11. Will
CHAPTER 11
Will
“ H ello, lovebirds,” Donna greets us.
“Hi, Donna,” Millie says.
She lets go of my hand and embraces Donna in a hug. Millie is this way with everyone in town. It’s one of the reasons why everyone loves her. She always makes people feel loved and heard, and it’s likely why she is always slammed with business.
I’ll need to ask her about the event business because it sounds like something she wants to make a more official thing but hasn’t had the time.
Not having time seems to be a reoccurring theme for Millie.
“Your usual spot?” Donna asks, somehow remembering after years where we would sit.
“Oh, um—” Millie looks from Donna to me.
“Yes, please, Donna,” I respond, grabbing Millie’s hand.
I give it a squeeze as we follow Donna to our normal booth. The last time we were in this spot was almost exactly three years ago, the same night I ruined everything that could have been between us. There are days I believe it was supposed to happen.
Three years ago I wasn’t ready to move back to Willow Pines.
Sure, I loved Millie, but I was still figuring out what life looked like for me. I was still hoping for more in the city. If I would have moved back to the small town where I grew up, I thought I’d have thrown away everything I worked for.
And there’s always the whole “right person, wrong time” argument. That’s something I contemplate often when I mull over me and Millie. Although if someone asked me what I thought about it now, knowing everything that’s gone on between us, I don’t know how I’d answer.
I didn’t expect to come home and have my relationship with Millie turn from angry and not friends to whatever this is.
On the way to the booth, everyone looks from Millie to me to our clasped hands, and I like it. More than I should. I want them to look. And when Millie slides in the far-side of the booth, I slide in beside her instead of across from her.
She tilts her head and narrows her eyebrows at me.
“We’re dating, Mills.” It’s my way to excuse wanting to be so close to her.
She’s not ready to hear that, even if it’s something I can’t stop thinking about. The feeling of her body against mine haunts my dreams, so much so that when I look her way, this relationship feels real. Everything feels real.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts by Donna asking if we need anything. Millie takes over, ordering her usual lunch.
“Same for you Will?” Donna asks, notebook in hand.
“Yeah, Donna, thanks.”
Even though I haven’t been home in six months, my order has never changed. It’s still their staple cheeseburger and fries, same as Millie.
“The planning meeting on Saturday was good, I think,” Millie says, breaking the silence.
“Yeah, I think so, too. Is there anything we need to talk about?” I ask, taking a sip of my water.
“Weren’t you the one that had ideas to talk to me about?” Millie puts quotations around the word idea, and I laugh, because I did forget that was my reason for getting lunch with her today. It’s not because I wanted to see her…that’d be ridiculous.
“Oh, yes, right, ideas.” I chuckle and rack my brain to come up with at least one idea to present.
Even though I won’t be here for the event, since it’s in mid-April, I want to make sure it goes well.
Saturday night at the inn, we spent time with a group of volunteers and business owners to brainstorm ideas for the festival. Most of them volunteer every year or work for one of the stores on Main Street, so by the end of the night, we had a giant list of things to look into. That’s something Millie and I plan to do later in the week, but I don’t have anything else to add right now. I know Carter Records will be responsible for the music, but Grandpa will be the one running that, not me. This will be the twenty-fifth anniversary of the spring festival, and he’s done every single one.
Why Miss Jane thought Millie needed help is beside me, but I’m not going to question being forced to spend more time with her.
“Well, look at you two.” A voice from my right interrupts my train of thought.
When I turn away from Millie to the room, Jeremy stands next to the table, and I’m grateful for the distraction.
Jeremy slides into the seat across from us. He won’t stop smiling at us, and it’s freaking me out.
“Jere, stop looking at us like that,” Millie chides.
“I’m not looking at you in any way, Millie. It’s my sister and my best friend being all cozy together.” Jeremy leans back in the booth, resting his hands on the back of his head.
I kick his foot. He yelps in surprise and glares at me.
“Don’t make this weird,” I say. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Yeah, I’m waiting for my order, and I’ll get back there. I’m the owner, you know. I can do whatever I want. ”
Millie laughs and shakes her head. “You have food at your bar, Jere.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same. Plus, I eat there all the time.” He shrugs. “You both are coming to my party this week, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” I say.
Jeremy is having his birthday party at The Shed on Valentine’s Day because it’s the best place to dance and get drinks. I come back to Willow Pines for his birthday every year, but this year it made sense to come a little early and stay a little longer to make sure everything with Grandpa is okay. And so far, everything does appear fine. But sometimes he looks off to the distance, and when he turns back to me, he seems off . I can’t describe it, but I’m hoping the longer I’m in town, the more I’ll be able to know he’s okay before I head back to the city, if I head back to the city.
I don’t know what I want to do anymore.
I’ve only been in Willow Pines for a few days, and I’m already questioning going back to the city. When I drove here, the thought did cross my mind, already thinking of ways to alter my teaching schedule.
For the next few minutes, Millie talks to Jeremy about the spring festival. He wasn’t able to be there on Saturday because of work, so him being here now plays well in our favor. But I’m glad when Donna comes over with both our food and his because that means I’ll get more time alone with Millie.
We say bye to Jeremy, and as he leaves, I throw my arm around Millie.
I try to not let the way she stiffens under my touch bother me, but I should have expected as much. We did talk about boundaries, but that doesn’t mean she’s all of a sudden forgiven me.
“Are you still mad at me?” I lean over and ask, low enough that only she can hear.
My lips twitch when shakes her head. “I decided not to be mad at you while you’re in town.”
What would she say if I wanted to stay in town forever? I play with the strands of hair resting on her shoulder, curling them around my fingers.
“That’s good. It’ll make this easier,” I say.
She mumbles in agreement, sticking a fry in her mouth. One moment, she’s smiling at me, the next her eyes dart around me and she curses under her breath.
“What?” I ask and begin to turn around to see what she was looking at, but her hand catches my jaw, stopping me.
“Wait,” Millie rushes out. Her hand moves to the back of my neck before she brings her mouth close to my ear to whisper. “Kira and some of her friends are here.”
“And let me guess…they are staring?” I ask.
“Unfortunately.”
“Should we...?” I trail off, hoping she knows what I would ask her without explicitly spelling it out.
“I guess?” She says it like a question, pulling back her face to look at me. “I mean, if you want to.”
“Millie, I’d kiss you any time, with or without an audience.”
Her cheeks flush as she bites her lip, and instead of responding, she leans forward to press her lips against mine. I don’t know if she wants to kiss me as much as I want to kiss her, but the more we do this, the more I don’t want it to end.
An unfortunate vibrating of my phone interrupts our kiss. It stops. Starts. Stops. Starts.
“Fuck,” I whisper against her lips. “I’m sorry. It could be my grandpa.”
Millie shakes her head and says, “Don’t be. Get it.”