hannah’s wedding as Mom’s date. Yep. I got a new suit and everything. Uh-huh. Okay, here’s Mom. Love you, too.”
“Socks and shoes, Alexander,” I instruct him, taking the phone. “Hi, Jean.”
“Hello, darling. I know it’s always hectic in the morning, but I wanted to chat with Alex before the weekend got underway.”
“You never have to apologize for calling,” I reply with a smile. Cary’s parents, Jean and Dan, have been so good to me over the past decade. They invited me into their family with open arms when I married their son, and they’ve been an important part of both Alex’s and my life since Cary passed. We couldn’t love them more. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes, we’re fit as fiddles.”
“How is Arizona?”
“Not as cold as Montana,” Jean says with a laugh, and I mouth “ let’s go ” to Alex. “Anyway, I love you guys. I was just checking in.”
“We love you too, Nana,” I reply and toss my purse in the backseat next to Alex. “I’ll be sure to call Sunday evening.”
“Bye, Willa.”
“Bye.” I hang up and hurry into the car, make sure Alex is buckled up, and pull away from the house. I still live in the home that Cary and I bought when we found out that I was pregnant with Alex. I love it, but it’s a good fifteen minutes from town, and I usually take my son to school rather than put him on the bus. It’s extra time to chat with him in the mornings.
He’s clearly a morning person.
“Mom! My birthday is only two weeks away.”
“I know. I was there.”
“I have a list of things I want, but there’s really only one thing I need.”
I cock an eyebrow and look at him in the rear-view. His brown hair, which I combed only twenty minutes ago, is already sticking up on the side. His dimples are deep as he smiles, and his brown eyes are full of joy.
“What do you need?”
“A puppy.”
I smirk and pull onto the highway toward town.
“Just hear me out, Mom,” he says. “I’m very responsible.”
“Says the kid who I have to wrestle into clothes five minutes before we leave the house.”
“I like my pajamas,” he says with a shrug. “But other than that, I’m responsible. I do my chores, and I clean my bedroom when you tell me to.”
“You do those things,” I agree.
“So, I’d be the perfect person to have a dog,” he says, his voice pleading. “I’ll make sure he goes outside, and you won’t have to clean up after him or feed him or anything. ”
Right. And if I believe that, I’m sure there’s some ocean-front property in Idaho I can invest in.
“A dog is a huge commitment,” I remind him for the third time this week. Not because I’m trying to talk him out of it. No, I’ve already got the puppy picked out, and we will take a special trip on his birthday to pick it up. “If we get one, it will be part of our family for a very long time, Alex. You can’t just decide that you’ve lost interest and move on to something else.”
“I would never do that, Mom,” he says, his voice serious. “A dog is a person that loves you no matter what. And we could train him to go with us to the shop.”
“I don’t want dog hair on the merchandise,” I inform him, not willing to budge on this.
“I can do this. I can be a good dog owner. And, my birthday is the perfect time.”
“We’ll see. I haven’t decided what you’re getting for your birthday. I almost forgot it was coming.”
I glance back to see him roll his eyes. “Whatever. You never forget anything.”
I laugh as I turn into the drop-off line at school. “I love you, Bubba. Have a good day.”
“Can I walk to the shop after school with Pierce?”
Pierce is Alex’s new best friend, and he walks home from school.
“Yes, but you come straight to the shop, you hear me?”
“Yes, ma’am. Bye, Mom!”
He slams the car door shut, and I watch him hurry to the teacher standing by the entrance, then gasp when I see that he’s wearing one white and one yellow sock.
“At least he’s wearing socks,” I mutter as I wave and pull away. “Mother of the year, right here.”
The school is only about four blocks from downtown Cunningham Falls so he won’t have far to walk. I love my town. I was born and raised here, and I always wanted to stay. A glamorous life in some city somewhere was never my dream.
That was Max Hull’s dream, and that’s why it never worked out between us.
I wanted to be here, in our sleepy town, with a husband and babies. I wanted a business. I wanted to be part of the PTA, the booster club, and I wanted to spearhead charity drives for the food bank.
And I have and do all of those things, minus the husband.
