Chapter 5
Willow
As soon as Willow stepped off the Greyhound bus, she felt her body begin to immediately relax, which was no easy feat after a few hours’ journey cramped in her seat.
She unloaded her luggage and stretched, breathing in the crisp air that seemed immediately to be so fresh and pure – and better than she ever remembered.
This was it. She was home. There was no going back now! Well, not unless she felt like grabbing another Greyhound, then train, and facing the return journey again. Her back screamed out in pain at the sheer thought.
As if on cue, her phone buzzed with a message. She swiped the screen to read it.
Hey girl. Are you here? I’m outside in the beat-up Buick. You can’t miss me.
Willow smiled at Jenn’s text, stuffed the phone back into her pocket and followed the now dwindling crowd towards the exit. Despite it being late April, the sun was warm on her back and the sky was bright blue and cloudless. It was a beautiful day.
The journey itself had been pretty uneventful.
Jake had sent her a few messages, including one playful text reminding her that it wasn’t too late to change her mind.
Willow guessed he wasn’t too heartbroken though.
His latest video was of him out drinking with his coworkers and acting particularly loud and raucous.
Maybe Jake was looking forward to this break as much as she was? Perhaps it would do them both good.
Wasn’t that something Grandma used to say to her? ‘A change is as good as a rest.’
Willow spent most of the journey catching up on reading, which she hadn’t managed to do for so long.
There was one romance book that she had been meaning to start for months but hadn’t gotten around to yet – a kind of ‘will they, won’t they, should they’ book.
It was fun and full of the usual tropes and Willow soon became swept up in it.
Fortunately, her train car was quiet, so it was easy to concentrate.
An older lady sat opposite her, engrossed in her own reading and a couple of younger women were sitting across from her, excitedly chatting about their travel plans.
The mood in the car was a positive one and Willow was able to really sit back and relax, loving how the city views soon cut away to more rural scenes.
At one point the older lady opposite struck up conversation with her.
‘Going anywhere nice?’
‘Oh.’ Willow suddenly felt shy. ‘I’m actually going home. To Honey Springs, by the mountains.’
‘I’ve heard of that. I’ve never been though.’ The old lady had smiled. ‘Hasn’t it got that incredible waterfall? I always wanted to see it.’
Willow nodded, feeling a sense of home pride fill her. ‘It is beautiful. So high, and fairly secluded because not many people know about it. I used to hang around there all the time.’
She thought back to the long summer days they had spent as children sitting alongside the water’s edge.
When she was younger, it was mainly Lucas she went there with.
Her grandma and Lucas’s mom were friends and so it was natural for Willow and Lucas to hang out together.
It was so much easier back then. Lucas was so much fun, and hilarious too.
They spent their days making up adventures and sharing their dreams. It was all so innocent and sweet.
Of course, that all changed as they got older.
Willow met Jake, and she and Lucas drifted apart.
Sometimes she even wondered if he pushed her away.
Thankfully, she still had Jenn and Jake to spend time with.
It was hard to think back to those days and not feel a twist of sadness.
How could a friendship as strong as theirs have slipped away so easily?
Maybe that was a sign it wasn’t really a friendship at all. Or maybe they simply grew up?
‘It’s nice to go back to special places,’ the old lady said, breaking her thoughts. ‘I live near Port Angeles, have done all my life, but I’ve just been in Seattle visiting the hotel where my late husband took us for our wedding night.’
‘That must have been very emotional,’ Willow replied.
‘It was.’ The lady’s eyes twinkled. ‘It reminded me what was important. That we should never let go of those memories.’
She settled back with her knitting and tutted softly under her breath. ‘And it also reminded me that we miss those that we have let go of.’
‘I guess we’ll just have to work on making new memories,’ Willow replied.
And that’s exactly how she felt now, as she moved towards the exit with her minimal collection of luggage. Everything felt familiar, and yet it was so different – so much had changed in five years.
She had changed.
She only hoped that Honey Springs would still have enough of what she needed, and that it would accept her for who she was now.
She was no longer the scared eighteen-year-old, nearly nineteen-year-old, who left all those years ago.
