Chapter Fourteen
~Willa ~
Mondays were usually some of the busiest at Town Hall, and today was no exception. Willa’s morning had flown by in a series of meetings about the Fourth of July parade next week, necessary upgrades to the playground equipment at a few of the town’s public parks, and a meeting with city council members about the mayor’s downtown revitalization project. Each meeting was incredibly busy with enough information packed into it to fill one of Lottie’s newsletters ten times over, but it was that last one that had a headache forming at the base of Willa’s skull.
The amount of inane chatter by city council members would have been enough of a contribution to her current pain, but them also being so dismissive of Nate’s ideas, something that turned his normally invigorating mood sour, made it much worse. Willa tried to remain positive and turn things around for her boss, but as a newcomer to the town and her job, the council didn’t pay her much attention. That meeting had been over for at least half an hour, but Willa could still hear her boss fuming on the other side of his closed office door.
Grabbing her water bottle and a handful of ibuprofen, Willa choked down enough medicine to tranquilize a horse in hopes that it would prevent the dull throbbing from turning into a head-splitting migraine. She didn’t get them that often, but when she did, they were always bad enough to put her out of commission for the rest of the day. The last thing Willa wanted was to have to cancel her lunch with Beckett because she was feeling nauseous and dizzy from the pain in her skull. It was a date she had been looking forward to since the second he agreed to it.
Feeling slightly more settled now that she had some pain prevention in place, Willa started to compile the meeting minutes, making sure to leave out the parts where the council members had gotten distracted by talking about whether Mrs. Nelson from Nelson’s Cherry Farm would win the Harvest Festival pie contest again this year or if someone would finally take the crown from her. Apparently, her three cherry pie was to die for. Although Willa had never been a big fan of that particular dessert, she found the idea of tart cherries and flaky crust appetizing. Thinking of pie had her stomach growling and bubbling with hunger. Willa’s eyes flicked to the clock on her laptop, her heart sinking when she saw that she had at least another little while to wait until her lunch date showed up.
It had only been two days since Willa had seen Beckett, but the absence she felt when he wasn’t around was already starting to get to her. The hollow, empty feeling in her chest from missing him wasn’t something she’d expected to experience so early in their relationship. Too much, too soon. The words played over and over, the chorus of the song of her past haunting her present. But how could she not feel so much for a man who was sweet, caring, gorgeous, and made a concerted effort to avoid her triggers and make himself better for her? Willa knew in her heart that Beckett wasn’t the same man as her ex and that things were different this time, but the intensity of the feelings she had for him scared her just as much as her last relationship had, maybe even more so.
Her therapist informed Willa that it was likely just jitters from stepping into something unfamiliar and having to learn to trust someone again, but knowing that didn’t make actually trusting everything about her feelings for Beckett any less difficult. Willa wished nothing more than to be able to blink her issues away and just enjoy the ride with him, but that wouldn’t happen, and she had to deal with all of those as well as the terrifying emotions that came along with a new relationship. Luckily, that relationship was with a patient man who wanted her despite the mountain of troubles she came with, and that was certainly nothing to sneeze at.
Clearing her head of the weighty emotions and newly determined to focus on her work, Willa returned to her typing only to be interrupted again moments later. This time it wasn’t her intrusive thoughts that had her fingers hovering over the keys, but a cold compress and an essential oil roller landing on her desk. Blinking from the items up to the person who threw them, her mouth twitched when she saw Lottie standing in front of her desk, one hand propped on her hip and a determined glint in her eyes.
Willa’s best friend looked particularly gorgeous that day in one of her signature looks. Her dark hair was styled like something straight out of a World War II propaganda film, the top twisted up in twin victory rolls and the rest falling in fat waves. Her body was encased in a red polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline that showed off the pinup-worthy curves that Willa had always been the teensiest bit envious of. Lottie resembled a time traveler from the 1940s, a quirky and over-the-top look that suited her. Willa absolutely loved it.
Smiling, Willa grabbed the items Lottie had tossed her way. “How did you even know I would need these?” Willa uncapped the roller and applied some of the oil to the base of her neck. Peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender wafted upward and the smell alone helped release some of the tension in her shoulders. As she pressed the cool compress to her temple, she studied the woman in front of her. Lottie was her very best friend and knew Willa well, but even she wasn’t powerful enough to predict the possibility of a migraine from miles away. “Are we connected by some sort of telepathy?”
