10. Millie
CHAPTER 10
Millie
A fter my public display of affection with Will, my mom wanted to ask me a million questions. I should have expected her to be at the front desk, so even if she wasn’t intentionally looking for me, she would have seen. We were parked in direct view, and she knows what Will’s truck looks like.
Most of her questions were basic: when did it happen, how is he, does Jeremy know? She's sweet and doesn't push me because Will is practically part of our family. There's also a good chance she knows about our history, though she never said anything. A lot of people in town are in that same boat.
To avoid further interrogation, I decided it was the perfect day to tackle tasks that required me to be in the back room before I had to head to the inn to talk to vendors and volunteers for the festival. Mom hasn’t had a chance to see Will yet, but he plans to come to our family dinner in two weeks. We aren’t having one next Friday since it’s Valentine’s Day and Jeremy’s birthday party.
By then, Will should be able to tell me how long he plans to be in town. Rob’s health is also on my mind, knowing the timeline of Will being here is dependent on that. The last time I was in there and saw Rob, he seemed fine. Sure, he’s getting old and should retire soon, but I didn’t discern anything out of the ordinary. I’m waiting for Will to tell me the truth about why he’s here, assuming he’ll do that soon. And until that day comes, I’ll try to be patient.
The meeting at the inn went as well as I expected, although the butterflies in my stomach were at constant war with the thoughts in my head. Will kept stealing glances, and although I told myself it meant nothing, my heart felt differently.
Sunday was spent doing admin work for the week, but now it’s Monday morning, February 10th, and I’m manifesting a good day. The sun is out, there are a few clouds, but overall the weather is nice enough that I decide to walk into work today. Now that it’s getting closer to spring, Rose my favorite is the white chocolate raspberry scones. Jeremy hosts a ladies-only night at Pines and Pints, until the evening is crashed by men. It’s more like a ladies hour, but no one complains.
Again, the options are limited, so we deal with what’s offered.
Mom is going to help me run the build-your-own bouquet bar, and we expect a steady stream of customers throughout the entire day. Last year, we had some people venture to our small town instead of staying in the city, so I’m hoping that happens again .
Each year is bigger at the shop. More flowers, more customers, more demand. With my also running events, I’m burning out from the amount of work. My task lists get longer and longer. I try to hide it, to prioritize only the items that need to get done, but there have been a few things slip between the cracks.
One of which being the squeaky door in the front of the store. I need to get that fixed before we have people in and out of the store for hours, otherwise I’m going to lose my damn mind.
Within the first hour of the girls being here, we’ve eaten almost all the pastries, and I’ve caught them up on the latest with Will.
“Okay, so remind me how all this happened? He hasn’t even been in town for an entire week.” Florence asks as we prepare bundles for Valentine’s Day. She has her dark brown hair styled in a french braid, resting right under her shoulders, and I wasn’t surprised she chose to wear a bright pink matching yoga set. Similar to Ava’s photography outfit, this is Florence’s version of classy comfort.
“Yes, Flo. I already said that. Can we please talk about something else?” I ask the room.
“No, why would we do that?” Riley chimes in, her black hair recently chopped to a bob. Her version of classy comfort is a vintage band tee and ripped black jeans.
“Yeah, it’s not like you’ve wanted this man your entire life or anything.” Ava rolls her eyes and groans a string of cuss words, her hair falling over her face for the umpteenth time as she ties a bouquet.
“It’s new. I don’t know. It happened fast,” I say after making one round around the room to make sure we are on track to finish by the end of the day. And it’s not a lie. It did happen fast and I also don’t know what’s going on.
“I heard from Miss Jane the two of you put on a show on Saturday,” Florence says.
“Mm,” I hum, not denying the claim .
“Damn, Millie. Who knew you would climb the man as soon as he came back to town?”
“I’m not answering that,” I say. “Miss Jane roped him into helping me with the spring festival.”
“She did not,” Riley gasps.
My hands stay busy, placing flowers in the perfect place between a few vines, tying them with a thin band before I hand them to Ava.
“She did. I don’t know.” I sigh. “How am I supposed to run two businesses? Or undertake turning the event business into something more than the random weddings and last-minute gigs.”
“Mills, you know you can say no. Right? You don’t need to do every event,” Florence says. “You need to charge for your time.”
“I know.”
“And you could consider hiring more help. Not everyone is going to screw you over. Even someone part time. You know we would help more if we could,” Ava says.
“You all help me enough. I’ll figure it out,” I say, trying to give them my best smile.
I’m aware not everyone will screw me over like Kira, but it doesn’t make this decision any lighter. How can I ensure someone won’t mess with my business? This is my livelihood. It’s what I’ve worked hard to keep and maintain and be the best at. People could easily drive the hour to the city for their larger events, but they trust me.
The dinging of the front door opening halts any further probing of that topic.
“I’ll see who it is,” I say, eager to take a short break.
When I get to the front room, Will is standing there. Both of his hands are in his pockets as he makes a lap around the store, stopping by each display to bend over and take a look. I enjoy watching him as he takes in my store. What’s going through his mind ?
“I can sense you watching me, Rose,” Will says without looking at me.
My cheeks turn bright red, and I walk over to him as he’s looking at our upcoming events.
“You like planning events, huh?” Will asks. Not in a way that’s sarcastic or judgmental but curious.
“I do,” I say, and leave it at that. The nerves of having him in my space are starting to get to me.
“Did you forget about lunch?” Will looks at me now.
My eyes widen. “Shit, Will.” I reach out and touch his arm.
His gaze drops to the touch as if I lit him on fire.
“I’m sorry, we’ve been busy with these flowers all morning, and I lost track of time.”
“Yeah, sorry, Willy,” Florence calls from the front desk, her head resting on her hands. She must have followed me out here in case I needed help with something.
“Hi, Florence,” Will says, his tone laced with a fake annoyance.
“Be nice to her.” I playfully push Will away before walking over to Flo. “Do you mind if I step out for lunch?”
“Do I mind if you step out for lunch with your boyfriend that’s mysteriously new like there’s nothing you’re hiding? No, not at all.”
She knows I’m holding something back; they all do. They wouldn’t be my best friends if they blindly believed everything I told them.
“Thanks, Flo. I’ll be back in an hour.”
I yell to Riley and Ava, letting them know the same, before heading out the front door.
“You know, you need to fix that door. That sound is awful.” Will motions to the store.
“It’s on the list,” I respond, huffing out a laugh. “Toward the bottom of the list though. There’s only so many hours in the day, and I have other items that always jump higher in priority. But I want to fix it before Valentine’ s Day.”
“I can fix it for you, Mills.”
Will reaches between us to grab my hand as we walk to Willow Pines Diner for lunch. I let him interlace our fingers. It’s dangerous how familiar this feeling with him is. But I’m supposed to let myself have this, right? Even if it’s temporary, I can do this. If I don’t have any expectations for him, I might survive this when he leaves.
“You don’t have to, I got it.”
“It’s the boyfriend thing for me to do, Millie Mae. You can trust me to help, you know. I can handle it.”
I only accept his help as we reach the diner. I’m afraid I’ll spill my heart to him if I let myself. That’s how easy it is to talk to Will, especially when we get into it. Falling back into our normal push and pull is as easy as riding a bike for the first time when it’s no longer freezing outside. I’d like to say I’d forgotten what it’s like to be around him, but I didn’t. There are people who, when you’re with them, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve seen them last, it’s like no time has passed.
That’s how it is with Will.
No matter how much time has passed since we have spoken, it never takes long to fall back into our normal.
I hope this time it doesn’t end with heartbreak.