Chapter 17 #3
Willow looked away; his gaze was too intense.
She didn’t want to tell him that she hadn’t felt ready yet.
The Falls were too special for her to visit on a whim.
She needed to pick her time. She felt silly even thinking this, but she knew Lucas was one of the few people who would probably understand – after all, it was where they had spent their childhoods and created their first adventures.
Jake had never got it; he thought the Falls were overrated and boring. He couldn’t see the beauty they had.
‘Maybe I’ll go tomorrow,’ she mused. ‘I’m not planning to open the wagon on Sundays. Not yet anyway.’
‘You really should go,’ Sapphire said with gusto.
‘It took my breath away. We had such a wonderful time, didn’t we, Lucas?
’ She tugged his arm gently. ‘Lucas had the fantastic idea of grabbing some snacks from the store on the way up, so we more or less had a picnic. And then he was telling me all the old legends.’
Willow’s eyebrow raised. ‘You were?’
Lucas’s mouth curled. ‘Yeah, of course. Everyone wants to hear the Honey Springs legends.’
‘Honestly, this has been the best day. I will post a video tomorrow and a blog.’ Sapphire’s eyes were gleaming. ‘Everyone is going find out about this dreamy place.’
Willow grinned and thanked her. Lucas had definitely worked his magic this time around; she was practically glowing. Even Lucas now seemed more relaxed and at ease. What had happened to the moody, sulking man that had stalked out of here?
Willow watched as Sapphire took him to one side, giggling like a schoolgirl, her hand resting a bit too long on his muscular arm.
A flicker of envy flew through Willow again and she had to swallow hard to fight it.
What was she doing? Willow watched as Sapphire took his phone and started punching something into it. Her number? She was giving him her number? Lucas was smiling back lazily and looking very pleased about it all.
She waved at them both as she left. ‘I’m sure I’ll be back soon.’
Her words were purely for Lucas.
She breezed past Willow and whispered in her ear. ‘He’s hot. Like, really, really hot. How are you not all over him?’
Willow laughed but didn’t reply – watching instead as the blonde beauty left almost as quickly as she arrived.
‘Wow.’ Willow breathed out. ‘She really liked you.’
Lucas was staring at his phone. ‘You told me to be friendly. I was friendly. I followed orders.’
‘Looks like you were more than friendly …’ Willow couldn’t hide the bitter tone in her voice.
‘What does that mean?’ His smile was still there, teasing. ‘Not jealous, are you?’
‘Don’t be silly.’ Willow busied herself cleaning her surfaces. ‘I just didn’t think she was your type.’
‘My type? And what’s that exactly?’ When Willow didn’t answer, Lucas simply chuckled to himself. He studied his phone again and then shoved it back in his pocket. ‘You’re probably right though. I don’t think she is.’
Willow kept her face turned away from him.
She didn’t want him to see the rush of relief that had suddenly swamped her.
‘Let’s just hope this has worked, for both our sakes,’ he said finally. ‘Because it’s looking like we need some kind of miracle.’
And then he left Willow alone with her thoughts – which were both confused and annoying. What was it about Lucas that was getting right into her head?
Later that night, Willow was back in her cabin staring at her phone. She was trying to focus on her socials – posting inviting content about the van and her latest promotions. This was all part of her distraction techniques to keep her mind where it needed to be.
So why was it that every time her mind began to drift, she couldn’t stop thinking about Lucas in the tight-fitting top, with his dark, moody eyes and gruff, but oh-so-sexy attitude?
She remembered how she had felt when Sapphire had taken his arm to lead him away, and a spark of anger pierced her heart.
Why was she feeling like this? She was never normally a jealous person, and she had no right to feel that way about Lucas.
He had only ever been a boy she used to know. A cute one who she used to hang out with. A boy who had ended up being moody and distant with her, purely because of who she chose to date.
She didn’t need that hassle in her life.
Willow turned the TV on and tried to lose herself in something else. She got out the green notepad that Toby had given her and started sketching ideas of new matcha recipes. Within minutes her mind began to wander again. She glanced down at her notes. She had written Lucas’s name over and over.
This was no good! She got up, thinking that a walk in the fresh air might clear her head, but just as she was pulling on her boots, there was a knock on the door.
Willow was startled. Was it Lucas? Had he come back to see her like he had the night before?
Did he have more to say? An even crazier thought hit her – maybe it was Jake.
Maybe he felt bad about their break and had rushed here to see her for some no-strings-attached, uncomplicated sex.
Oh – how good that would be right now! She felt a flood of guilt.
If it was Jake, and she had been thinking about Lucas like that, it proved that she shouldn’t be with Jake.
Even so, shouldn’t she be feeling sadder about everything?
She rushed to the door, excuses already prepared on her tongue and anticipation drenched her.
It was not Jake who stood there. It was a very confused woman, with short, spiky, dark hair and the same intense stare as Lucas.
It was Mia. His little sister.
‘Willow?’ She looked her up and down, a deep frown etched on her face. ‘Where’s Jenn? And why do you look so damn guilty?’