15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
I n the dark, Willow stood alone on the shop floor, wringing her hands. Once her legs stopped trembling, she’d fled to the Emporium to check the locks and bolts. The aroma of the festive tea blends mocked her; only two days ago, she’d welcomed Nate into her life to celebrate Christmas, but now she had to let him go. They weren’t meant to be together. For the wrong reasons, she’d suspected it yesterday. She knew it now. Fate cast the die on their relationship before it began the moment Libby entered the shop.
Willow refused to expose Nate to any incoming threat and her past. Panic returned. Was Rafe outside, waiting in the shadows? Had he typed the message from a local B&B and was now breathing the same sea air? Familiar shadows and shapes became malevolent. Her imagination ran riot, fuelled by her rising fear. Her heart raced and another wave of nausea threatened. The walls loomed above her and began to close in, consuming her. She gulped for air.
‘There you are. It was getting lonely upstairs. I didn’t hear you get up. That’s one thing I’ll miss when I get home. The sea air and its ability to give you a good night’s sleep, though snuggling a beautiful witch helps too.’ Nate padded into the shop with Vincent trailing behind. His voice snapped her back to the room, and the walls receded. Seeing him dressed in only his jeans, and his hair tousled from sleep. Willow fought the urge to step forward, to be enveloped in the security of his arms and feel his naked chest against her. She turned and looked into the courtyard. The full moon reflected on the frost forming on the paving slabs. There was no one there. ‘I’ll get my fix when I come back for Glenn’s New Year’s Eve party and—’ He registered her reluctance to engage. ‘What’s wrong? Willow, you’re shaking and freezing.’ She flinched at his touch and backed away.
‘Willow, talk to me. You’re scaring me. Is it your head? Do I need to contact the hospital? They said—’ Panic rose in his voice and he patted his jeans for his phone.
‘My head is fine. I—’ She faced him and faltered. The speech she’d planned vanished in his presence, hijacked by the part of her urging her to confide in him. Tell him about Rafe, the past she ran from, and make him stay. ‘It’s us. This thing we have … You need to go home.’
‘I know, I’m going after lunch and then—’
‘No, you don’t understand. You need to go now. We won’t work, we’re too different. There’s no use delaying it. Please, Nate, just go.’ He stood in silence studying her and she mentally implored him to do as she asked. The longer he was there, the harder it was to fight her resolve.
‘Please, I’ve made up my mind. You don’t belong here. Just go.’
‘Fine. If that’s what you want.’
She bit her lip and nodded. Nate stepped back and walked out. The sound of his ascent on the stairs twisted her heart, and she struggled to hold back the tears. The temperature behind her dropped. A faint Mrs Marley appeared, followed by a concerned Old Percy. Great. Now I have witnesses to my heartache .
Nate returned, fully dressed, carrying a box of his belongings he’d accumulated in a short space of time. Vincent leant into Nate when he bent down to ruffle his mane. Vincent’s intense stare willed her to stop this charade and tell him to stay. She shook her head, despite knowing she was breaking her cat’s heart and hers.
‘Bye, boy. Bye, Willow.’ She made eye contact with him and wished he saw her pain, the unsaid words and fear. It was a battle of emotions as her head confirmed what her heart had been telling her since they first met, she loved him. Three days in his company and she had fallen hard.
She slid back the bolts and unlocked the door, and pulled it open. He strode past her, in silence, and with Vincent by her side, they watched him disappear out of sight through Black Cat Alley, but not out of their hearts.