Page 77 of Ozzie

Ugh! I thought I was making ground, and then he backtracks. Okay, I’ll try a third approach.

“When was the last time you talked to Willow?”

His brow furrows as he thinks. “Shortly after everything happened, I was called out on a mission. When I got back, Willow was gone. My sister lost touch with her too. I have no idea what happened to her.”

I stare at my cousin, wondering if Willow is the one who got away. I’ve been here for over a year and have never seen him go out on a date or even express interest in anyone.

“Did you date anyone after that?”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I?” He shakes his head as he takes a drink of his beer.

I shrug. “I haven’t seen you date since I’ve been here.”

“Haven’t met anyone interesting.” He stands up. “Let’s order pizza delivery. The usual?”

“Sure.”

He walks into the kitchen to make the call, and I check my phone. No new messages. While Durango seems stuck against the idea of Ozzie and me dating, I sense he might be softening. Hopefully, after he has time to think through everything that happened today, he’ll finally pull his head out of his ass.

In the meantime, I want to learn more about this Willow. It might help my cousin if he could talk to her again. I’m not close to Priscilla, but I do have her number.

Piper:Hey, sorry we haven’t talked in a while, and this is random, but what was your friend, Willow’s, last name?

If I can find her, I can ask her if she’s single. Durango deserves to be happy, and if I can play matchmaker, why not?

CHAPTER 23

Ozzie

Someone must have toldReed about what happened because when I ask for the day off, he says I can take the week off as long as when I come back, my issues with Durango are resolved. Well, he doesn’t say it quite that nicely. There’s a lot of swearing involved.

Reed may act like he doesn’t follow our lives, but he always seems to know what’s going on. And not just the times when it happens right outside the office door. But this incident, it stings. As a man in my thirties, I’m embarrassed that my boss is telling me to get my act together. None of this should have happened at work.

The plane lands in Portland, and I find myself nervous. Willow messaged me back last night, and I told her I wanted to talk to her about Durango. She agreed to meet in person. When she gave me an address in Portland, Ididn’t mention I was on the other side of the country. No, I simply said yes.

Once I find a cab, I give the driver the address for the café where Willow has agreed to meet. Fortunately, it’s not too far from the airport. When I walk in, I spot her immediately. But the light she used to have in her eyes is gone.

She’s sitting at a table, her leg is bouncing, and her eyes are darting around until she spots me.

“Willow?”

Her lips curl up, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “Ozzie. It’s good to see you again.”

I sit down across from her. “Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yes, just nervous about seeing you, I guess.”

But her gaze doesn’t stay on me; she continues to watch the other patrons. She’s nervous about something, but I don’t think it’s me.

“Thanks for meeting me. I wanted to talk to you about Durango.”

That’s when she turns her full attention to me. “How is he? Did he get married?”

I shake my head. “No, he’s single. But he’s good. He’s taking care of his cousin, and we work together.”

“Cousin? Which one?”

“Piper? She’s about ten years younger than him, so you might never have met her.”

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