Page 29 of Honey Bee Library
My entire body flooded with regret as realization dawned on me. Of course, Willow was acting strange, she’d heard what I said about her. Why did Maddie have to come out and ask me if I liked Willow in such a direct way? Did Willow hear my answer?
Shit.This was not good.
“That was…strange,” Maddie said as she turned to face me. “Is she always this jumpy?”
I pushed my hand through my hair and shrugged. “Jumpy? Not that I know of. Hard to read? Definitely.” I glanced back at her closed door before I returned my attention to Maddie.
“I’ve got to go get ready. Have a safe flight back home.”
She nodded. “And good luck,” she said, her eyes wide as she tipped her head toward Willow’s door.
I gave her an appreciative smile. “Thanks.”
I headed to my room and grabbed my tie and suit coat. I was out and waiting in the foyer exactly two minutes later. I tapped my fingers against my thighs as I waited for Willow to come out. Just when I’d convinced myself that she’d snuck out when I was getting ready, the bedroom door opened and Jasper emerged.
I frowned as I took in his clothes. No longer was he wearing the new shirt and pants from earlier. The clothes he had on now were worn and faded. I knew I shouldn’t care—after all, Willow could dress her kid in whatever she wanted—but I couldn’t help but feel hurt.
We’d made so much progress this morning, and now, I’d messed it all up. To Willow, the idea that I might be interested in her was enough to cause her to close the door on our relationship so hard that it shook me.
Falling for a woman was pointless. It always ended the same way: me standing there with a broken heart, watching her walk away.
I cleared my throat and straightened, determined to push my feelings aside and just focus on getting through the day. Willow and I were never going to be anything more than business partners, and the sooner I pushed these ridiculous feelings aside, the happier I would be.
Willow and I didn’t say anything to each other as I drove us to Jasper’s school. As soon as I pulled to the side and Willow got out, I found my phone and swiped it on. I needed a distraction, and Liam was the perfect person to provide one.
Me: You up?
I set my phone down on my lap and tipped my head back against the headrest. I watched a few nosy moms crane their necks to see who was sitting in the driver’s seat, before I closed my eyes. I was tired, and the last thing I needed was to worry about Harmony Island’s gossip train.
To my surprise, my phone buzzed a few seconds later.
I straightened and glanced down to see that Liam had messaged me back. That was a first. Normally, he slept in until noon.
Liam: Yep. Up and eating a banger breakfast. Small town inns really know how to cook.
I moved to text a response, but he beat me to it.
Liam: What’s the plan for today? Can we meet up?
I glanced toward the school for a moment before I turned back to my phone. I didn’t want Liam at the diner, but I also didn’t want to be around Willow if she was going to act this way. I needed a social buffer, and my best friend seemed like the right man for the job.
Me: Yeah. I’ll be at the diner in about fifteen minutes if you want to come by.
I hurried to add,
Then you can tell me why you’re here.
Before I could respond, I saw Willow exit the building from the corner of my eye. I clicked my phone off and set it in the cup holder next to me. I watched as Willow dipped her head and hurried to yank open the passenger door.
Once again, her expression was unreadable as she shut the door and buckled her seatbelt.
“Everything okay?” Maybe I was a glutton for punishment. She clearly didn’t want to talk, but I wanted her to saysomethingto me.
Willow glanced over at me for a moment before she returned her attention to her hands in her lap. “Everything’s great. You can go.”
I put my car into first gear and took off. The entire ride to the diner I was in a battle with myself. Part of me wanted to keep the conversation going. Maybe through talking, I’d find out the reason for her icy exterior.
But the other part of me wanted to keep quiet. If she didn’t want a relationship with me, I wasn’t going to force it. I wasn’t going to foster a relationship where I cared more than she did.
