Page 54 of The Sound Of Silence

“And you know what your panic means?”

She’s silent for a beat, so I take a few sips of the water that suddenly appeared in front of me, patiently waiting for her to answer. Pippa thanks the server for us both before her lips pull up into a lopsided grin. “I don’t know. Probably for the same reason you were sopanickedat the possibility of it being my sister.”

Water comes flying out of my mouth as I uncontrollably start coughing, somehow croaking out, “I…what?”

Pippa laughs. “Well if that wasn’t an admission of guilt then nothing is.”

I still pretend not to know what she’s referring to until she adds, “You have a thing for Willow.”

Jesus.Fuck!I want to tell her she’s wrong, but since I feel like I just got busted with my hand down my pants midjerk, I can’t. My throat dries and it pains me to swallow, but I’m too worked up to get a drink, in case she says something more.

"I don't—" My phone rings again, saving me from whatever I was about to say, and I hand it to Pippa without saying a word, watching her smile drop as she answers.

“Ryan?” she whispers into my cell.

I get up to walk away, intent on giving them privacy, and instantly lock eyes with Willow across the room, her shattered expression almost bringing me to my knees.

We both freeze, but the second she registers me standing in front of her she takes off in a run, crashing into me at full speed, her arms lifting to cup my face. “You’re okay?” she whispers, her voice choked with emotion, and the sound of it breaks my heart.

On instinct, my hands move around her, gliding along her back before locking her tightly against me. Her head falls to my chest as I rock her slightly, whispering reassurance in her ear. “It’s okay. We’re all okay.”

I’m not sure how long we stay like that, but for something so dangerous, being in her arms feels too good to stop.

Whispers start up that the driver was in his eighties, and the energy shifts in the room. Willow and I pull apart, but our connection remains as we watch some people cry out in relief, some cry in pain, and one sprint from the diner at an alarming speed.

My heart clenches for the stranger, and it’s a new feeling for me…empathy toward someone I don’t know.

When the commotion dies down, Willow’s equally pained expression meets mine. “Why didn’t Pippa answer? I’ve been calling her.”

Good question.We could have all avoided so much heartache.

“I don’t know, Willow. I’m sorry.”

Releasing one hand from around her, I brush a hair away from her eyes before letting my hand fall, caressing her cheek on the way down. I wait for my skin to crawl, but it doesn’t. Instead my pulse spikes and a warmth spreads through me. Willow closes her eyes, but only a second before they shoot open and she springs back, just like I did the first night we ran into each other barely a few days ago.And fuck, it hurts.

“Oh God, I don’t know why I did any of that. I’m so sorry.”

The words “I’m not,” sit on the tip of my tongue, but I bite them back. This is not a situation we should be in. “It’s fine,” I say instead, an evenness to my tone. “Emotions are high at the moment. Mistakes happen. Let’s see Pippa.”

I feel my walls slip back in place, making me realize how close I was to completely letting my guard down.

I'm pissed off with myself so I don’t wait for her to follow before walking back toward Pippa and sliding into the seat opposite her.

Pippa offers me a shy smile as she hands over my phone and grimaces. “How badly do you need to get back to San Francisco?” she asks unexpectedly, but I'm only half paying attention. I throw a glance over my shoulder to see Willow talking to a young woman with two small children, and it's not until I see she’s fine that my mind travels back to what Pippa just said.

I don’t answer her question, mainly because I’m sick of all the lies, but instead I askwhy.

“According to the guy sitting behind me,”—she subtly points toward an older man with a handlebar mustache. A man I recognize from the bar across from the florist—“the road’s closed until at least tomorrow.”

“Shit! What about the hockey clinic?”

Pippa sighs. “I’m about to call them to reschedule. A lot of the kids were coming from here or farther out anyway, so they won’t be able to get there.”

Ignoring the fact that I’m stuck here for another night, I focus on the kids. “I’ll come back. See if you can find me some time in the next few weeks, and I’ll come back.”

Pippa’s eyes light up as she smiles.

“But…" I cut in before she makes plans. "I’m driving straight up and back with only a night of accommodation, and I’m staying next to the facilities”

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