Page 70 of The Sound Of Forever

When an airline ticket arrives in my email inbox for the following Friday, Sara makes my decision for me.

“You can’t say no to that,” she says, trying to be stern. “Especially with the big “NONREFUNDABLE” Jesse put in the subject line.”

“But…”

“You need to do this,” she tells me again, her arms crossed over her chest. “And if you don’t go, I’m going to fire your ass so I’ll have to run this place solo anyway.”

I bark out a laugh, because she technically can’t do that, but I reluctantly agree, with a promise to look after her little one so she can have a night out with Grant. I hate that I’m once again leaving her to run the shop, but I push my guilt down exactly as asked.

I land in San Francisco Friday morning and automatically head toward the doors, ready to call an Uber, but before I get there, Pippa calls my name, flowers in one hand and a pissed-off expression on her face.

“Apparently I work for Jesse now,” she says, handing me the flowers as I put my bag down.

“You said you had to work.” I frown. We definitely had this conversation.

“Idohave to work. But that man can be very persuasive when he needs to be.”

“Do I want to know?”

“All you need to know is that he’s got some embarrassing stories on me, and he was more than happy to spill them.”

“Asshole,” I say, biting back a smile. Though, I’m pretty sure that’s a lie.

“He is. But in all seriousness, you’re my sister; I should have said yes to begin with.”

“It’s fine. You’re not even happy about this idea.”

Pippa frowns, before wrapping me in a hug. “It’s not that; I’m just worried about you getting hurt again. Willow, if it had been me, and you’d seen me the way I saw you after your talk with Jesse that day, you’d have never let me out of your sight. You’d be monitoring me twenty-four seven to make sure I didn’t start drinking again. That’s how bad you looked.”

My face scrunches as my stomach fills with bees. Not butterflies, bees. Same fluttery feeling, but with bite.

“I’m sorry.”

“No. I didn’t mean for you to feel bad. I’m just worried. You may not have an addiction that you could fall back on, but it's almost like you’re addicted to each other. I’m just wary.”

“That makes us sound toxic.”I don’t think we’re toxic.

“Trust me, it’s not that. If you two didn’t have a past, you’d be perfect for each other. But you do, and I’m concerned about how that will play into things.”

“We’re just catching up, that’s all.” I don’t tell her about the memories, and I’m surprised to find I have no guilt about it. Until I know more, it’s best to keep it quiet. I don’t think she’d approve of me spending time with Jesse under these circumstances, even though there's more to it.

“So, the flowers?” I ask, as I smell them when we’re seated in her car.

“As much as I love you, they’re from Jesse. Picked them out himself and shoved them in my hands to deliver them. Well,shoved them delicately, because I was told to protect them with my life.”

It’s a beautiful bouquet, full of flowers I can’t name. But on closer inspection, I recognize one and my chest tightens.

He added buttercups.

While he never really explained if the name Buttercup had more meaning, I know that it does. I can feel it. I’d ask, but I’m secretly hoping that it comes up in one of my memories.

Pippa drives me straight to the stadium, and I stare at it in awe, especially when we come face-to-face with Jesse, or at least, his broody expression on a banner the size of Hepburn’s tallest building.

“He’s bigger than big, isn’t he?” I mumble, mostly to myself.

Pippa bursts out laughing. “What are you referring to there, Willow?” she asks, with a sassy smile and a spark in her eye.

“Not that,” I shriek with mock offense.Though he’s definitely not average. “I mean that he’s famous. People whisper about him back home, and he’s talked about on television. But seeing all this. He’s not just a guy, he’s… I don’t even know.”

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