Page 89 of Catch and Release

“I can’t.”

A tear fell down her cheek, and she looked away from Charlie.

“Oh, Willa,” Charlie said, her voice full of compassion as she tugged a tissue from a box sitting on the countertop. She wiped Willa’s cheek and pulled her into a hug. “Loving people is scary. Letting them in… it’s terrifying. Why do you think I avoid it?”

Willa choked out a chuckle, and Charlie gave her a squeeze.

“But I think you might have feelings for him, too. And I’ll be so pissed at you if you pass up on a guy as good as Shawn. He’s a good one, babe. I can feel it.”

Willa pulled back from their hug and wiped her eyes one more time, then heaved a sigh. “I know you’re right. But I’m just so scared.”

“So tell him that. He seems like a reasonable guy.”

Willa closed her eyes and nodded. She knew Charlie was right. Her best friend sometimes knew her better than she knew herself. But she didn’t know if she was ready. Didn’t know how she could be ready.

“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” Charlie said. “You can just have a conversation with him. That’s it.”

Willa opened her eyes and nodded.

“But for now, let’s put more lipstick on you and head back before Ida comes searching for you, okay?” Charlie grabbed Willa’s purse and pulled out the lipstick.

“Does she think something is going on between me and Shawn?” Willa asked as she grabbed the lipstick from Charlie and opened it.

“Yes.”

“Fuck.”

“Relax. She can just see what I can see,” Charlie said, setting Willa’s purse on the countertop and smoothing back her hair. “That Shawn is an absolute goner for you.”

Willa’s stomach fluttered at the thought. Could Shawn really have feelings for her? He was different from other guys she dated. For one, he didn’t have a college education. Not that she cared. He made a good living for himself, and the community loved him. He took care of people, too. That was different from other guys she dated—most of them only looked after themselves. And then there was the fact that Shawn only ever wore swimsuits and t-shirts. All her exes had fancy suits and would never be caught dead wearing flip flops. Or having a man bun, for that matter.

And it really wasn’t about how Shawn was different from her exes, anyway. It was about whether she could take the leap and trust again—trust Shawn, yes, but mostly, trust herself. She didn’t know if she could.

Willa needed to put it out of her mind until Charlie left town. Or at least until after the Bingo Ball. She couldn’t overthink everything about Shawn while he was sitting right next to her. She squared her shoulders.

“Alright, let’s head in there.”

Charlie led the way into the ballroom, and Willa gasped as she stepped inside. She’d been to her fair share of fancy events over the years, so she knew she was looking at something of a professional caliber. At least now she knew why their tickets were $100. White table cloths covered the tables, and the lights were dimmed. Rather than table numbers, each table was labeled like a Bingo card—like B2 or I14 or O7. Cake pops decorated like Bingo balls were at the center of each table. At the front, a slideshow of Bingo regulars played. In the far right corner, Willa saw a booth that was clearly meant to be the voting station for Bingo King and Queen.

“Holy fuck,” Willa said under her breath.

“Watch your language, young lady,” Ida said from behind her.

Willa whirled around to find Ida holding a glass of red wine and extending one to her. “Thanks for the drink.”

“It’s for Charlie,” Ida said. Charlie giggled and grabbed the drink from Ida’s hand. “Where have you been, missy?”

Willa’s heart jolted. She’d never been a good liar.

“Found her in the bathroom,” Charlie said before Willa had the chance to respond. She took a casual sip, then continued, as if spilling hot gossip, “Willa’s having lady problems.”

Willa felt her face flush as she glared at Charlie, who was smirking behind her wine glass.

“Oh, dear,” Ida said. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Grams,” Willa said through clenched teeth. “All good. Just have some cramps.”

Willa was on the pill and hadn’t experienced period cramps in years. But she could fake them to get Ida off her back. She gently rested her hand on her stomach, then felt the hairs prick on the back of her neck.

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