Page 52 of Honey Bee Library
“Well, I’ll leave you two to it. I need to get home and get some sleep.” Maddie patted my arm as she turned toward the front door. “A word,”’ she whispered under her breath. Her gaze was insistent when I glanced down at her.
“Um, yeah, sure,” I said, glancing back at Willow, who was studying the bags in her hands. “Jasper’s asleep in your room. If you don’t want to wake him up, we can put those in my room,” I said nodding toward her things.
Was it wrong that I didn’t want to miss this chance to talk to her? I was worried that if I obliged Maddie, Willow would retreat to her room and I wasn’t going to see her for the rest of the night. I wanted to see her. Talk to her. Be around her.
Willow met my gaze and held it for a moment before she nodded. “Okay.”
I couldn’t help the smile that emerged. And for the first time, I didn’t try to hide it. I wanted her see just how happy she made me. “Good,” I said as I turned to Maddie, who was looking at me with an incredulous expression.
“Ready?” I asked as I extended my hand.
I followed after her through the foyer and shut the front door behind me once we were both outside. When I turned to face her, I scoffed when I saw her raised eyebrows and wide eyes.
I pushed my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “What?” I asked, shrugging. I didn’t know what her expression meant, and I was ready to get this interaction wrapped up so I could head back inside to Willow.
“Willow thought you were my boyfriend.”
The laugh that emerged was loud and startled even me. “What?” I asked.
“Willow thought that you and I were dating.”
I frowned. “Why…why would she think that?”
Maddie folded her arms. “I have no idea. She asked why you made your girlfriend work social events at your club.” She quirked an eyebrow. “I put two and two together.”
“Did you tell her that we aren’t dating?” I hurried to ask.
Maddie raised her hand. “Don’t worry, Romeo. I told her that you’re my boss, that’s all.”
I blew out my breath. “Oh, good.”
When she didn’t respond right away, I glanced over to see that Maddie was studying me once more.
Unable to read her reaction, I pulled back. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
She shrugged. “I think I might have just removed the last hurdle for you two.”
My cheeks warmed, and I feared I’d just revealed to Maddie what her words meant to me. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know exactly how I felt about Willow, but things were rapidly changing, and I doubted I could keep my feelings a secret much longer.
Maddie chuckled and turned to head toward her car. “That’s what I thought.”
“What? What’s what you thought?” I asked, though I knew exactly what she was saying.
Maddie glanced over her shoulder at me and grinned. “You like her.”
I scoffed and pushed my hand through my hair. “I don’t like her.”
Maddie pursed her lips. “Yeah, mm-hmm.” She shook her head. “Don’t wait. If you like her, tell her.”
My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears as I watched Maddie walk toward her car. Part of me wanted to call her back and convince her that I didn’t really like Willow, just to keep face. But the part of me that was tired of denying my feelings won out, and I resigned myself to letting Maddie walk away.
When she was in her car with the door shut, I turned and made my way back inside. I shut the door behind me and then glanced around, hoping that Willow had stayed.
For some asinine reason, Maddie’s words had left me feeling hope. Hope that, perhaps, the reason for Willow’s attitude change toward me had been because she thought I was dating Maddie. We’d had such a close moment while drinking wine in my kitchen, but the next morning she had been so distant. The morning that Maddie joined us for breakfast.
Did I want to hope that was the reason?
I rounded the corner from the foyer to the hallway, and my entire body lightened at the sight of Willow standing right where I’d left her. She was studying the ground, bags still in both hands, oblivious to the fact that I was watching her.
