Chapter 19
Willow
This was the last thing Willow had expected to happen, but now she was simply going along for the ride; after all, she needed something to take her mind off her miserable evening.
For a start, she hadn’t meant to be so short with Mia last night, but it had been such a shock seeing her there at the door, especially when Willow had expected to see Lucas, or maybe even Jake.
When Mia had apologized and asked where Jenn was, Willow had been snappy with her and told her off for visiting so late.
She had immediately regretted her actions when Mia had quickly left.
When Willow arrived to apologize, she was relieved that Lucas had disappeared into the kitchen. She didn’t need to be staring at his moody face while she spoke to Mia. It would only annoy her.
She had been surprised when Mia had made the comment about Lucas being in love with her but judging by the face that Lucas pulled before he left the room, it was either an ill-timed joke from Mia or she had made a mistake. Either way, Willow chose to ignore it.
They may have been close once, but there was no way Lucas loved her.
‘I was rude because I kind of thought it might be someone else,’ she had told Mia, feeling a little pathetic. She decided not to be completely honest and tell her about her thoughts about Lucas, that was too confusing.
‘Oh who?’
‘My boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend, I guess. Jake. We are on this break at the moment but I thought maybe—’
‘He was coming back for a little bit of fun?’ Mia probed.
Willow immediately felt herself relax. ‘Yeah, that. I guess I just wanted to let off a little steam.’
Mia had nodded enthusiastically. ‘Oh, I totally get it. I had such a crush on him when I was younger. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have admitted that!’ She giggled. ‘Who doesn’t want to let off some steam from time to time?’
‘The thing is, the last thing I want is for us to get back together. If I’m honest, I think our relationship has been struggling for a long time.’
She paused and then added, ‘I kind of feel bad though. Shouldn’t I be upset or angry or something? Not relieved?’
And not having weird, hot fantasies about your brother, she thought, her face growing warm. Last night she had dreamed about him and it hadn’t exactly been PG-rated …
Mia sat back to consider this. ‘Was he a good boyfriend when you were together?’
Willow nodded. ‘At first, yes, but these past few years, things have changed. I guess I got busy at work and then Jake started to get involved with his online stuff. I dunno – I think we just grew apart. We’re still friends. We still get along but—’
‘There’s no spark?’
Willow stared down at her hands. It felt wrong talking about Jake to someone she barely knew, but it was also good to clear her head.
‘No,’ she said finally. ‘There’s nothing there for now. And I’m fairly sure Jake is interested in another woman. I don’t even care though. I think I would be happy if he met someone else.’
Mia snorted. ‘This is definitely a dead relationship, girl.’
Willow didn’t reply. It felt better to unload, and she was relieved that Mia didn’t seem to think she was some kind of rude bitch.
Adding to it was the complication of Lucas.
She still felt confused by her feelings towards him.
Why had she felt so jealous when he had gone off with Sapphire?
Lucas was so rude and standoffish with her; she didn’t understand why he was featuring in her thoughts so much.
Really, she should feel like she used to, like a friend towards him.
But something had shifted inside her. She was seeing Lucas in a different light, and it felt odd and weirdly unsettling.
It had to be because she was missing Jake. She was diverting her true feelings onto Lucas.
‘You look lost in thought,’ Mia said, nudging her. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I’m having man trouble too.’
‘Really?’ Willow noticed that Mia’s expression had changed; she was looking more thoughtful.
‘Yeah, really. I haven’t told Luc though, so keep it to yourself for now,’ she whispered. ‘He’ll just get all mad. He never particularly liked Joshua anyway.’
‘Weren’t you together a long time?’
She nodded. ‘Yeah, a few years. I moved to New York with him after Mom died … It seemed like the right thing to do, and it was for the most part. Joshua is successful, funny and ambitious, and everyone loves him – you know the type.’
Willow thought of Jake and nodded. He sounded familiar.
‘Anyway,’ Mia continued breezily. ‘It turned out everyone really did love him, including my best friend, Gina. It’s such a cliché. I caught her in bed with him last week.’