Lottie chuckled, waving off Willa’s question as she moved to the chair in front of the desk and got comfortable. “Telepathy would be pretty cool, especially when I need you to grab extra milk at the store. But no, I heard that the city council meeting didn’t go very smoothly for the mayor and I know how cranky he gets when things don’t go his way.” She shrugged like having all of that information was typical for someone who didn’t work at Town Hall. “I figured I would drop those off for you to help deal with his grumbling.”
Raising a brow, Willa tucked the items into her desk drawer. “Okay, the fact that you are privy to so much of what goes on in this town is honestly a bit scary, but beyond that, how do you know so much about Nate and his moods?” Willa whispered. “There is clearly a history there, and the curiosity is killing me.”
Anytime Willa would bring it up to Lottie, her friend brushed it aside or made some vague comment about high school, but she never went into more detail than that. As someone who also had a hard time opening up to people about the past, Willa had tried to be understanding, but it was tough when there was obviously something between her friend and her boss.
Lottie’s perfectly manicured nail tapped against her chin. Finally, she shrugged and smiled sadly. “We went to high school together and competed for a lot of the same things like Student Body President, highest GPA, stuff like that. That’s how I know so much.” Her eyes shifted to Nate’s closed office door, a wistful look coming over her face before it morphed into something far more playful. “Speaking of the mayor, does he have a meeting on the books right now? I have business with him.”
“Lottie,” Willa warned. She could tell her friend was gearing up for something. One part of her was curious enough to see it play out, but another part, the one that liked her job and the money that came with it, wasn’t as keen to go along with it. “He’s not in a good mood.” In fact, Nate was in an uncharacteristically horrible mood and probably would be until he started making headway on his big project, something that no one but Willa seemed to want to help him with.
Lottie’s eyes sparkled as she bounced up from her seat. “That’s what makes it so fun, though.” She grabbed Willa’s desk phone, holding it out to her with big, pleading eyes. “Call him out for me, will you?”
Against her better judgement, Willa shook her head and pressed the buttons that patched her into Nate’s office phone. “You’re going to get me fired,” she mumbled.
Willa wasn’t sure why she always went along with Lottie’s schemes, but even in the short time they’d spent together in college, she had been helpless to not tag along with her dynamic friend. The woman had an insatiable curiosity about people and their business, and Willa always had a great time accompanying Lottie on her adventures, even if she herself didn’t understand the desire to learn everyone’s story. That was Lottie’s thing and right now it seemed she wanted a story from Nate. If nothing else, watching the two of them interact would be entertaining.
“Yes.” Nate’s voice was strained when he answered, and Willa instantly regretted her actions. Hopefully, Lottie wouldn’t push him to the brink, but one glance at her friend’s tenacious expression told Willa her hopes were likely in vain.
“There’s someone here to see you, Nate.” When Willa glanced back up at Lottie, she looked almost like a kid on Christmas morning, her eyes dancing with mirth as her body vibrated with anticipation. Even as Willa winced at how badly this could go, she had to stifle a laugh at Lottie’s ridiculousness.
A heavy breath sounded through the speaker before Nate’s voice came through again. “I’ll be right out,” he replied tiredly.
As soon as Willa dropped the phone back onto the cradle, she heard the door to Nate’s office open, his heavy footsteps reverberating off the wood floor. Spinning in her chair, Willa watched as he buttoned his jacket. “How can I help…” he trailed off as soon as he saw Lottie. His eyes seemed to light up for a split second before his brow furrowed deeply. After shooting a somewhat irritated look at Willa, he gazed over at Lottie. “What do you want, Charlotte?”
Undeterred by his gruff tone, Lottie smiled brightly and met him where he stood, her body nearly pressing up against his. If she wasn’t mistaken, Willa thought she saw that tiny spark of interest back in the mayor’s eyes, but it was gone again in seconds. “Oh, now don’t act like you’re not happy to see me, Mister Mayor, and I’m here to collect on something you owe to the citizens of this town,” Lottie said before whipping out her phone and shoving it under his chin. “As the number-one source of news in Applewood, I think it only fair that you finally grant me an interview for Locally Sourced . The people want to hear from their new mayor about what you have planned, and I am happy to be the one to tell the story.”