I pull into my parking space behind my store off the alley then gather my purse, coffee mug, and laptop, and make my way inside, disabling the alarm with just my pinky.
I’m a mom. Performing tasks with my hands full is my superpower.
I have two hours before I open, so I head up to my office and get busy taking inventory of the merchandise that was delivered yesterday, putting it on hangers and racks, ready for steaming.
I’ll have Krista, my part-time help, steam the new clothes when she gets here this afternoon.
Before I know it, my phone pings, alerting me that I’m only five minutes from opening time. So, I grab my mug of now-cold coffee and head downstairs. Once the door is unlocked, and the Open sign is lit, I pop a pod into the Keurig at the coffee station behind the lingerie and brew a fresh cup.
Much to my surprise, Cary did have a life insurance policy. Apparently, he took it out after we found out that I was pregnant, and I’ve been diligent about where I’ve allocated the money. I socked some away for Alex’s college, made a lot of repairs and upgrades to our house, and I took a year off of work when my little Alex came so I could get my feet under me.
Finally, about six months ago, I opened my own dress shop after working for someone else for way too long. Dress It Up is the other half of my heart. I carry smart, sexy, and beautiful clothes. Trendy pieces. Shoes that satisfy even the most discerning customer. And, yes, I serve coffee, wine in the evening, and when I’m feeling extra sassy, champagne.
“Willa,” my best friend, Jenna, calls from the front of the shop. “Where are you?”
“Getting coffee,” I call out. “Want one?”
“No, thanks.”
I weave my way through the racks and meet Jenna at the checkout counter in the middle of the store. “Hey. You look…frazzled.”
“Crazy morning,” I reply and take a sip of coffee. “Alex was trying my patience.”
“I think it’s his official job to do that,” she says with a smile. Jenna Hull is one of the sweetest people I know, and I’ve known her most of my life. Despite the history I have with her older brother, we have never let that get in the way of our love for each other.
She’s also maybe the most gorgeous woman in the world, with classic Grace Kelly beauty. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Killer figure.
If I didn’t love her so much, I’d hate her.
And when she takes a drink from her to-go cup from Drips & Sips, her engagement ring sparkles.
“How’s Christian?” I ask, still stunned that my best friend is engaged to the hottest actor on the planet.
“He’s amazing,” she says with a grin. “He has business calls this morning, and I am running some errands for Hannah. I can’t believe the wedding is this Saturday already.”
“Time flies,” I agree. “Is there anything I can do today? With the holidays over, I haven’t been as slammed in here.”
“I don’t think so, but I’ll keep you posted,” she says with a sigh. “My big brother is getting married.”
Brad Hull is the oldest sibling and the chief of police in Cunningham Falls. He fell head over heels for Hannah, an OBGYN who moved to town about five years ago. The man adores her, and I can’t wait to see them get married on Saturday. I was honored when Hannah asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, along with Jenna, and Hannah’s cousin, Abby.
“There are about twenty RSVPs out there in the universe that never made their way back,” Jenna says with a sigh. “Why don’t people just send back the damn card? It even has a stamp on it!”
“Because they’re mysterious,” I reply with a wink. “And if they’re local, I’d plan on them being there. This wedding is a big deal.”
“I think I’ll just elope,” she says with a sigh, and I feel my eyes widen in surprise.
“Really?”
“Nah, I need a pretty dress, but I’m in no hurry. And it won’t be big like this. Christian doesn’t need the media circus. I think we’ll do something super small out at the property in the park.”
“That would be amazing,” I reply with a nod. “And I’d better be a part of that something small.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says with a smile. “I guess I should get over to Brooke’s Blooms. I want to see the flowers in person.”
“Sounds like fun. Say hi to Brooke for me, and call if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
“Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Brad Hull!”
The room erupts in applause as Brad and Hannah walk into the reception area of the Lodge on the mountain, hand in hand, huge smiles on their faces.
So full of hope and excitement.
I swipe a tear from my cheek and clap my hands, my feet screaming in my four-inch heels.
“Are you sad?” Alex asks beside me. He’s in a black suit with a blush-colored tie that matches my dress because he’s my date.