She was a scared twenty-four-year-old, clinging to a dream.
‘Willow! Willow, over here!’
Willow turned towards the loud voice and spotted a woman frantically waving at the back of the parking lot.
Her hair was an array of bright-red, springy curls piled into a mess on her head and her wide, infectious smile was impossible to miss.
She was dressed in sun-yellow overalls and what looked like purple Doc Martens.
Some people never change!
‘Jenn!’
Willow rushed over to her and within seconds she was encased in the biggest hug ever. Jenn smelled of apples and fresh grass. Her soft hair bounced against Willow’s. Jenn pulled away, as if she had to get a really good look at her.
‘You look so glam!’ she exclaimed. ‘And your hair is different.’
Willow touched it self-consciously. She had spent a fortune on these honey highlights and had to admit she hadn’t been sure about them afterwards, even though Jake had assured her that she looked much better and wanted her to get more.
Then again, Jake had always had a ‘thing’ for long bleached platinum hair and Willow’s brown locks had never really fallen into that category.
‘I guess I’ve changed a bit,’ Willow admitted, staring down at herself.
She was just wearing jeans and a plain sweater, but they were designer, and she knew they hugged her figure just right (they had to for that price!).
When she left Honey Springs, she had been wearing the most basic of clothes, including a knitted sweater that her grandma had made.
Jake had helped her create a wardrobe that was both simple and expensive – after all, they wanted to set their standards high in the city, even if it meant maxing out their credit cards.
Her mind began to wander. Oh how she loved that shabby old sweater. What had happened to it? She frowned, knowing that Jake had never been a fan. Had it fallen victim to one of his major purges?
Jenn was full of chatter as she picked up Willow’s cases easily, despite her tiny frame, and slung them into the trunk of her old car.
‘Don’t you love this? The old Billy Buick? Well, to be honest, it’s not really mine. I’m just borrowing it. But the old boy needs a spin. It never gets used otherwise.’
Willow looked the car up and down. She wasn’t an expert at all. That was more Jake’s area – but she could tell the car was pretty old and yet barely had a mark on it. There was something quite beautiful about it.
‘I thought we could stop on the way for a bite to eat,’ Jenn continued. ‘I was so excited when you called, Willow. It’s great you’ve come back. I’m almost sad I will be going away myself. I’ll only have this weekend with you.’
‘We need to make the best of it then,’ Willow replied warmly.
‘We have so much to catch up on,’ Jenn agreed, jumping into the car. ‘You need to tell me all about your job and your life these past five years. And Jake, you need to tell me how it’s been going with adorable Jake. I always had such a crush on that guy.’
Willow smiled. ‘Yeah, I remember.’
There was a time, as teenagers in high school, when both girls had liked Jake. Luckily, it had never ruined their friendship and when Willow had finally ended up with him, Jenn had been perfectly fine about it.
‘It’s funny though,’ Jenn said now, watching as Willow clambered in beside her. ‘I never thought Jake would be who you ended up with.’
‘Really? Who did you think I would be with?’
Jenn laughed and started the ignition. ‘Oh, you don’t need to worry about that now. I was a crazy teen. I knew nothing. Come on, we need to make a move.’
And before Willow could say another word, Jenn had hit the gas and was speeding them out of the station.
They drove fast, just about keeping to the speed limit.
It was clear that Jenn was a reckless and erratic driver, hitting the gas at every turn, and Willow found herself gripping her seat for the majority of the journey.
Despite this, it was still fun. Jenn spent most of the drive filling Willow in on some of the Honey Springs gossip.
‘Do you remember Greg? He now runs the Watering Hole bar. He’s probably the most unsuitable person for the role. He doesn’t even drink! He’s still trying to create his bestselling game, though between you and me I don’t think he’s past the first prototype.’
Willow laughed; she remembered Greg well.
He was Lucas’s best friend and one of the most quiet and intelligent people she had ever met.
The thought of him serving customers in a bar was certainly surprising.
She never imagined him leaving his bedroom, or the gaming room at the bookstore.
She was looking forward to checking him out in action and just the thought of a cold beer now was making her mouth water.