Page 34 of Willow

That was when things became really precarious.

CHAPTER NINE

WILLOW

I’m staring at my phone, wondering if I should text Dr. Cooper. At some point, I need to know if I’m supposed to return to the office when my vacation is over, as originally planned, or if I should be searching for new job. But I don’t want to talk to him. And I don’t want to be the first one to reach out, not with the way things went in Jeff’s office.

It’s been almost a week since I walked out of that office building, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

I glance over at my laptop and do a quick job search. But after only a minute or two, I shut it down and walk away from the table. I just don’t have the energy to hunt for a new position yet.

After cleaning up the kitchen, I take a shower and get ready for the day, though I don’t have any concrete plans. But while I’m in the bathroom, applying makeup, Chelsea sends me a text, asking me to go shopping in town with her. I’m not much of a shopper. But it’s a tradition for me to buy a new sweatshirt and some T-shirts while I’m here every year, so I agree. She picks me up an hour later, and we park on the edge of the square.

It’s a beautiful, sunny day with a light breeze. The temperature is in the sixties. The square is packed, mostly with tourists ambling in and out of businesses, buying coffees and stopping for lunch. A few are taking pictures next to the flowers in the middle of the grassy space.

I should’ve planned a hike today rather than scouring the shops in town. It’s too nice out not to take advantage of the weather.

As soon as I think about hiking, I picture the day with Zane. He surprised me when he showed up on my doorstep, unannounced. But I’m glad it was a spontaneous offer to join him for the day; otherwise, I would’ve stewed about it for hours, worrying about what to wear and how to style my hair. What to say when I saw him. The way it happened was so … easy.

He couldn’t have picked a better spot either. The lake was one of the most breathtaking bodies of water that ’ve ever seen. The entire hike had completely unique scenery along the way, but all were equally awe inspiring and beautiful. He let me into his world a little that day. I got a glimpse of the man behind the curtain, and I liked what I saw.

Zane has this strange ability to pull emotions from me. He asks me a simple question and looks at me in that intense way of his, and the next thing I know, I’m crying in his arms or confessing my secrets. I feel like he can read me like a book, deciphering all the hidden meanings I try so hard to bury beneath a laugh or a joke or a grin, where no one can see them.

And then he unraveled me. He put his magic hands and his mouth on my body like it was the most natural thing in the world. I can still feel the way my skin tingled from his touch.

Everything between Zane and me is reckless in the best way. It feels good to let loose and go with however I might be feeling in the moment. To not overthink things. There’s no questionthat I’m attracted to him. He’s a Greek god. But part of me is surprised to know he wants me too. It’s not that I think I’m unattractive, but Zane is on another level. And Jessica was one hundred percent correct when she said that everyone wants him. He has his pick of women. It makes me wonder why he chose me.

“What do you think about this one?” Chelsea asks me, holding a shirt against her chest.

“I like it,” I say. “That color looks great on you.”

We piddle around the stores, buying a few items and putting others back on the rack. My phone pings, alerting me of a text. I remove it from my bag and glance at the screen.

Wyatt: Deernan’s tonight. Around eight? There’s a good band playing.

“Wyatt wants us to go to Deernan’s later,” I tell Chelsea. “What do you think?”

“I think,” she says with a smirk, “Wyatt wantsyouto go to Deernan’s.”

“Well … I wantyouto go,” I tell her, bumping her shoulder lightly with my own.

“I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

“You’re not. It isn’t like that between Wyatt and me. We’re just friends. And there’s a live band playing,” I say to sweeten the deal.

I haven’t told Chelsea about Zane and me. I’m not sure if I’m not sharing it because it’s sacred or if I’m afraid of how she’ll react. And really, is there even a Zane and me to discuss, other than a few stolen moments?

“I bet the other guys will be there too,” I add.

“Live music does sound fun,” she admits.

“Great!” I smile, taking that to mean she’s coming.

I respond to Wyatt, letting him know that Chelsea and I will meet him there. Then, I send Zane a quick message, asking if he’s coming tonight. I also send the selfie we took on the top of the mountain during the hike. My heart rate accelerates when I see the dots appear on the screen. But in the end, he answers with a simple thumbs-up, and I almost roll my eyes. He’s always a man of few words, but at least I know he’ll be there later.

Chelsea and I have a leisurely late lunch before she drops me back off at the cabin. I spend the afternoon reading in the sun on the front porch and staring at the mountains.

I pick Chelsea up that night, and we drive the few miles to Deernan’s—a well-known pizza place at the edge of the national park. It’s an old hole-in-the-wall wooden structure, painted brown, and nondescript in appearance. It boasts of stunning views of the mountains during the daytime and often has bands playing at night. I’ve been there before and seen the pictures of famous musicians like John Denver and Willie Nelson on the wall from when they stopped by in the past to play a spontaneous, unannounced set. That’s when you know the place is a hidden gem.

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