“No, sweetheart, I’m happy.” I lean down to kiss his cheek, and he actually lets me, which doesn’t happen often in public these days. “Sometimes, people cry because they’re happy.”
“Girls are weird,” he says with a shrug.
“Girls aren’t the only ones who cry when they’re happy,” I argue with a laugh. “Isn’t Miss Hannah pretty?”
“I like her dress,” he says. “It’s not too poofy like on that show on TV.”
“No, it fits her perfectly.”
Hannah’s red hair is pulled back into a simple twist, showing off the strapless dress, sweetheart neckline, and crystals that wink in the lights. Brad hasn’t taken his hands off her since she walked down the aisle to him.
“Now it’s time for the bridal party to dance,” Jenna says into the MC’s mic. “Come on, guys!”
The next thing I know, I’m coupled up with Max, and for the first time in more than a decade, I’m in his arms, dancing to a slow song by the Goo Goo Dolls.
“Hey,” Max says with a half-smile. His arms are stiff around me, and his jaw is tight as if he’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Hi,” I reply softly.
I used to love this man when we were so young that I thought we’d be together forever. But that wasn’t to be. We wanted very different things.
Besides, not many people marry their childhood sweethearts these days.
Max and I have a long history. Some of it was wonderful, and some were the hardest times of my life.
But he’s living here now, and I refuse to let things stay awkward between us. We have the same friends, we move in the same circles.
I need to extend an olive branch.
“You know, it’s not fair,” I begin.
“What’s that?” he asks, cocking an eyebrow.
“That we’re all aging, but you just get better looking.”
His jaw stops, clenching as he takes a deep breath and finally smiles down at me with that grin that used to melt me into a puddle at his feet.
“Is that so?”
“I’m not telling you anything you don’t know,” I reply with a shrug. “You and Christian were both in that magazine a few months ago.”
“You read it?” he asks.
“I’m a woman over the age of sixteen,” I remind him. “Of course, I read it.”
“Tell me more about how you think I’m better looking.”
I laugh now, leaning in to rest my forehead on his chest and discreetly clenching my legs so I don’t pee myself.
Having a baby will do things to your body, like make your bladder weaker than a newborn bunny.
“You always were humble,” I say when I can breathe again.
“You started it.”
“So I did.”
“How are you, Willa?”
“I’m great,” I reply honestly. “How are you?”
“I can’t complain,” he says. He looks like he wants to say more, but suddenly, my son is tapping my arm.
“Mom, I want to dance, too.”
“Okay, Bubba. Alex, do you remember Mr. Max?”
“Hi, Alex,” Max says, smiling down at my son.
“Hi. Sorry to interrupt, but Mom said she’d dance with me.”
“She’s all yours,” Max says, passing my hand over to Alex and nodding. “See you around, Wills.”
Wills.
Only Max and Cary called me Wills. I haven’t heard that out loud in almost nine years.
“Mom.”
I glance down. “Yes, baby?”
“I have moves.”
I chuckle and rest my hand on his shoulder, letting him guide me over the floor. “Yes, you do.”
“I’m not tired,” Alex says with a yawn. He can’t keep his eyes open as I tug the covers up to his chin.
“Well, I am,” I reply and kiss his cheek. “Did you have fun tonight?”
“Yeah. I danced with all the girls.”
“Yes, you did.” I kiss him again. “You’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?”
“Like Dad?”
I sigh, breathing him in. His baby smell is long gone, replaced tonight by the scent of soap from his shower after we got home. He’s soft and cozy, and there are still brief moments like this one when he’s sleepy and tucked into bed, that he’s my baby.
“Yes, your dad was a charmer.”
“Tell me,” he says, settling in. This is a story I’ve told him since he was born. I don’t tell it as often now, but sometimes, when he’s not feeling well or has been thinking about his dad, he’ll ask for it.
And I always comply because I promised Cary that his son would know him.
“Your dad was born right here in Cunningham Falls, on March sixteenth,” I begin, lying next to him and holding him to me. “And just like you, he was a wonderful boy. I met him in Kindergarten. We had Mrs. Wilhem, in the morning class…”