Lottie nibbled at her ruby red, bottom lip as she waited for his reply, her eyes hopeful even as Nate pinched the bridge of his nose. When Nate finally raised his head, he looked more annoyed than Willa had ever seen him as he narrowed his eyes at her best friend. “Sure, I’ll grant you an interview the moment you show me your press pass,” he said coolly.
The buoyant look Lottie had been sporting vanished instantly. “You’re not serious, right?” At Nate’s impassive expression, Lottie’s jaw clenched tightly and she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. “You know I don’t have one,” she whispered. Lottie may be the town’s number-one source of news, but that was in an unofficial capacity. She’d left school after her freshman year and never completed her degree program, so she wasn’t an official member of the press. Knowing how much Lottie hated being reminded of that fact, Willa couldn’t help but frown at her boss.
“Then we’re done here,” Nate said with a curt nod. Turning to Willa, he flashed a cool stare at her but his tone was polite and professional. “I’m unreachable for the rest of the afternoon unless it’s official business.” After putting Willa in her place, he marched back to his office and practically slammed the door.
“Yeesh.” Beckett’s smooth voice brightened Willa’s mood instantly, and she turned to watch him stroll up to her desk looking like a sight for sore eyes. He had a blanket under one arm and a picnic basket hooked over the other, and she was instantly excited to find out what he had in store for her. “What’s got Nate’s panties in a bunch?”
“Me.” The admission was nonchalant, but Willa could see the dejected look in Lottie’s eyes. “And as much as I would love to help him untwist them, he’s not interested and I’ve got other places to be.” Lottie shoved her phone back into her purse, and after a quick hug to Willa and a nod at Beckett, she smiled sadly and backed toward the staircase. “You guys have fun at lunch.”
Beckett’s head pinged from where Lottie had been standing to the closed door of his brother’s office before he shook his head dismissively. “Shall we?” He held his hand out to Willa and smiled. “We should get out of here before Grumpy the Bear comes back out of hibernation.”
Grabbing her purse, Willa locked her computer and slipped her hand in his, the feeling of their warm skin melding together washing away the tension from the day and the weirdness from moments ago. “Sounds like a plan.”
Their fingers intertwined automatically as they made their way out of the building and into the perfect June weather. The move to Washington had come with many benefits, but the biggest one had to be the lack of insane humidity. Walking around during the Florida summer was unpleasant, to say the least. The air was always thick with moisture, making you feel like you were drowning anytime you tried to breathe. Here, the sun shone brightly and warmed Willa’s face, but the air was crisp and much cooler than she had expected it to be.
It was a great day to be outside, something Beckett clearly had in mind as well based on the picnic basket over his arm. They caught up on the events of each other’s day as they basked in the sun and walked towards the current town square. The space was small, boasting only a couple of benches scattered here and there, and some parts of the cobblestone were raised and overgrown with grass. It was charming in a way, but Willa could see why her boss wanted to improve it and make the town center more of a place to gather and celebrate, not just somewhere that acted as a quant picnic spot.
After laying the red plaid blanket onto a patch of bluegrass, Beckett took a seat, patting the spot next to him. Smiling, Willa joined him and watched as he pulled items out of the basket one by one, each reveal making her mouth water. Glass containers filled with fresh strawberries, cheese squares, and cornbread muffins found their way to the blanket. Willa’s stomach growled audibly at the sight of so much delicious food. Beckett chuckled at the sound and when he reached in and pulled out one filled with brownies, Willa almost wept.
She was more than ready to dive into the meal, but seeing Beckett pause halfway to placing the brownies down had her brow furrowing in confusion. “Something wrong with the brownies?” Willa teased. Her tone was light despite the sinking feeling in her stomach.
Beckett smiled at her, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No, they’re good. It’s just that I realized I didn’t ask you if you were okay with a picnic. I just assumed.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked over at her sheepishly. “I should have asked. It’s just such a nice day out and…I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
Shifting so she was directly in front of him, Willa took his big hand in hers and kissed it. “You don’t need to be sorry. It is a nice day out, and having a picnic was a wonderful idea.” Cupping his face with her other hand, Willa ran her thumb across the smooth skin of his cheek. Stubble was nice, but she loved him clean-shaven as well, his soft skin a lovely contrast to his hard body. “I know that it’s tricky, trying to figure out what’s too much or not enough with me, but the fact that you’re even thinking about all of that is amazing and it means a lot, probably more than I can say.” Willa’s heart ached at the fact that they had to deal with this when it would be so nice to just be able to sit back and enjoy one another, but it also stretched, new compartments appearing to make room for all the lovely feelings coursing through her in the face of Beckett’s determination to meet her needs. “Thank you.”
