Willow stood in the corner of the open space as Nola, Drew, and Finn all conferred about deadlines and schedules and shipments and everything that still needed to happen before the soft opening around the Fourth of July. She stood off to the side because, for one thing, it wasn’t her venture. For another, she didn’t know a single thing about what they were talking about. But mostly it was because she wasn’t wearing panties under her dress, and that somehow made her feel naked, even though she was perfectly covered. Never mind the fact that her body still tingled from Finn’s ministrations, and even though she’d already come, she still ached with need for him. She’d never felt like this before, had never had this unquenchable thirst with any of her past lovers. But, then again, nothing was ever quite like it’d been with Finn.
And that had always been the problem.
“Honestly, I can handle everything just fine, thank you very much.” The voice of a snooty princess dialed up to eleven echoed through the space as the back door swung open. Apparently, Rory had arrived.
She stepped into the room, followed closely by Nash, who seemed to ignore her completely and take most of the oversized samples from her arms.
“Didn’t you listen to a word I said?”
“Sure did.”
Rory huffed. “Oh, really? Then why did you—”
“Y’all about ready to get this started?” Nash called to the trio of owners by the newly completed bar top.
“That was rude, Nash King.” Rory swept past him, shoulder checking him in the chest as she went. “And I won’t forget it.”
“Don’t imagine you will.” He swept out his hand in a gesture that said the floor was all hers. “If you’re ready, princess.”
From Willow’s place off to the side, she could just make out her sister’s narrowed eyes and stifled a laugh. Rory didn’t take well to people talking back to her, and Willow loved Nash all the more that he couldn’t seem to care less.
“There a problem, y’all?” Nola asked.
Rory plastered on a smile. “No, no problem at all.” She strode to where Finn, Drew, and Nola all stood, seeming to ignore Nash completely as he hung back, his arms folded over his chest. “All right, now I know y’all are on a tight timeline, so I only focused on products that aren’t special order to speed up delivery times.” She grabbed a few pieces from the stack Nash had dropped off and arranged them on the bar top. “It’s a shame because doing so cut our choices down quite a bit, but I think—” Rory broke off when her eyes finally landed on Willow. “Will, what—”
Four heads swiveled in her direction, Nash being the only other one who didn’t already know she was there. She pushed off from the wall and strolled over to the bar, surveying the products on display. Dammit, Rory was good at design, if her thoughtful choices were any indication. Couldn’t she be bad at anything?
“Well, hey, Rory. Fancy meetin’ you here.”
“What—” Rory cleared her throat, ran a hand down the wrinkle-free silk of her camisole, and darted her eyes to their audience before snapping them back to Willow. “Could I speak with you for a moment, please?”
Without waiting for Willow’s answer, Rory grabbed her by the elbow and tugged her into a corner out of earshot from the others as they all looked on with amused expressions. Finn shot her a wink and a smile before turning around and responding to something Drew had said.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Rory said, hand smoothing over her perfect chignon.
Willow raised a brow. “No? So it’s not you helping out the owners of Havenbrook’s very first bar, somethin’ Daddy would absolutely despise?”
“What? No, never. I’m here…” She trailed off then leaned closer, her voice dropping low. “Well, I’m here keepin’ an eye on things for him, actually. He asked me to—”
“Cut the shit, Rory. Finn already told me.”
She froze and blinked, either from Willow’s choice of language or what she’d revealed. Finally, Rory huffed and crossed her arms. “All right then, you caught me. But that doesn’t answer the question of what, exactly, you’re doing here.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. But you’ve always been the smart one, so I’m sure you can figure it out.”
Rory glanced over Willow’s shoulder toward Finn, a single, perfectly shaped brow lifting in question. “Have to say I’m surprised you’re okay with me knowing about that. You don’t exactly share things freely with me.”
Willow would have to be oblivious not to hear the hurt in her sister’s voice, but she’d played this game too many times before to fall for it. She snorted and rolled her eyes. “And I wonder why that is, Miss Perfect. Sisterly bonds never meant much to you so long as whatever dirt you had on us got you in Daddy’s good graces. I can’t count the number of times you tattled on the three of us. And it looks like that’s comin’ back to bite you in the ass.”
