Usually on the last day of murder mystery week—especially on the rare occasion when Winter got to play the murderer—there was this giddiness that filled Winter’s soul. She would bounce around, saying goodbye to guests, hoping they’d return, and then there would be the match she’d put together. They’d be snuggling up, saying tearful goodbyes, and making promises to keep in touch.
Her eyes fell across the cobblestoned drive, lifting when she caught sight of the familiar heavy boots. There was a boulder the size of Alabama in her stomach, strings holding down the corners of her mouth. Even when Alexis offered her a hug and thanked her for one of the best weeks of her life, Winter could only muster a strained smile, the effort almost making her sweat.
She wanted to ask Will to stay. She wanted to fall to her knees and tell him that the mansion would be murder mystery free the next few months. There was so much to show him, so many places and history connected with her childhood that she’d never wanted to share with anyone before. She wanted to laugh as hard as she’d laughed this past week, tease and flirt more than they’d been able to, share that kiss they’d missed out on.
Her teeth sneaked out and tugged at her lip. She couldn’t ask him to stay, for several reasons. The most obvious being because he’d been wanting to go home since he got here. But there was his business to take care of, his sister to keep company… Alabama needed him as much as he needed it.
Was it too forward to ask to go with him?
As much as she wanted him to know her, she wanted to know him. See his pizza shop and his home, explore the small town, and meet the people he’d grown up with. Meet his momma.
She shook her head. She’d been a firm believer in the three-day rule—that it only took three days to fall in love with someone. She’d based her entire matchmaking career on it. Any woman could make any man dive off that cliff; they just needed the right parachute.
But as she watched Will hoist up the last of the luggage into the trunk of his car, she wondered if she’d been silly to believe such things. It was too soon to ask to dive so completely into his life.
Bells came around the car, held onto the passenger door, and stared up at the mansion with a sad smile. An ache ran through Winter’s chest. How selfish it was to be so upset over her own love story with bad timing when Bells had come here to find it, and found nothing but heartache.
She searched the crowded drive for Garreth. When she finally spotted him, he was making his way over to Bells. Winter’s spine straightened, and she held her breath. Maybe it wasn’t hopeless after all?
Bells smiled, and they chatted for a moment, too far away and too quietly for Winter to pick up anything. But it ended with a hug and a kiss to the top of the head. Things might be okay.
“She did have a good time,” Will said, suddenly next to her. She jolted and backhanded him in the chest.
“Gosh, for someone so loud, you sure know how to sneak up on a girl.”
He nodded back to his sister. “She even said she’d come back. If she ever got the money to.”
“Yeah… this place ain’t cheap.” Her accent was horrid, but he seemed amused by it.
“Worth it, though.”
She played with the ring on her right hand, nerves running rampant under her skin. She wanted to ask him to come again, free of charge. As her guest. As her special guest. With access to her suite and everything.
Her breath came out in one long, shaky exhale, but her voice stayed locked away. He shuffled his feet, his hand running over his nearly non-existent beard. Was he nervous, too?
“Hey, so…” he said after a moment. He dug into his pocket. “I need your number.”
“Huh?”
His ears were bright red. “So we can keep in touch.”
A grin pulled on her lips, and she stuck her hand out for his phone. Their skin touched, leaving tingles in her knuckles as she tapped in her number. Butterflies soared through her chest, something about having his phone in her hands feeling very intimate.
“I want pictures,” she said. “I want to see the pizza shop and your house and every single thing in your hometown.” She handed it back. “Including your momma.”
He chuckled, nodding as he gazed at her number in his phone. There was a light in his blue eyes that sang straight to her heart.
“You got it.”
He slid his phone into his pocket, looking out at his car. Winter followed his gaze, noticing Bells in the front seat, looking very ready to hit the road.
“Well,” he said. His voice shook slightly, his tone still light-hearted and very Will. He turned and spread his arms open. She snuggled right into them.
“I guess I’ll miss ya a bit.”
“You’d better,” she said with a laugh. His chest was so warm.
The hug was much too short, and they let go, Winter curling into herself with the sudden absence of his body heat.
“Drive safe,” she said lamely. He put his hand up in a single wave, smiling awkwardly.
“Bye, Frosty.”
She watched him all the way to his car, paid attention to how he started the engine, where he placed his hands on the wheel, and how his eyes drifted to hers again before he pulled away.
A hollowness filled her chest, and she looked around at the other guests, wiping away a tear from her cheek. There were still so many people there, and when they left, there would be a wrap party, preparations for the next few murder-mystery-free months, a relaxing night before another busy day.
There was plenty of company Winter could keep, but even surrounded by so many people, she’d never felt so alone.