Page 23 of Honey Bee Library
She hesitated before she met my gaze. “Buy Jasper things.” She dropped her focus down to the countertop, where she traced the cool marble with the tip of her finger.
I frowned. “Didn’t you lose everything in the fire?” I took another sip of the wine. When she didn’t answer right away, I glanced over to assess what her silence meant.
“Yes, but I’m his mom. I can take care of him. I don’t want to owe anyone…” She paused as she looked over at me. “Anything.”
Maddie’s words rang in my mind,Single moms, they’re a protective breed. They’ve been forced to be tough even if they don’t want to be.Was that what Willow was doing? Forcing herself to be tough?
“You don’t owe me anything,” I said as I ran my finger along the bottom of the glass.
“You’re right, because we’re not taking the toys or the clothes.”
She must have found the dresser and closet that Maddie had filled for Jasper. I turned to look at her once more, parting my lips to protest.
She raised her hand. “I don’t think it’s good for us to mix business and…pleasure.” She said the last word with hesitation, like it held more weight than she wanted it to.
I didn’t expect the rush of electricity that pulsed through my body at that word. For a moment, I wondered if she’d had the same reaction. Then I forced that thought to a far corner of my mind to rot. It was obvious that I was the only one confused by our connection.
“I just wanted to help.” And that was the truth.
Willow nodded. “I know, but I think it’s best for us to keep things professional.”
I frowned as I leaned back against the barstool and crossed my arms. “Then why did you come with me tonight?” Earlier this evening, she’d been so adamant. Why had she run after me and knocked on my car window?
Willow was back to focusing on the countertop. She was quiet for a moment before she let out a resigned sigh. “Jasper thought we weren’t staying here because he’d done something wrong. My ex…” She paused. “Jasper blames himself for his dad leaving. Says if he hadn’t been bad, his dad wouldn’t have walked away.” Her voice grew softer with each word until eventually it was barely a whisper.
A desire to protect Willow and her son rose up inside of me, and I fisted the hand resting on my thigh. What kind of idiot walked out on his wife and kid? Didn’t he understand the kind of damage that did to people? I wanted to say something. I wanted to act. But I recognized Willow’s rounded shoulders and resigned expression. She was hurting, and a big reaction from me would only hurt her more.
“My mom left me when I was six. She went out for milk and never came back.” I chuckled at my joke.
Truth was, Dad never really talked about Mom’s last day. The only memory I had was her being there one moment and gone the next. I wished I could pinpoint the exact day in my mind. Perhaps then I could make sense of why she left.
Willow was watching me when I brought my gaze back to her. The look in her eyes was softer, more understanding. It thrilled me and scared me at the same time. I’d revealed a part of myself to her without realizing it. In two short sentences, I’d broken my resolve to keep my past a secret. I never wanted people to know my history. I didn’t want their pity.
But with Willow it was different.
I took a long sip of wine before setting the glass down on the marble with a softtink. “So I know what he’s going through,” I added with the hope that she wouldn’t ask me any questions.
“I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Willow’s voice was so full of compassion that it made my body itch. I wanted to lean into it. I wanted her to care. But at the same time, I knew what my physical reaction meant. It was the same reaction I got when any woman tried to get close to me after Yasmin. I wanted to run. I needed to break things off before she could break my heart.
I pushed down my feelings. There was a kid involved. A kid who reminded me of myself. And if I could protect him like I hadn’t been? Then I was going to. Even if it meant distancing myself from his mother.
I drained the rest of the wine from my glass and then slid off the barstool. “Yeah, well, such is life,” I said as I rounded the peninsula and headed over to the sink to flip the faucet on. After rinsing out the glass, I set it in the sink for Nicole to wash when she came tomorrow. “I’m tired,” I announced as I shut off the water and flicked the water droplets off my fingers and into the sink. “I’m headed to bed.”
I didn’t wait for her to speak. I kept walking, heading straight to my room. Once inside, I shut the door and leaned against the ornate wood. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before I slowly let it out.
My conversation with Willow had been a mistake. I should have never asked her to join me for a glass of wine. I should have never sat down next to her.
Now I knew the truth—about her past and Jasper’s. And when the time came to walk away from Harmony for good, that truth would make it that much harder.
8
WILLOW
I wokeup feeling just as confused as when I went to bed last night.
I thought a good night’s sleep would help me understand what had transpired between me and Cole. I naively thought I would wake up with the answers to the questions that had plagued my mind after our conversation last night.
