Willow sat in her office the following week, sorting through the mess of papers her daddy had piled on her head. Like she didn’t have enough to do, now that they were mere days away from the Fourth of July parade. But, like always, Willow took the extra load with a smile and shuffled everything else around so she could make it work. She always, always made it work.
A knock sounded at the outer office door, then the quiet rumbling of voices between Avery and whoever had come in, but Willow was too lost in her spreadsheet to pay much attention. She had a tight budget to work with for any and all events, and the parade was no exception. No matter how she crunched these numbers, she was still coming out in the red. Which meant she’d have to dip into her own money to foot the bill for some of the items. Again.
“Looks like someone has a secret admirer.” Avery strolled into Willow’s office, a gorgeous arrangement of Stargazer lilies hiding her face. She set the vase on the corner of Willow’s desk and raised her eyebrow. “You decide to go public?”
Willow’s heart skipped a beat before tumbling into a gallop, her stomach bottoming out over the prospect of her and Finn’s pseudo-relationship getting out. “What? No. No, we—” She shook her head and snatched the card from the arrangement.
It didn’t say anything—it was simply a rough sketch of a willow tree. And while there weren’t any words written on the white notecard to give away who the sender was, it might as well have been an ad in the newspaper for as loud as it screamed to her.
“Finn?” Avery asked, slipping around the side of Willow’s desk to peek at the card.
“Ohh…what a pretty arrangement!” Edna, their mail carrier, stepped into Willow’s office and handed Avery the stack of envelopes. “I didn’t know you were seein’ anyone, Miss Willow.”
“What? Oh, I’m not. It’s just—”
“Oh my heavens, that’s even better! A secret admirer. How lovely!” She braced her hand on Willow’s desk and leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with interest. “Do you know who it might be?”
If Rory was a gossip princess, then Edna was the queen. The woman spread it around their town like bees spread pollen. There was no way in hell Willow was giving her even an ounce of information. Thankfully, her best friend was well aware of the gossip title Edna held. She was also a master at diversion.
“That sounds like that Hallmark movie you were telling me about last week.” Avery stepped around the desk and placed her hands on Edna’s shoulders, turning her around and directing her out of the office. “What was the title of that one again? Maybe I’ll watch it tonight.”
Willow breathed out a sigh of relief as Avery diverted Edna’s attention. The gossip queen and Avery chatted for several minutes about some romantic comedy while Willow just sat and stared at the drawing on the card, her fingertip running over the slight indentation from the pen.
She’d thought she and Finn had a good thing going. While it wasn’t ideal, it worked for them. And it worked for her, which, to be honest, was her top priority after how their first relationship had ended. She didn’t think Finn had minded the sneaking around, but if this was anything to go by, he did. Or, worse, he just didn’t care that she cared. She’d told him point-blank they needed to be discreet if they were going to start something, and he’d readily agreed. So much for that promise.
The more she thought about it, the more hurt she got. It was like he was playing with her all over again. By the time Avery stepped back into Willow’s office, she was good and frustrated.
“I can’t believe he did this.”
Avery snorted. “Yeah, what an ass. Sending you flowers. You want me to key his car?”
Normally, Avery’s sense of humor could defuse even the tensest situations, but Willow didn’t want to hear it now. “You know that’s not what this is about. He’s not supposed to be spreadin’ it all around town.”
“I hardly think sending you flowers is spreading it all around town.”
“No? How do you think he got those flowers?” She held up the card with the sketched willow tree. “He drew this, Avery, which means he had to walk into the shop and order them. Give them my name for the delivery. And now Edna of all people knows about it. I’ll be lucky if I don’t have a line out my office by the end of the day, people wantin’ to know my business.”
“Honestly, Will, I think you’re overreacting just a bit.”
