Page 10 of Gentle Fox

I snorted. "No, and I prefer it that way." I clarified when she looked at me stumped. "All my sisters live close to one another up in Chicago. Well, I guess not Gracie anymore since she's moving down here. Being closer to my family didn't necessarily mean I wanted to live in the same state as them. As much as I love them all, I could only handle them in small doses. Just being in the same country was good enough for me."

"What made you choose Willow Creek?"

My hand tightened on the steering wheel as I focused on the road ahead of me.

"It's my teammate Aaron's hometown. He convinced us it would be a great place to start a new business.”

“You don’t sound like you agreed.”

She caught on quickly.

“I was the only one who hadn't been in favor of moving to Texas. Obviously, I was outvoted. I had the option to not join my friends, but in the end, I gave in. I would rather be withthem somewhere I didn't like than be somewhere I liked alone. Besides, one of our friends has a similar company not far from there. It allows us to combine resources if needed."

“Why a security company?”

I smiled. “Because of Wes. Despite having two teams of his own, there are times Wes can't handle all the jobs that come his way. That complaining led to the idea of our own security company. And thus, Willow Creek Security was born.”

"Is the town as great as the pictures make it look?"

I glanced over and hated that I was about to burst her happy bubble. "It's just a town like millions of others. Sure, Main Street has some awesome shops but so do lots of other places. The people I've met so far have been nice though. I guess you can say Willow Creek and its residents are growing on me "

"Oh."

Yup, I was an asshole. The disappointment in that one word killed me, knowing I was the one to put it there.

"I'm not saying it isn't a great place. I guess I just didn't immediately fall in love with it like you and my sister."

I was going to have to check out these pictures that were making the two of them fall in love so easily. There had to be something I was missing.

Annalee didn't seem convinced by my added justification. I needed to change the subject and fast.

"You mentioned bouncing around to different jobs. What kind have you had?"

That appeared to do the trick. For the next thirty minutes, Annalee described her time as a bartender, a beekeeper, a dog walker, a surveyor, a tour guide, a courier, and even a delivery driver.

"But the best job I ever had was going to the hospital and cuddling babies that were born addicted to drugs. I would cryevery time I came home, but damn if I didn't want to keep going back."

That said more about who she was than any question I could ask her.

"What made you quit in the end?"

A sad sigh hit me square in the chest. "The program was discontinued. It was only supposed to be temporary but I’d hoped they would continue it. That didn't happen. I tried to go as often as I could in my spare time since the nurses knew me but it was never enough."

My heart broke for all those babies who started life off on the wrong foot. It wasn't their fault the women who birthed them didn't care enough to quit using.

"Wow, this conversation took a turn into the sad department really quick." Annalee punctuated her statement with a half attempt at a chuckle. It brought a smile to my face.

"Then I have some good news." I glanced over at her and waited until she looked back at me. "We’re only ten minutes from Willow Creek."

I gave her a half grin, the one I was fully aware popped my dimple out just enough to know it was there under the scruff. This time, the sigh Annalee gifted me with was much happier, and for that I was grateful.

Maybe Willow Creek had another reason to grow on me.

CHAPTER SIX

Annalee

Willow Creek was as beautiful as the website made it out to be. Driving down Main Street reminded me of a picture-perfect postcard that my father used to send me from his business trips. I collected each and every one he ever sent and hid them in a shoebox in my closet. They were my greatest memories of him.

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