Page 7 of Small Town Best Friend

Willow grinned at him, opened her mouth to say something else, but then closed it again. Chewing on a piece of pork tenderloin, she looked at him thoughtfully, her eyes a little narrowed. A chill ran down Asher’s spine, and he scowled at her, wrinkling his nose.

“What?”

“Are you really going to join that dating app?”

Clearing his expression of the grimace, Asher shrugged. “I will if you will.”

“What?” Shaking her head at him, Willow’s lip curled. “You were the one who told me about this in the first place.”

“But weren’t we just talking about getting married in a couple years? If you really want to avoid that, then we gotta start dating. Other people, I mean.”

Rolling her eyes, Willow threw him a smile. “Yeah, I figured.”

“So.” Putting both elbows on the table, Asher steepled his fingers. “You want to do it?”

Silence flooded the dining room. Goosebumps began to build on Asher’s arms, spreading up toward his shoulders and his neck.If she says no, then maybe there’s still a chance.

“All right. I’ll try it.”

That wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear.

“Great.” That hope had shown itself in that silence, but again, it had been completely shattered only seconds later. “I’ll sign up tonight.”

“I’m definitely waiting for Hadley.” She winked at him, but Asher could barely summon a smile. “And you have to let me know about every date.”

“Sure. And vice versa.”And why did I say that? Do I want to torture myself even more?

“Sounds good.” A note of excitement entered Willow’s voice. “I’m surprising myself saying this, but I’m actually looking forward to it.”

Asher only nodded and finally turned his attention to his dinner. This had been a dumb idea, but now he had no choice but to follow through. He was going to have to joinNow and Forever.

3

“I’m going to be the first to say that this is something I never expected.”

“Good morning to you too, Hadley.” Laughing at the way her sister’s nose wrinkled, Willow gestured her to take the seat beside her. “I’m really grateful to you for doing this, you know.”

Hadley’s nose didn’t stop wrinkling. “That’s what writers are for. Writing blurbs so my sister can join a dating app sounds like my very best self.” It was impossible to ignore the heavy irony.

“That sounds like something Mom would say.” Waiting until Hadley finally sat down beside her, Willow put one arm around her shoulders. “I really do appreciate this. I know it’s only a blurb, but it’s important to me. It might help me find the man of my dreams.”

A heavy sigh told Willow that she hadn’t convinced her sister.

“And you know I’m planning to pay you, right?”

Hadley’s eyes flared in evident surprise.

“I’m sorry if I didn’t make that clear. Of course I’m going to pay you…and that makes me your first freelance client, right?”

“I guess so.” Finally, Hadley’s lips curved into a smile. “Thanks, Willow. That’s kind of you.”

Waving a hand, Willow shook her head. “It’s not me just being kind, let’s look at it as a business transaction. Charge me the right amount, okay? Don’t give me a deal just because I’m your sister.”

“Okay…even though I have no idea what to charge.”

“Well, when you figure it out, then let me know.” Taking a deep breath, Willow gestured to the open laptop in front of them. “Right, I guess here it goes.”

Hadley laughed. “You don’t sound enthusiastic.”

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