Rory’s back went ramrod straight. “Wait just a second, now. You don’t have to go tellin’ Daddy.”
“I suppose I don’t. But in that same breath, neither do you. Mutually assured destruction is so sisterly, don’t you think?”
“You can’t ask me to lie to Daddy.”
“No? Great, then I’m sure he’ll be very happy to learn his eldest and most perfect daughter’s been helping his nemesis and the rest of the people he thinks will ruin his fine town. Can’t wait to tell him all about it!” Willow spun around, her sights on the door, though she hoped with everything she had Rory would stop her. Tattling on her sisters wasn’t her style, but if she had to use it for leverage to get Rory to agree not to do the same, then so be it.
She wasn’t quite ready for her daddy to find out what she’d been getting up to with Finn again. Not when they were so close to the Fourth of July parade and her big yearly event. Not when he’d finally given her praise. Not when he was close to finally recognizing her worth around town, seeing that she brought something of value to their namesake. In her daddy’s eyes, being tangled up with Finn would only damage that, despite the fact that she’d been doing her job just fine.
Rory didn’t let her get three steps before she wrapped her fingers around Willow’s arm and tugged her back. “Fine. But if I’m gonna be lyin’ to Daddy, then I better get somethin’ else outta this.”
It was probably too much to ask that her sister just do it out of the goodness of her heart. She’d participate in every fundraiser under the sun, be the first to pass around a get-well card or send a casserole over to a new momma, but she didn’t have quite the same generosity toward her sisters. Baby steps, and all that.
“Bonding with your sister isn’t enough?”
Rory rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Just…we can help each other, all right? Cover for each other, maybe, if we need to.”
Willow tried and failed to keep her mouth from dropping open. “You, Aurora Jane, first daughter of Mayor Richard Haven of Havenbrook, want to strike up…a lying bargain?”
“Well, you don’t have to make it sound so scandalous. I just thought—”
“Deal.” Willow grabbed Rory’s hand and shook it before she could offer any stipulations. “Fair warning: I’m telling Mac.”
“That’s not fair!”
“Why not? You’re going to tell Sean. I don’t have a husband, so Mac it is.”
Rory’s body language went cold as she snapped her mouth shut and averted her eyes.
Odd. “Hey, is everything—”
“Fine, you can tell Mac. But absolutely not Nat. I have to draw the line somewhere. Girl’s got a mouth bigger than an eighteen-wheeler, and she doesn’t care who knows her business—or ours.”
“Agreed.”
With a clipped nod, Rory stalked back toward the group waiting by the bar, immediately diving into a spiel about stone samples for the front of the bar surround and matching it with an accent wall to give it a nice pop.
Well, that was easier than she’d thought it’d be. Half of her expected Rory to recant on their agreement and run off midsentence, straight to their parents’ house, and spill everything that’d make Willow’s life a living hell. But she was going on a bit of blind faith here. This was a chance for her and Rory to grow closer, and she got the distinct feeling her sister needed it even more than she did.
As Rory spoke, Willow sidled up next to Finn, no longer able to deny the relief she felt whenever another person found out about the two of them. It made her giddy…and a little foolish. Reaching out, she hooked her finger around his pinkie. He slid her a look, his lips tipping up at the corners at what could be considered the subtlest touch by anyone’s definition. But to Willow, her pinkie hooked in his felt like a proclamation from a mountaintop.
She wasn’t quite ready for that. Wasn’t sure she’d ever be. Not when Finn was still leaving and heading back to California. But maybe it was okay in this small circle of people—people Finn trusted. And if Willow couldn’t trust her sister to have her back, she had more problems than the fury her daddy would rain down on her if he ever found out she was tangled up with one of the Thomas boys again.
Rory glanced over then, cutting off midsentence as her eyes dipped to where Willow’s finger was hooked in Finn’s. For the briefest moment, Willow swore she saw longing cross her sister’s face. A second later, the perfect Rory mask was back in place, and all was right in the world.
WILLOW SAT ON HER PARENTS’ back porch swing, her sisters flanking her. They’d gotten a bit of a reprieve from the heat wave, and a nice breeze—warm as it was—made the evening June air almost tolerable, especially with the chorus of cicadas singing and frogs croaking, the sounds of her childhood making her feel at home. Their weekly family dinners were as carved in stone as the girls’ lunches, and the four of them—three, now that Nat had left—had always sat outside after supper and cleanup. It’d been the one time they felt close, even if they weren’t.