‘Oh, Mia,’ Willow gasped. ‘What are you going to do?’
Mia shrugged. ‘I dunno. We had our whole lives planned out, now I don’t know what to do. I guess I’ll just crash here. I don’t think I ever want to be with a man again …’
‘The way things are going I’m not sure I want to be with anyone either …’
‘Hey, maybe we can open up our own inn – become rivals to the spinster Parker twins. We can be the new bitter, twisted, evil women in town …’
The two of them burst into laughter, just as Lucas came back in. His dark glare swept over them both. Willow found herself sinking back in her seat, suddenly self-conscious and feeling a bit silly.
And then Mia suggested that she should come with them on a trip to the Falls.
For Willow, this was perfect. A chance to get away for a while, to take her mind off Jake.
An opportunity to remind herself how beautiful Honey Springs really was.
She had put off visiting the Falls until she had time to really enjoy them, so this seemed as good a time as any.
She glanced up at Lucas again and saw that he looked anything but happy.
In fact, he seemed positively miserable.
‘I’m so glad we’re doing this,’ Mia said as they set off down the track that curled behind The Diner towards the Falls. ‘Do you remember when we were kids? You two were always coming down here and you wouldn’t let me come with you.’
‘That’s because you were annoying,’ Lucas muttered. ‘Not much has changed, to be honest.’
‘Lucas!’ Willow said. ‘You were not annoying, Mia! We just liked doing things by ourselves. We thought we were super special or something.’
Lucas turned to her and nodded, smiling a little.
It was the first time his face had softened all day.
Most of the morning, he had been complaining that it was too cold, that he wasn’t in the mood and that the women were talking too much.
Willow had longed to talk to him more, to probe him on how he felt about Sapphire – but she quickly decided now was not the time.
‘Yeah,’ he said wistfully. ‘We really did think that, didn’t we …’
‘You were both so annoying,’ Mia mused, pulling a face. ‘Always in corners giggling together or running off to play games that I couldn’t be a part of.’
‘We were young.’ Willow laughed. ‘Although, we were best friends, weren’t we, Lucas?’
He nodded; his cheeks had colored a little. ‘Yeah, the best …’
‘I don’t even know what happened. I guess once we got to high school, we found other friend groups …’
Willow had expected Lucas to finish the sentence for her, or at least agree with what she had said, but instead he went quiet again and stared off into the distance.
She sighed inwardly; it was so difficult having these conversations, but she was also having trouble remembering why their relationship had slipped away.
How had they both let that happen so easily.
After all, they had been close. How had it been so easy for that bond to break?
Mia slipped her arm through Willow’s. ‘That’s enough of the reminiscing for now. I don’t want to be left behind again. Let’s focus on the here and now, OK?’
‘Sure.’ Willow smiled. ‘That sounds like a great idea.’
Willow felt herself begin to totally unwind as they trekked along the the long, downward path towards the waterfall.
The rain from the night before had made the ground underfoot soft and moist and there was still a taste of it in the air.
A gentle breeze whipped around them, moving the fir trees that surrounded them like faithful protectors.
The citrusy, woody scent they released was both comforting and familiar.
‘I swear just being out here wakes me up,’ Mia said. ‘I love the city, but I always felt a little sleepy, like a part of me was never fully there.’
‘I totally get that,’ Lucas replied. He was staring straight ahead, but there was a soft smile on his lips. It seemed that simply being here was helping him relax.
Willow remembered how they used to run down here as kids, fighting to be the first to reach the Falls.
One time, she had tumbled to the ground in her haste to get there first and badly grazed her knee.
Lucas had felt so bad, even though it hadn’t been his fault.
He had found an old Spider-Man Band-Aid at the bottom of his backpack and spent ages rinsing out her cut with his water bottle, carefully picking out the tiny stones that had embedded in her skin and tenderly putting the Band-Aid on.
He had been so gentle.
Willow then started to recall a more recent event when she and Jake had had a vacation in Greece.
