Lila
Iwas bone tired. Working multiple jobs, sneaking around with Owen, and filling out financial aid forms had me running myself ragged these days. But Magnolia had flown in to check on Willa, so I had to rally for girls’ night.
Poor Willa had been in Portland with her parents for the last few days, making arrangements and talking to doctors. Her father would return home after he completed a stint in a rehab hospital down south, and she was taking it all so hard.
Willa was short and curvy, with honey-blond hair and dark brown eyes. She was one of the most motivated people I’d ever met. Since we were little kids, she’d worked harder and longer than everyone, always striving to be the best, but she’d done it all with a smile on her face.
Seeing her so pale, with shadows under her eyes, was killing me.
I put my arm around her and pulled her close. Magnolia had arrived early and convinced Jim to give us the huge booth in the back so we could have a little privacy, away from the prying eyes and listening ears of Lovewell.
As much as I’d love to be at home curled up in my sweats with a Hallmark movie, Willa needed us.
Magnolia raised her wineglass. “First order of business. A congratulatory toast to our girl Lila. Accepted to every grad school she applied to.”
Warmth spread through me as I clinked my glass with theirs. It had been unexpected, to say the least. But the notifications had kept coming in. Five acceptances. I was still waiting on financial aid decisions, but there wasn’t much that could keep me from New York and our plan.
Willa teared up. “I’m so happy for you.” Sniffling, she accepted the cocktail napkin I held out to her. “You’ll have to have fun in New York without me.”
“Don’t say that,” Mags said, pulling her shoulders back resolutely. “We’re not doing this without you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I have to take over the clinic here while Dad recovers. This county desperately needs doctors, and I’m board certified now.”
“You don’t know what the future holds.” I set my drink down and clutched her hand. “You could be in New York doing your fellowship in six months.”
“Doubtful.” Her shoulders slumped. “Dad is looking at probably a year of concentrated rehab to get his quality of life back, and even then, he may never be able to practice medicine again.” She swallowed thickly, then gave us a sad smile.
“This is where I belong. It’s the family legacy.
The Gagnons and the Heberts have their timber, and the Savards take care of people. ”
She had always been so proud of this history, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t struggling with the responsibility. Willa was a great doctor. She could do this, but my heart broke for her. Like me, she’d been dreaming about the freedom and excitement of New York for so long.
Her great-grandmother had been a midwife, and she’d delivered every baby in this town for more than thirty years.
Her grandfather and her father had served our community as doctors.
Her mother was a psychologist who operated a sliding-scale practice to support mental health access for low-income families.
“They all devoted their lives to Lovewell. It’s my destiny too. I know that. But I thought I’d have a little time for myself first. I’d get my three years in New York so I’d know what it was like to just live for a while before all the responsibility kicked in.”
As she drained her wineglass, Magnolia gestured to Jim to bring the bottle.
“These were supposed to be my years. I’d do my fellowship in New York, work normal hours, and have a life. I’d date. I was going to get in shape. I was even going to find a few hobbies.”
Magnolia arched an eyebrow at her. “Really? Dr. Willa Savard is going to develop hobbies?”
She frowned, affronted. “Maybe table tennis. Or knitting.” She tilted her head. “Or falconry.”
“Falconry. Now you’re just fucking with us.”
“Falcons are very majestic birds,” she said, covering her mouth to hide her giggles. Willa had no poker face.
God, even when things were rough, I could always laugh with my girls.
I was so lucky they’d stuck with me through all the Cole drama.
Each had warned me about giving up on myself and my future several times.
They’d even staged an intervention before we moved to Florida, but I wouldn’t hear their concerns.
I was sure that if I could just be a better girlfriend, if I could wear the right clothes and do my makeup perfectly, be friendlier, more supportive, then things would get better, and eventually, I’d get the happily ever after I’d been searching for since I was a kid.
I closed my eyes and thanked the universe for bringing these insane, beautiful people into my life.
“This is why I love you,” Magnolia said. “You are going to be just fine, Dr. Willa Savard. We won’t let you miss out on anything.”
“I shouldn’t even be saying this stuff out loud.” She deflated. “I’m such a terrible daughter. I could have lost my dad. Really, I’m so grateful he’s okay.”
I covered her hand with mine and gave it a squeeze. “You can say anything to us. It’s not selfish to have complex feelings about something this major. Your plans and priorities are shifting, and that’s hard. We’re always here and willing to listen without judgment.”
