Page 12 of Forever In Willow Creek

“Work stuff,” she said, too casually.

He watched her. “The kind that pulls you away?”

Zoe couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I haven’t decided anything yet,” she said.

Luke stepped closer. “You don’t have to pretend, Zoe. I can see it all over you. The tug. The gears already turning.”

“I just need time to think.”

He nodded slowly. “You’ve got it.”

But something had shifted between them. Not anger, not quite disappointment—but distance. That invisible line she thought they’d crossed had reappeared, drawn sharp across the floor of the cottage.

Later that day, she tried to shake it off. She helped Sarah at the shop, smiled at Mae when she passed by the tea room, evenwent to the festival planning meeting with Penny. But nothing fit quite right. Not like it had the day before.

She walked through town like someone drifting between two worlds, unable to choose either.

By sunset, she found herself standing outsideHarrison Auto Repair, unsure why she’d come. Luke was closing up, rolling the bay door shut, wiping grease from his hands with a rag.

“Hey,” she said softly.

He looked up. “Hey.”

“I didn’t mean to disappear today.”

“I figured you had a lot to think about.”

She stepped closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Only if you want to be honest,” he said, his voice gentle but firm.

Zoe hesitated. “They offered me a promotion. A big one.”

Luke nodded, expression unreadable. “And you want it.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

She looked at him, eyes pleading. “I didn’t come here to fall for anyone. Or to find a new life. I just wanted to breathe.”

“And now?” he asked.

Zoe shook her head, unable to answer.

Luke dropped the rag into a nearby bin and stepped past her, pausing at the door.

“I’m not going to fight for someone who doesn’t know if she wants to stay.”

The words weren’t cruel. They were quiet. Final.

Zoe stood frozen in place as he disappeared inside.

The breeze picked up, rustling the leaves overhead.

She had come here to escape.

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