Chapter 13 Willa
Willa
I drive home in a daze, my lips still tingling from Henry’s kiss. When I get to my cottage, Mrs. Chen is outside despite the cold, taking out her trash.
“Dr. Monroe!” She waves. “How was your evening?”
“It was... good. Really good.”
She beams at me. “Henry Hunter is such a lovely man. And that boy of his is a sweetheart.”
“They are,” I admit, unable to stop smiling.
“It’s so nice to see you happy, dear. You’ve seemed so sad since you moved here.” She pats my arm. “Hold onto that happiness. And that man. Good ones are hard to find.”
I watch her shuffle back to her house, and something settles in my chest.
Hold onto that happiness.
Maybe I can. Maybe I’m allowed to.
Inside, I text Henry that I made it home safe, and then I do something I haven’t done in two years— I call my best friend from med school, Sophie.
“Willa? Oh my God, it’s been forever! Are you okay?”
“I kissed someone,” I blurt out.
Silence. Then… “You what? Details. Now.”
I tell her everything— about Henry, about Ben, about the bakery and the lava cakes and the kiss that made me feel alive again.
“Willa,” Sophie says softly when I’m done. “You sound so happy.”
“I am. But I’m also terrified.” I blow out a long breath.
“That’s normal. After what Wally did—”
“Henry’s not Wally.”
“I know. But your brain doesn’t know that yet. It’s going to take time to believe it.” She pauses. “Willa, you deserve this. You deserve someone who makes you feel safe and seen. Don’t run from it.”
We talk for another hour, and when I hang up, I feel lighter. Like maybe I’m not as broken as I thought.
I fall asleep thinking about tomorrow’s dinner, about getting to know Henry and Ben better, about the possibility that this could actually work.
And when I dream, it’s only of a future where I’m brave enough to be happy.