Chapter 33 #2
Scottie’s protective instincts roared to life again, and this time, she couldn’t contain them. “Please, Willow. Let me help. I’m not trying to take over and fix your problems for you, but maybe I can offer a helping hand every now and then.”
“But it wouldn’t be just every now and then.” Willow ran her free hand through her hair, smoothing back the tangled strands. “You haven’t seen how bad it can get if I’m stressed and panicking. I can’t ask you to clean up all my messes.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering. I like helping you, and I don’t care how often it happens.
” Scottie’s cheeks warmed at the confession.
“Being the superheroine with the toolbox who gets to swoop in and rescue you… Not that I think of you as a damsel in distress, but…having you trust me to help makes me feel like maybe I am enough. Like I have something to offer.”
“You do,” Willow said firmly. “And you are enough.”
“I believe that now—because of you. Early on, when we were stuck in that elevator—you told me I didn’t need to change to deserve love. So if anything, you were the one who fixed me, not the other way around.”
Willow stared at her with tears gleaming in her eyes.
Scottie tightened her grip on Willow’s hand. “Now let me return the favor. Let me help. If we work together, I’m sure we can find a way to save your job.”
Willow hesitated, clearly wrestling with old demons. Finally, she nodded. “Okay,” she whispered.
The rush of relief sweeping over Scottie was so intense that she swayed. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Willow said with a bitter chuckle. “You might regret it once all the IT tickets start to come in.”
“Never. If your tech acts up, don’t even bother filing a ticket.
Text me directly. I might be able to tell you how to fix it yourself so we can avoid leaving a paper trail.
Or at least you can jump the queue and get help faster so you don’t fall behind on your work.
” Or maybe she could resolve Willow’s IT issues without documenting anything.
If there were no tickets in the system, Mr. Sorensen wouldn’t find out.
It was a risk; Scottie knew that, but she was willing to take it.
Willow searched her face. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to get special treatment?”
“Of course it’s okay.” Scottie tried to put a bit of levity into her tone. “As my girlfriend, you should get the special VIP tech support package.”
Willow sat very still. “Girlfriend?” she repeated barely above a whisper.
Scottie froze, only now realizing what she’d said. Oh hell. “Ugh. Too much, too soon, right? I know we’ve been on only one date…unless you count our practice dates, which you probably don’t, so I realize I’m going much too fast. I really didn’t mean to… Well, I did, but—”
Scottie was still rambling, tripping over her words, when Willow leaned in and kissed her.
The words instantly trailed off, and so did Scottie’s scrambled thoughts except for mmm and so soft and don’t ever stop. She melted against Willow’s warm lips.
Emotions seemed to flow back and forth between them.
Willow wrapped one arm around Scottie, pulling her close. Her fingers tangled in the fabric of Scottie’s coat as if she never wanted to let go again.
Scottie lifted her free hand and cupped Willow’s face, stroking her cheek with one finger, while their mouths continued to caress each other.
When they broke the kiss and moved back a little, Willow smiled for the first time since Scottie had picked her up for lunch.
Scottie traced her curving lips with her fingertips. “So you’re okay with me calling you my girlfriend? You don’t think we’re going too fast?”
“Well…” Willow pressed a kiss to Scottie’s fingers. “Us dating might be new, but let’s be honest. We’ve been dancing around this for a couple of months now. I tried to forget about that kiss in the elevator…”
“But I’m hard to forget and even harder to resist,” Scottie finished the sentence with a grin.
“That you are.”
“Okay, then. VIP girlfriend support package officially activated.” Scottie made a beep-beep-boop noise, like a program coming online. “All systems ready.”
Willow’s laughter wrapped around her like a warm hug. “What does that VIP girlfriend support package include?”
“Unlimited priority troubleshooting. Faster response times. Full confidentiality.” Scottie ticked off each benefit on her fingers. “And as many kisses as you want.”
Willow leaned against her shoulder. “I accept.”
Scottie chuckled happily. While their tone was playful and lighthearted, she knew how hard it was for Willow to accept her help. “It was throwing in the kisses that convinced you, wasn’t it?”
“Totally.”
Their lips came together again, and the kiss only ended once Willow’s stomach let out a fierce growl.
They pulled back, laughing.
“That support package wouldn’t also include lunch, would it?” Willow asked. “I forgot mine upstairs.”
Scottie stood and pulled her up from the bench. “Come on. Let’s go find a food cart and see if they accept your VIP girlfriend badge.”
“Ooh, there’s a badge?”
“No.” Scottie flashed her a grin. “I just wanted to have a reason to call you my girlfriend again.”
Willow’s gaze went soft. “You can call me that anytime.”
Scottie’s heart felt as if it could barely contain all the emotions she felt. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Willow intertwined their fingers. “But I still want that badge.”
Laughing, they walked toward the food carts at the corner, still hand in hand.