Before Willow could tell Avery exactly how much she wasn’t overreacting, her cell phone rang. Rory’s name and photo flashed on the screen. Willow wanted to believe it was about the bar reno, or maybe about their dinner they had scheduled for later in the week—something they’d never done before, but something Willow was actually kind of excited about. Since their talk on their parents’ back porch, things had shifted between the three of them—shifted for the better.
But even with all those possibilities, the probabilities weighed on her as she swiped to answer. “Hello?”
“You’ll never guess what I just heard.”
Willow swallowed, closing her eyes and saying a quick prayer it wasn’t what she feared. “What’s that?”
“Apparently you’ve got a secret admirer.”
She let out a gusty sigh. Dammit. She didn’t want to be right, just this once. “Who told you that?”
“Edna. Honestly, I don’t know how that woman gets any mail delivered. I swear she just speed-walks to the nearest warm body whenever she gets her hands on some juicy gossip. Mrs. Thompson stopped by while Edna was tellin’ the story, and now they’re talking about a pool as to who the possible suitor could be.”
“Oh my Lord.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to warn you about what they’re sayin’. In case you didn’t already know.”
“Thanks, Rory.”
“I thought y’all decided to keep this quiet?”
“I thought so too. Apparently Finn needs a reminder.”
Willow hung up with her sister and lifted her brow in Avery’s direction. “Still think I’m overreacting?” Without waiting for Avery to answer, Willow pressed Finn’s number on her phone and hit send.
He picked up after the second ring, a smile in his voice. “Hey, Willowtree. You get my delivery?”
She clamped her teeth together. He couldn’t even sound remorseful? She wasn’t sure which hurt worse—the fact that he’d ignored her wishes or that he didn’t seem to care that he did. She took a deep breath, attempting to keep the emotion from her voice. “Yes, I got it, and half the town already knows about it. There’s a bet going on about who my secret admirer is. You agreed we’d keep this quiet. You promised.”
Clanging came through the line, the far-off noise of a saw, before it quieted, like he’d walked to another room. “Wait…are you upset?”
So much for tamping down that emotion. “Yes, Finn, I’m upset. How did you think I was gonna react to you goin’ back on a promise, not to mention half the damn town discussing my love life?”
“I didn’t—shit, Willow, it wasn’t my intent to break the promise. I wanted to send you somethin’ nice, and I just thought—”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t think. And that’s the issue. We had a deal. Keep this quiet, period. And you agreed to that.”
“Feels pretty damn quiet to me with you sneaking in and out of my apartment at all hours of the night.”
“Yeah? Well, it doesn't feel so quiet to me when half the town's placing bets on who I’m seeing. They’re going to find out.”
A noise of frustration came across the line. “And, apparently, that’d be the worst thing in the world. For the good people of Havenbrook to know Willow Haven is sullying herself with one of the Thomas boys. Again.”
“Don’t turn this back around on me, Finn. That’s not fair.”
“Seems pretty clear to me that’s exactly what it’s about. Doesn’t matter that I’ve made something of myself. Doesn’t matter that we’re takin’ a building no one else wanted and finishin’ the revitalization of your precious downtown. None of it means shit, isn’t that right? Not when I’ve got Thomas tacked on the end of my name.”
Willow’s ire died a little more with each word coming out of Finn’s mouth, reminding her of what he’d said in his apartment the other day. She’d mentioned it was just her daddy and sister who’d thought that, but was she really any better? Her once-heated temper cooled until it was nothing but steam, and she felt each of Finn’s accusations like a spear through the heart. While she was worrying about her daddy finding out about her and Finn, he was dealing with years of shit that’d been heaped on him because of his teenage rebellion, or worse, simply the stigma of being born with his last name.
“Finn, I’m—”
“I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Wait—” But the line was already dead, so all Willow could do was stare at her phone, her stomach somehow churning more now at the thought of hurting Finn than it had when she’d thought the whole town would know her business.
“I take it that didn’t go over well?” Avery asked.