After a few moments, Mac finally broke the silence. “Can’t quite figure it out, Rory.”
Rory stiffened but kept on her calm-as-a-cucumber mask. “What’s that?”
Mac leaned forward so she could see Rory around Willow. “Why you’re helpin’ the Thomas boys. And don’t worry—I’m not gonna rat you out.” Mac rolled her eyes as though the idea were ridiculous. Which it was, especially from Mac—she was the most loyal person Willow had ever known.
Rory was quiet for a minute, just the creaking of the porch swing filling the silence. “I’m… I’ve been thinkin’ about maybe using my degree.”
Willow snapped her head to stare at her sister in shock. Yes, Rory had gone off to college to get a degree, but Willow had always assumed it had just been for show. That her sister had no real desire to do anything but be the perfect wife and mother—something she was exceptionally good at. “You have? Since when?”
Rory shrugged, keeping her gaze straight ahead. “Couple years.”
“Years?” Mac asked, astonishment ringing in her voice.
“Since Ella started school and I didn’t need to be around as much. But I—” Rory snapped her mouth shut and shook her head.
Willow glanced back at Mac and gave her a what the hell look because you could about knock her over with a feather. She’d never in a million years dreamed her sister would actually be longing for something. Just went to show not everything was always as it seemed. Mac just shrugged and shook her head in response.
Willow turned back to her older sister. “Well, I think it’s…”
“Dumb,” Rory said. “It’s dumb.”
Willow reached out and placed her hand on her sister’s arm. “No, Rory. I don’t think it’s dumb at all. I think it’s great.”
Rory twisted her head in Willow’s direction, her mouth dropped open. “You do?”
“I really do. From what I’ve seen at Finn’s, you’re good at it—really good at it. And it’s about time you did something just for yourself.” Willow’d always thought Rory had felt completely fulfilled being a wife and mother, but maybe that hadn’t been it at all. Maybe her sister longed for things she didn’t think she could have…just like everyone else.
Mac leaned forward to peek around Willow. “Have you talked to Sean about it?”
Rory straightened, her lips pressing into a tight line. “No. Which is why I’d appreciate it if this could stay between the three of us.”
Willow and Mac exchanged another look—they’d definitely be talking about this once they got home. But for now, Mac answered for them both. “As long as you’ve got Willow’s back, we’ve got yours.”
That look of longing Willow swore she’d seen on Rory’s face at the bar swept over her features once again. “You two always were the closest, weren’t you? I know you think I’m impossible most of the time, but it was tough growin’ up as the oldest. Tryin’ so hard to please Daddy when he wanted somethin’ I could never be. No matter how many tests I aced or how many trophies I brought home, he’d never get his boy.” She kept her gaze on her leg as it pushed off the porch, gently rocking them back and forth. “Sometimes I wonder if I went from one overbearing, insensitive know-it-all to another.”
Without trying to give away how shocked she was, Willow slid Mac a look out of the corner of her eye. Her younger sister shrugged, clearly at a loss, same as Willow. She’d always assumed her sister and brother-in-law’s marriage was perfect, just like everything else in Rory’s life. But maybe Willow had been so busy wanting to see that perfection so she could hold a grudge that she hadn’t really paid attention to what was there.
“Is everything okay between you and Sean?”
Just as fast as the conversation started, it ended. “What? Of course. Everything’s just fine. You know who you should be worryin’ about is Trish Parkins. Poor girl’s workin’ three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads while her deadbeat husband drinks all day. Honestly—”
Willow tuned out as Rory expertly shifted the focus from herself to others who seemingly had more problems weighing them down. And now that Willow really thought about it, her older sister did that an awful lot. Maybe she wasn’t the annoying gossip Willow assumed she was. Maybe she was just as confused and lost as the rest of them but was desperate not to show it to anyone.
Honestly, Willow was…relieved. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she finally felt a connection with her older sister. Rory didn’t have it all together? Welcome to the club. Willow might as well be president.