Jake had wanted to drive up one of the mountains to get a photo of the view for his socials.
However, when they had gotten out, Willow had slipped on some loose rocks and cut open her leg.
Jake had been dismissive at the time, telling her it was ‘only a little graze’ and that he had seen much worse at work.
Willow stared down at the scar now. It was still visible on her calf.
A silver, moon-shaped reminder of the day when Jake would rather take pretty pictures of the views than help her.
He certainly wouldn’t have carefully picked the dirt from her cut or helped her up when she was still wobbly. But she and Lucas had been kids then; was it even a fair comparison?
‘Hey, are you OK?’
Willow realized Lucas was looking at her with that same gentle concern he had all those years ago. Something fluttered deep in her stomach, like a bird being released. She placed her hand against it to try and still the feeling.
‘Yeah. I’m fine,’ she replied.
But she really wasn’t. For the rest of the walk, all she could think about was that scar and how deep it had actually cut into her.
The waterfall was as beautiful as Willow remembered, but she still had to take a moment to stand back and really appreciate it.
It took a moment to find the Falls off the main path as they were partially hidden by the towering Douglas firs, western hemlocks and moss-covered maples.
The Falls themselves cascaded like a silver ribbon down a fern-draped cliff, framed by mist and green shadow.
It was like something from a movie scene or a long-forgotten painting.
Perhaps it was because she had been away for a while, but Willow had to stand back and really take in this view.
How had she left it behind so easily? It was so beautiful and breathtaking and better than any memory had allowed.
It was quiet except for birdsong and the occasional crunch of needles underfoot as one of them moved around to fully take in the scenery. The air was cooler here, damp and fragrant with fir and moss. It filled their lungs completely.
The waterfall dropped around eighty feet in a thin, elegant stream, veiling the dark rock face behind it.
Willow remembered how the spray caught the light on sunnier days, creating fleeting rainbows in the mist. Beneath it, a small creek rippled over smooth stones, threading its way through roots and fallen logs before flowing towards the larger lake – the Honey Pot itself.
This waterfall was not thunderous; it was completely serene. A place that felt utterly untouched, like time had slowed down and all their memories were carefully contained here.
Willow drew out a breath, tasting the metallic tang in the air. ‘Is it possible this is more wonderful than I even remember?’
Lucas was standing close beside her. ‘I think there is something about this place. It shifts and changes every moment, so that you can never take it for granted.’
Mia was busy inspecting the water’s edge. ‘In summer, we should jump right in – have a swim. It looks safe enough.’
‘Don’t be crazy, Mia! The water is rapid; it’ll dash you against the rocks in seconds,’ Lucas growled, his dark expression returning. ‘There was a reason we never used to bring you.’
‘Yeah, because I’m too much fun,’ Mia trilled back. ‘It’s fine. The lake is good enough for swimming. I’ll make do with that.’
Willow suddenly ached to be in that water, even though she knew it would be freezing. Swimming in Honey Pot Lake used to be one of her favorite activities.
Thinking about it now, she realized she hadn’t swum for so long.
Jake never particularly liked water-based activities.
She couldn’t even recall him spending much time at the Falls or the lake.
As a teen, he would do everything he could to stay away from them, often dragging Willow up to the Ridge with him.
‘I’m going to take a wander further upstream,’ Mia said. ‘I feel like I need to get my steps in. I can take some photos of the Honey Pot. Anyone coming?’
‘If it’s OK, I’d like to stop here for a bit,’ Willow said quietly. ‘It’s just so nice being back at the Falls. I think I’d forgotten how much I’ve missed it.’
Mia nodded and turned to her brother. ‘What about you, dumbass? What do you feel like doing?’
To Willow’s surprise, Lucas moved next to her.
‘I think I’d quite like to stay here too,’ he said. ‘I’m tired from yesterday, and you know me – I love the Falls. I’ve forgotten how much too.’
He turned to Willow. ‘As long as you don’t mind being stuck with me?’
‘Of course, I don’t.’ She smiled back.
In fact, it felt just right.