Willow stared at the phone and blew out a sigh. “I don’t know what to do. He wants something I’m not ready to give. Not after—” She swallowed, not quite ready to say the words aloud. Not after he left me all those years ago. Not when he’s going to leave me again.
“Look, I’m not going to pretend I understand what you went through back then. Your relationship with Finn is hella complicated, and your worries and concerns are completely valid.”
“Why do I feel a but coming on?”
“But…” Avery reached forward, tapping her nail on the drawing of the willow tree. “He’s sweet on you. I feel like you’re carrying too much baggage from the past to see it for what it is. And, really, who cares if people know you’re together? You’re a grown-ass woman and can make your own decisions. Even if your dad doesn’t want you to realize that.”
Willow finally gave life to the one thing that’d been weighing her down since she dove headfirst into this thing with Finn. “He’s leaving, Avery.”
“Yeah.” The main phone rang, and Avery stood and strolled to the edge of the office, glancing back before she stepped out. “But wouldn’t you rather have something real while he’s here than spend the next ten years wondering what could’ve been?”
Willow stared down at the card again, replaying Finn’s words in her head. Hearing the tinge of hurt lacing them. They were at an impasse—both of them wanting something the other couldn’t give. And Willow could admit that now—that she wanted Finn as much as she’d wanted him when they’d been teenagers. What she felt for him had never truly faded over time. With him being back, with them spending time together, those feelings had only blossomed and grown.
And now there she was, almost exactly where she’d been back then: in love with a Thomas boy who had no intention of staying in Havenbrook.
WHY COULDN’T THERE BE any demo left to do? The one day Finn could really use it and there was nothing. Not even a fucking nail to pound in. Instead, he grabbed a paint roller and went to town. Wasn’t quite the same as breaking shit with a sledgehammer, but it’d have to do.
He certainly couldn’t do what he wanted, which was go over to town hall and give Willow a piece of his mind before kissing the ever-loving shit out of her. If her phone call was anything to go by, him actually showing up would give her a coronary.
He’d been trying damn hard to prove to her this time was different. Ever since their talk a couple weeks ago, he’d made an effort. Except it hadn’t really felt like an effort at all because what he was doing made her happy. Or so he thought.
This morning shot that theory straight to hell.
He’d woken up and decided to send her flowers on a whim—her favorite and something he’d never been able to afford to get her when they were teenagers. Nola was friends with the owner of Bloom, so he’d asked her to do him a favor. Technically, Willow’s secret admirer everyone was going on about was Nola. She’d brought him the card which he’d drawn on, and he’d given her the money to pay for them, but the order and delivery instructions had come from her.
Which Willow would know if she’d given him a damn second to explain.
“Dude. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Drew asked. “You’ve been stomping and huffing since you got off the phone.”
Finn had half a mind to tell his brother to fuck off, ignore him altogether, or blow smoke up his ass, but none of it would be any use. Drew would bother Finn until he came clean—might as well get it over with.
“Willow is what’s wrong with me. She’s fucking with my head.” He tossed the roller into the paint tray and linked his hands behind his head. Jaw ticking, he paced back and forth next to the bar top. “She doesn’t want people to know we’re together again, but with the way this town is? Do you know how fucking difficult that is? I get it and I’m tryin’ to respect it, but I’m walkin’ on eggshells around her—around everyone—when all I wanna do is grab her and kiss the hell out of her in front of the whole damn town.”
He blew out a deep breath and dropped his hands. “When it’s just us, it’s amazing. Better than it was back then, even. But whenever other people are thrown in, she’s colder than a walk-in freezer. And forget about doing something nice for her! Bites my damn head off. Jesus, I love the girl—you know that—but it feels a helluva lot like this whole thing is one-sided.”
The sounds of saws and power drills filled the space as Drew stared at him. Then his shit of a brother let out a booming laugh. “You’re such an ass.”
“What the fuck.”
