Chapter 6 – Willa
SIX
WILLA
I have to fight back an uneasy rise of panic as I park in front of a cute gray house the following afternoon.
I tell myself it’s residual adrenaline because I somehow drove from the city to Holly Ridge by myself, no bodyguard in sight.
The decision was impulsive, but after stewing on it all night after my run-in with the paparazzi, the subsequent lecture from Jackie, and the awareness that my writer’s block isn’t improving, I decided I needed a change.
The conversation I’d had with Adam ricocheted through my mind as I tossed and turned all night, pinging back and forth and hitting each and every sore spot I’d been hiding for the past few years— all the loneliness, anxiety, and nerves.
The fake nature of my life. The burnout I’d been ignoring.
The lingering unhappiness closely followed by guilt whenever I acknowledged it.
This morning, I called Jaime Wilde and asked what he would need to feel comfortable with my being bodyguard-free for the next few months.
I thought he’d be aghast, tell me it was impossible to travel without someone around all the time for my own safety, but when he heard where I was going, he was surprisingly okay with it, saying Holly Ridge was a bit of an anomaly, and so long as I stayed in the town, I could go alone.
Without a second thought, I packed a couple of suitcases, loaded them into the trunk of the car I rarely drive, entered my destination into my GPS, and headed out without a word to anyone else or a moment to second-guess.
Now, I’m here in the small town of Holly Ridge.
It’s just as cute as I’ve heard, and when I look next door, it’s clear that while I’m sitting in front of Adam’s house, the cute house beside it is Wren’s.
It’s currently decorated with gorgeous, colorful blooms of flowers in the gardens and well-maintained, with a Welcome Spring!
flag blowing gently in the wind. The porch is twined with what I think are fairy lights, and I’m suddenly desperate to know what it looks like when it’s dark.
It lacks the elegance or the extravagance of the homes I’m used to, but somehow, it’s even more beautiful because of it.
Come on, Willa, I tell myself, taking a deep breath and looking back to Adam’s boring-by-comparison front door. You’ve got this. What’s the worst that could happen, anyway?
Well, I tell myself. Adam could look at me like I’m out of my mind for taking him up on his offer to visit him in Holly Ridge.
He could act like he’s never seen me or tell me he was joking.
Even I have to admit the irony that, at any given moment, a magazine or newspaper is probably posting every intimate detail of my life, but walking up the front steps of a friendly acquaintance I’ve worked closely with is what makes me nervous.
With one final deep breath, I grab my keys and then step out of the SUV.
My hair is pulled into my normal ponytail, but I’m wearing a hat that I dug out of the depths of my closet.
I’m not wearing the blue-tinted contacts I always wear when we’re out and about, which were given to me as a kid when I was on a popular family sitcom, and they needed a blonde hair, blue-eyed girl.
I’m in a pair of my black leggings and a white sports tank, with pristine white sneakers on my feet.
If Jackie saw me out and about in this, she might have a heart attack, but there are no cameras here, so I should be able to avoid her wrath.
Slowly, hands shaking, I make my way up the sidewalk, stepping up the three steps of the front porch carefully before taking in one last breath and ringing the doorbell. Then I step back, waiting patiently and trying to regulate my breathing.
Then I wait.
And wait.
Biting my lip, I wonder if maybe the doorbell doesn’t work. That happens, right? People knock on doors in the movies, so maybe I should try that. Breathing in deep, I knock three times, trying to add as much confidence as I can to the move.
Again, nothing. I glance over to the empty driveway. I thought the car might have been pulled into the garage, but maybe he’s not home? Wren mentioned that they are going on vacation sometime soon, so maybe they left?
What do I do if he’s not here?
I’m trying to sift through my thoughts, or rationalize and organize them, when I hear it.
“Willa?” a voice calls from next door, and panic scorches through me.
Why did I ever think I could blend in and disappear into this small town?
Maybe I should have brought Gabe with me after all.
I take in a deep breath and put my mask on, happy, slightly stupid Willa Stone TM, and turn towards the speaker before starting to make my way down the steps.
“Hi—”
“Oh my god, it is you!” a pretty brunette says, moving down the wide walk in clapping flip flops.
She’s in a pair of worn-in jeans and an oversized T-shirt that reads, Holly Ridge Elementary, as she makes her way over.
I can’t remember if I have a Sharpie in my bag or if I— “Adam didn’t tell me you were coming! ”
She moves across the sidewalk, and I walk more slowly towards her, but when she finally comes into focus, I realize it’s not a fan, excited to see a star out in the wild. It’s Wren, Adam’s girlfriend.
I feel it when it happens, when my easy, public smile turns genuine and spreads across my face.
It’s the wonky smile that my team has told me isn’t cute, showing the one slightly crooked tooth on my bottom row of teeth that, despite Jackie’s insistence, I refuse to fix.
But right now, I hope it shows Wren just how happy I am to see a familiar face, that the relief coursing through me is genuine.
“He didn’t know I was coming!” I say with a laugh and a shake of my head.
I move down the sidewalk, meeting her halfway, and try not to be surprised when she pulls me in for a big hug.
She’s a few inches shorter than my five feet eight inch frame, but then again, most everyone is shorter than me, so it’s nothing new.
“Oh my god, it’s so weird to see you here!” I bite my lip nervously, and she reads it instantly. “Oh, no, not like that, I just mean…this is Holly Ridge.”
“Well, I’ve heard great things about it. I figured I’d come and see what all the hype was about.” She nods eagerly, grabbing my hand and tugging me away from Adam’s place toward the house she came out of.
“Adam’s over here,” she says, turning up her sleeve. “He doesn’t live there anymore.”