And the tears were back. She blotted at her eyes with the cocktail napkin again. “He’s always been my hero.”
My heart clenched. Willa had the kind of loving nuclear family I had longed for as a kid.
“It breaks my heart that he’s hurting. There’s no question that I will pick up the slack. I’ll get things worked out at the clinic. I have to finish my residency program in June, but I owe it to him to do my best. It just feels like so much.”
“It is a lot,” Magnolia said, scooting closer and putting her head on Willa’s shoulder.
“But you can do hard things. And you won’t be alone.
I can come up every couple of weeks and help however I can.
We can come here for drinks. Ooh, I have an idea.
” She perked up and flagged Jim, the curmudgeonly owner of the Moose, down.
“Jim, would you be opposed to going to mixology school? I’ll pay.
That way we can elevate the cocktail game in this place. ”
Jim threw a bar towel over his shoulder and scowled before stomping to the other end of the bar.
“Okay, we’ll work on him. I’ll get you New York caliber cocktails, babe, just wait. There’s not much I can do about the waffle fries, though.”
“You can’t change the waffle fries,” I said. They were unarguably the superior fry in Penobscot County, but sadly, until Jim invested in a dedicated fryer, I couldn’t eat them. So instead, I got a side of celery that usually accompanied the buffalo wings. Not exactly the best bar snack.
Magnolia popped one into her mouth and chewed. “True. They’re not sushi at Nobu, but they taste pretty damn good.”
Willa broke out in a watery smile. “I love you both so much. But let’s not kid ourselves.
I’m going to be working nonstop, keeping up with patients and billing and insurance and making house calls.
Any hope of having a life has vanished. But it’s okay.
It’s a privilege to serve the people of Lovewell and keep them healthy.
I’ll probably have to move in with my parents, but I’ll make it. ”
“Wow, that’s the spirit,” Magnolia deadpanned. “How about this? Take my house. Live there. Do whatever you want.”
“I couldn’t. What if you need it?”
“Given that it’s a seven-bedroom lakefront mansion, I’m pretty sure there’s room for me to visit.” She picked up another waffle fry and dipped it in ketchup. “It rarely gets used. After all the money I spent on the damn roof last year, someone should live there and benefit from it.”
Willa worried her lip and studied her wineglass. “I’m not sure.”
“You were going to live in my house in New York. Why not live in my house in Lovewell instead? I’ll make sure Mr. and Mrs. Lewis take good care of you.”
“They’re still alive?” The Lewises had been caretakers of the house back when we were kids.
“Yup.” She sipped her wine. “I built a retirement cottage for them on the property. They don’t do much anymore except call me when something needs to be fixed. But I love them. They have been far kinder to me than any of my actual relatives.”
This was textbook Magnolia, so generous and so loving.
I nudged Willa. “Do it. You could wake up every morning with a view of the lake. I’ve been living here for more than a year now. Trust me, there are a lot of plus sides.”
Willa practically gaped at me. I’d been complaining about this place my whole life, but it was the truth.
I held up one finger. “Natural scenic beauty.” I added a second. “A slower pace.” Then a third. “Real, genuine people—”
She grasped my hand, interrupting me. “I get it. Thank you for trying to cheer me up.”
“This place is leveling up,” Magnolia argued.
“Have you been to the new coffee shop yet? It’s not the only new business in town either.
I’ve heard rumors that they’re bringing back the River Festival.
And the Smiths are selling the inn.” Magnolia tapped her metallic gold nails against her wineglass. “I’m thinking I might buy it.”
I choked on my wine. Eyes watering, I slapped a hand to my chest and gasped. “You’re going to buy the inn? How rich are you?”
She shook her head. “Don’t ask. It’s just so charming. The town needs it if we want any of the other local businesses to survive long term. And you know I love a renovation project.”
Willa shook her blond hair. “I’m confused. You, Magnolia Stephens-Thomas, are going to give up planning events in the Big Apple to become a backwoods innkeeper?”
Magnolia threw a balled-up napkin at her. “Gross, no. You make it sound so sad. I won’t be the one running it. I’ll buy it and fix it up, then I’ll find someone to run it for me. It would be a strategic investment in the economic future of Lovewell.”
“You’re insane,” Willa scoffed.