Page 65 of Honey Bee Library
My body began to itch, and the desire to hightail it out of this club grew inside of me. I took in a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. This was Cole’s night. I was here to support him like he’d spent the last few days supporting me. If he needed me to be the pretty piece on his arm, then I would be that for him.
I just couldn’t stop the reality from setting in of how far apart my world was from Cole’s. This club was a giant, blinking neon sign that said,What are you thinking, Willow?I felt foolish for thinking that Cole and I were different based solely on his house and car. This club. These people. They were the reasons Cole and I were never going to make it.
Even in the dark, moody lighting of the club, the difference between us shone like the sun at noonday. Cole was rich and popular, and I was a poor single mom. Whatever was going on between Cole and me wasn’t going to make it past my time here in Miami.
Eventually, he was going to grow tired of me tagging along, pretending like I belonged in his world. He might not see it now, but there would be a point where he would wake up and realize that I was at a party I was never meant to be invited to. The question I had to ask myself was, how long was I going to stick around? I broke when Harold left. I was certain I would shatter if Cole did the same.
“Come on, let me show you where you can hang out.” Cole’s lips were millimeters from my ear as he squeezed my hand.
His warm breath caused goosebumps to cascade across my skin, and I wanted to enjoy his closeness, but I forced myself to stay distant. It was the only way I could find the strength to walk away from him in the future.
He led me over to a table near the stage. It was roped off and aRESERVEDsign sat on the smooth black marble top. Cole reached over, unhooked the rope, and pulled it back so I could get by. I settled down in the booth and glanced up to see that Cole wasn’t joining me.
He must have noticed my disappointment because he offered me an apologetic smile. “I have to go greet some people, but I’ll be back.” He reached out and grasped my hand, bringing it to his lips as he pressed a kiss into my fingers. “Wait here for me,” he commanded.
I wanted to tell him, no, I needed to go home. I needed to hide myself in Harmony to protect my heart. But none of those words made their way to my tongue. I just nodded and watched as he lowered my hand and studied me for a moment before he turned and left.
Now alone, I took in a deep breath before I slowly let it out. I ran my fingers across the smooth leather booth as I glanced around at the people sitting at tables or standing in clusters. They all looked like they belonged here. Sure, the dress Maddie had picked out made me look like I belonged here as well, but it was a lie. This wasn’t me. I was slippers and faded, ripped pajamas. And that was exactly what I would be wearing tonight if I were back home in Harmony. Not…this.
I was not part of this world, and I was never going to be.
“Excuse me.”
A sharp, tense voice to my left pulled me from my thoughts. I glanced over to see a woman whose jet-black hair was pulled into a slick bun at the nape of her neck. Her blue eyes were wide, and her nose was turned up ever so slightly as she stared down at me.
“I think you’re at the wrong table,” she said, pointing her obnoxiously long and overly decorated nail in my direction. “That’s Cole Watkin’s table.”
Heat pricked my skin as I glanced down at the table in front of me and then over to her. I wanted to tell her that this was where he told me to sit. I wanted to tell her that I belonged right where I was. But it felt like a lie on my tongue. She was the first person to accurately depict my situation with Cole.
I was at the wrong everything.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled as I stood and brushed down my dress.
She folded her arms and watched me step around the rope. I could feel her judgment as I headed away from the table. I didn’t bother to look back as I moved to stand in the shadows by the bar. All I wanted to do was sprint from this place, but for some reason my feet felt like lead, and I couldn’t find the strength inside of me to move.
I wanted to leave to protect my heart, but I also didn’t want to leave Cole. I was rapidly falling in love with this man, and as much as I knew we weren’t meant to be together, I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger just yet.
I was in limbo, and it was hell.
The sight of Cole’s familiar dirty-blond hair and confident stride had me pushing further into the shadows to hide myself. He looked angry as he strode up to the booth I’d just vacated. The woman who had accurately assessed my situation—that I didn’t belong at Cole’s table—slowly stood as Cole said something to her. She shrugged and replied. Cole didn’t wait for her to finish as he started to scan the room.
For a moment, I wondered if he was looking for me, but then I pushed that thought from my mind. If he was, it didn’t matter. Cole and I were from two different worlds. The sooner we acknowledged that, the better off we’d be.
Thankfully, he didn’t see me on his first sweep. His expression was frustrated as he waved his hand, and the woman slowly moved away from his booth. She glanced over her shoulder like she expected him to call her back, but he had turned away from her and was chatting with one of the men in suits who had been following behind him.
When they finished talking, the man glanced around like he was looking for me, too. I took that as my sign to slip away. The bathroom felt like a safe bet, so I stuck to the walls as I made my way over and pushed open the door.
I’d never been in a bathroom that was this fancy. There was black marble penny tile on the floor, black wallpaper with silver flowers etched into it, and a huge silver chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Even the restroom mocked my bank account.
I sighed as I stared at my reflection. “What are you doing here, Willow?” I whispered.
I could see the ache in my gaze. I loved Cole. I wanted him to be the one that everything in my past was leading to. I wanted him to love me. I wanted him to love Jasper. I wanted us to be a family.
But it couldn’t be. I was never going to be able to make Cole happy. We were too different. And I knew in reality no amount of attraction or mutual affection could make up for that difference.
My eyes brimmed with tears, and I angrily wiped at them. Cole wasn’t mine, so was why was I mourning a future I never had in the first place?
The sound of the bathroom door opening was followed by the chatter of women, and I pulled away from the sink and hurried to disappear into one of the stalls. I wasn’t ready for the pity stares or the “everything okay” questions. I needed a moment to compose myself before I saw anyone.