Jesus, Willa, you almost completely blew everything.
“He just signed the lease yesterday to rent it out; the new tenants are moving in next Monday. He’s living at my place now.”
“Oh,” I say, confused and flustered as she moves me to the door and ushers me in.
“Babe!” she calls as soon as the door closes behind us. I stand there, confused. “You’ll never guess who is here!” she calls.
“Hallie?” he asks, exhaustion in the word, and Wren laughs, but before she can correct him, he comes down the stairs and catches sight of me. “Willa?”
“Hey, Adam.”
A hesitant smile crosses his face.
“Hey! Wow, you’re here. What are you doing here?” he asks, wrapping a gentle arm around Wren.
I shrug, suddenly embarrassed. “You said any time.”
“I guess I did,” he says with a laugh. “Can’t say I actually thought you’d take me up on it.” Slowly, dread curls in my gut. This was so stupid. I should have called. I should have warned him. I should have sucked it up and stayed home.
“I’m sorry, this was–”
He shakes his head quickly.
“No, no, it’s totally fine. I didn’t mean it in a bad way, and I just can’t believe you’re here in Holly Ridge.”
“Have you eaten?” Wren asks, and I’m grateful for the diversion. “Lunch. Have you eaten?” I look around her small kitchen and shake my head.
“No, I–”
“Perfect! I’ll get lunch started, and you can tell us all about your plans!” Wren says, excitement written clearly across her face.
“That’s really not—”
“I promise it’s easier if you just let her take care of you,” Adam says, voice low as he leads me into the kitchen. It’s strange, this interaction, the normalcy of it, but I chose not to look at it too closely.
“Is there anything you don’t eat?” she asks, opening the cabinets and looking over her shoulder at me.
My mind instantly goes to the most recent diet my nutritionist had me on, a dozen things I shouldn’t eat on it.
She called it an anti-inflammatory diet, something people who have allergies usually are, though I have none.
But the point of this is to find myself, right? I smile. “Nope, I’m not picky,” I say.
“Perfect.”
Thirty minutes later, I’m incredibly pleased I didn’t give her any restrictions because the half-eaten sandwich before me is the most delicious thing I’ve had in some time.
She told me she grabbed the bread from the town’s farmers’ market as she cut thick slices of the sourdough for me, herself, and Adam.
Then she layered thick, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and more bacon than I’ve ever seen on a sandwich, adding fancy toothpicks to keep them together before sliding it across with some bagged chips that I don’t think I’ve eaten since I was a kid.
They crunch deliciously, and the salt and oil are addictive, just like I remember.
“So you convinced Jackie to let you have a break?” Adam asks after I tell them that I’m essentially off for three months, a teasing smile on his lips.
“Not quite,” I say with a smile. “Leo kind of insisted on building intrigue for the next album. My next relationship doesn’t start until September, so he wants me to lay low.
” Adam nods with understanding, and Wren looks over her shoulder at us, a look I can’t quite decode.
“But I’m glad. At first, I wasn’t sure what I’d do with the free time, but now I’m kind of looking forward to it.
I’ve been under the spotlight nonstop for…
” My words trail off, unsure of exactly how long it’s been. “A long time.”
“I know,” Adam says, understanding more than most people. “So what are you going to do with all of your free time?”
“Oh, I…” I start, and then I laugh. “Honestly? I’m not sure.
I haven’t had time off in a long, long time.
” I lick my lips, popping another chip in my mouth and chewing thoughtfully before expanding, “I knew I was going to drive myself insane at home alone the whole time. You said this place was great for your writing block, and I figured three months could give me the full Holly Ridge experience.”
Adam nods, a small tilt to his lips seeming to approve.
“Where are you staying?” Wren asks. I bite my lip and lift a shoulder.
“Not sure.”
“You’re welcome to stay here,” she says, looking towards the stairs.
“One guest room is Adam’s office now, but we have three.
I can move my crafting supplies to the one closest to our room so you’re not right next door…
” The cutest blush burns on her cheeks, and I fight the laugh bubbling in my chest.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be staying here. I’m going to go look for a hotel.” Wren’s nose scrunches up, and Adam’s lips roll inwards. “Or maybe not…?”
“The hotel here is small, not something you’d really want to stay in full time. There’s no kitchen or anything, so if you’re planning to stay longer than a week, it wouldn’t really make much sense.” There goes that plan. I bite my lip, trying not to look as thrown off as I feel.
“Well, then maybe I’ll look for some kind of long-term rental?” Now it’s Adam’s turn to look unsure.
“Rentals are far and few between here in Holly Ridge. It’s why my place got booked so quickly. It doesn’t really exist.”
“And Colton already filled his place,” Wren says low, a finger moving to her lips, though I have no idea who Colton is.
Her lips purse, as if she’s thinking, and from what Adam has shared with me, it makes sense.
Apparently, Wren can’t stand the thought of not helping and needs to find a solution.
Desperate not to further inconvenience her, I start to speak.
“I promise I can figure it out, there’s no need—” But suddenly, her face lights up an idea hitting her. A red-tipped, blunt finger taps at her chin, and she grins.
“You know, I might have a place for you,” she says.
“Really?” Relief washes through me, and it leaks into my words.
“Yeah. It’s small, but no one’s living there right now. And it’s furnished! No one will be staying there, so if you want to spend the whole three months here, you totally could.” Her own excitement is brushing off, and I sit up straighter, my smile widening as understanding appears to strike Adam.
He seems to contemplate her words before speaking. “Hallie’s old place at Three Kings?”
Wren nods, and he turns to me with a wide grin on his face.
“You said you wanted the true Holly Ridge experience, right?”