“Man. Seriously.” He shook his head and clapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Good job, you did a few nice things for the girl you’re in love with. Someone get this guy a cookie,” he called over his shoulder.
“Why are you being a dick right now?”
“Because I’m the only one who’s gonna give this to you straight. Yeah, you’re doing nice shit for her, and that’s great. But you left her,” he said, enunciating every word. “I think you forget how much you broke her. You’re lucky she can even be around you without kicking you in the nuts. And she took your ass back!
“Now just imagine for two fucking seconds what it’d feel like if she picked up and left you. Right now. Just packed her shit and bailed without a word. No goodbye, no reason, not even a fucking note to tell you why she’d gone or where she went off to. You with me?”
Drew didn’t wait for Finn to respond before he continued. “Now imagine being an eighteen-year-old girl who’d just slept with a guy for the first time, and then he bailed shortly after. Man, you should thank your lucky stars she can even look at you. So, yeah, you’ve got some shit to deal with. I don’t care if you give her the whole fucking galaxy every day for the rest of your life—she still doesn’t owe you any favors, and she certainly doesn’t owe you a free pass. You wanted her back, and now you’re bitching about having to earn it? C’mon now. Don’t be a dick.”
Drew shook his head. “If you ask me, I think you did a shit thing back then—you know how I felt about it.”
Finn narrowed his eyes, curling his hands into fists. That was a shitty move to play, and he didn’t appreciate it. It wasn’t like he’d run off into the sunset. Between what Dick had forced upon him and their sick momma, he hadn’t had much of a choice. “I did it for Momma.”
Drew nodded. “I know you did. And even if I could, I wouldn’t want to go back and do it differently, because it allowed her to be with us now. But it also doesn’t change the fact that it was a shitty thing to do. You could’ve handled it a hundred different ways, but you didn’t. And now, comin’ back here? You fucked with her head again. Have you even told her we’re plannin’ on stayin’?”
Finn crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw ticking. His silence was answer enough for his brother.
“Yeah, thought so. Look, man. I’m glad you two are back at it—you deserve someone who makes you happy, and Lord knows she does. But here’s the thing: you’re gonna have to keep climbing those fucking mountains every day to win her over. To continue to win her over, just to prove you’re not that same nineteen-year-old jackass who left her without a word. Every damn day, for as long as she’ll let you. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
Power tools continued to whir in the background as Finn stared at his brother, letting his words sink in. Dammit, he hated when Drew was right.
“Wow.”
Finn and Drew both turned to find the source of the voice. Nash stood several feet away, drill in hand, his attention locked on them.
“What?” Finn and Drew said at the same time.
Nash shook his head. “Damn, that was some straight-up Lifetime channel shit. You been spendin’ your time watchin’ talk shows, Drew?”
“Fuck off. You’re supposed to be workin’. Go fix shit.”
Nash’s laugh boomed over the sound of his drill whirring, and he turned his back on them.
Before Finn could thank his brother for being a dick, for giving him the kick in his pants he needed, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, expecting to see a message from Nola or maybe Momma. Instead, it was from Willow.
I’m sorry. Can you get free tonight? Tree house at 9?
Finn’s pulse pounded in his ears. He hadn’t been in the tree house since the night he’d slept with Willow for the first time. Walking home from there had been when everything had started on the downhill slide into a pile of shit. Her daddy’d seen him sneaking back to his car late that night, his shirt on backward and inside out, hair a disheveled mess, leaving very little question as to what he’d been getting up to with the mayor’s baby girl. Dick had taken it about as well as could be expected. He’d promised Finn his time with Willow was coming up, but, with the untouchable air of a cocky nineteen-year-old, Finn hadn’t believed him.
He should’ve.
Drew stepped close and glanced down at the screen, his brows lifting once he’d read the text. He clapped a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “She’s meetin’ you halfway, man. Don’t fuck this up.”
No way in hell did he plan to. Looked like he had some work to do.