Page 74 of The Fangirl and the Grump

I shake my head and smile as I head over and pull it open. Willow launches herself into my arms before I can greet her, and I hug her back just as fiercely as tears prick my eyes.

God, I’ve missed her.

Pulling back to meet my gaze, she says, “Trace finally told me what happened, and if you want me to kick his ass up and down Evening Shade, I will.”

“No ass kicking required,” I say with a laugh, then turn to grab my purse. “Let’s go. I’m starving and there’s no food in this house.”

We’re quiet for the first part of the drive, and I can tell Willow is waiting for me to speak, like she doesn’t want to force anything. Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly before turning in my seat to face her.

“I was out of control that night. I forced his hand, and he reacted.”

She’s shaking her head before I even finish. “It wasn’t your fault, Keegan. It’s not my place to explain why he acted like that. It’s his, if he ever gets the balls to do it. Just know, the fallout is on him, not you.”

“What does that mean?” I murmur, but she just shakes her head.

“You want to know? Ask Trace.”

I drop it after that. Partly because I know she won’t spill Trace’s secrets, and partly because I’m not entirely sure Iwantto know. If my theory is right, he lashed out that way because I’m nothing but a fling and things got too messy.

Igot too messy.

I don’t blame him, honestly. Do I wish he’d felt the same way for me that I felt about him? Of course. But he doesn’t. And that’s not his fault.

I’m the one who broke rule number four. I fell in love.

Not him.

I push the thoughts aside as we pull into the store’s parking lot. Willow makes everything fun and easy, and before I know it, I’m laughing at her antics as we stroll up and down the aisles. We grab lots of comfort food, but also some fruit, vegetables, and healthy grains so I don’t die from malnutrition.

When we check out, Willow tries to pay, but I stand my ground and staunchly refuse. Planter’s already paid Pressley and me for our services, so I have plenty of money in my account. She eventually backs down, and we’re back to laughing while we load the bags into the back of her green car.

On the drive home, she goes quiet for a moment, then looks over at me with searching eyes before returning her gaze to the road.

“What?” I ask when she doesn’t speak.

“You know I love you, right?” she asks softly.

I nod, feeling my eyes sting with emotion. “I love you, too.”

“Your job at the shop is still waiting for you. And if you decide to stay in Evening Shade, it’s yours for as long as you want it.”

“Thank you,” I breathe. “I’ll think about it.”

I will think about it, but I’m not sure if I’ll accept. If everything goes well for Pressley at the meeting, we should have a long-standing deal with Planter’s. And that could lead to other companies approaching us, as well. I won’t need a day job, because I’ll be making plenty of money posting fun videos on BingBang.

But that’s not the real reason I’m so hesitant. I love the shop, and I loved working with Willow.

No, I’m hedging because if I go back to work, there’s about a hundred-percent chance I’d run into Trace.

And I’m not ready for that. I don’t know when I’ll ever be.

ChapterThirty-Four

Trace

Did I say the “Wolf Daddy” nickname doesn’t bother me anymore? Scratch that.

I fuckinghateit.

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