Leaning up, Willa placed a feather-light kiss on his lips, intending to not do any more than that, but as soon as she got a taste, she couldn’t help herself from going back for more. Any good intentions she had about keeping things chaste flew out the window in the face of her desire for Beckett. Licking his bottom lip, Willa tasted the cinnamon of the gum she’d seen in his car, the chocolate and sugar from the brownie he probably snuck as he was packing the basket, as well as the heady taste that was uniquely and wholly his. With a groan, Beckett dropped the brownies and pulled Willa into his chest, their bodies colliding with enough force to have them tumbling backward onto the blanket.
Laughing against his mouth, Willa peered at him to see a look in his eyes so intensely affectionate that her heart nearly stopped beating. Hell, even time seemed to stop as she stared into the pools of hazel blazing with something that looked a whole lot like love. Too much, too soon. The words whispered in her mind, but instead of scrambling off him, Willa was able to place one last peck on his kiss-swollen lips before sitting up. Progress .
“Sorry,” she said with a shy smile. “Guess I got a little carried away.” It was easy to do with someone like him, and Willa could easily see it becoming a regular occurrence.
Beckett smiled and righted himself before passing her a container. Their fingers brushed as she took it, the warm tingles it caused lingering even as she opened it up and popped a strawberry into her mouth. “You have my full permission to get carried away anytime you like, Wild Woman.” He moved her hair off her shoulder, his fingers gently brushing against the skin of her neck for a moment causing Willa to shiver. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”
Blushing, Willa offered up the strawberries to him and couldn’t stop from beaming at him when he ate them from her fingers. “You’re incorrigible,” she scolded lightly.
With a wink, Beckett took her hand and squeezed it. “I want to thank you too.”
His eyes were filled with an emotion she couldn’t quite decipher, but if Willa had to guess it was something akin to admiration. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone looked at her like that. Looks of derision, of pity, and even some looks of understanding were all ones she was used to, but no one aside from perhaps her best friend had ever looked at her admirably. Having such a brave, accomplished man gaze at her that way was potent, so much so that Willa was almost lightheaded with how good it made her feel, her heart swelling with pride in herself for some unknown accomplishment.
“Thank you for surviving what you went through, and thank you for being brave enough to leave, and to try again with me.” Willa’s throat closed up as she watched Beckett raise her hand to his mouth and place a gentle kiss there. “I’m glad to know you, Willa Rose.”
Willa nodded as best she could while trying not to cry. As necessary as it was, leaving Jeff had also been incredibly difficult, and other than her therapist and Lottie, Willa didn’t think anyone had recognized that until now. “Thank you,” she whispered. Beckett pulled her into a hug and a few tears spilled out as she sank further into the warmth of his chest.
Getting out had been hard, and scary, and leaving the little bubble that had become her entire world, regardless of how toxic it was, had been a big fucking deal. Having Beckett not only see that but acknowledge it, acknowledge her , made Willa feel more seen than she ever had before. It was something she hadn’t expected to happen at all, let alone so soon. As good as it felt, it also had her feeling a little frayed at the edges, like an exposed nerve.
Sniffing, Willa leaned back and tried for a smile, knowing that it probably came across as more of a grimace. “Maybe we can talk about something else now.”
“Anything you need, Willa.” His breath fanned against her hair, tickling her skin as it brushed her shoulder. “Should we eat?” Instead of moving back, Beckett stayed close and held onto her as they dug into the meal he’d so thoughtfully prepared.
They spent the rest of their afternoon talking about anything and everything from their shared love of taco-flavored corn chips to their differing views on superhero films, but what they didn’t talk about was the elephant in the room. The one that had been lingering but hadn’t made itself known until that day. So far, Willa had been able to handle the two of them dating casually, but this felt anything but casual.
How would she handle things if they continued this way? She could handle Beckett dating her, but could she handle him loving her? Could she handle loving him? As Willa gazed up at him, the sun highlighting the smooth lines of his face and the open and easy expression that seemed to be a permanent fixture there, she couldn’t help but hope that the answer to both of those questions was yes.