Page 102 of Caught in the Axe
Willa practically gaped at me. I’d been complaining about this place my whole life, but it was the truth.
I held up one finger. “Natural scenic beauty.” I added a second. “A slower pace.” Then a third. “Real, genuine people—”
She grasped my hand, interrupting me. “I get it. Thank you for trying to cheer me up.”
“This place is leveling up,” Magnolia argued. “Have you been to the new coffee shop yet? It’s not the only new business in town either. I’ve heard rumors that they’re bringing back the River Festival. And the Smiths are selling the inn.”Magnolia tapped her metallic gold nails against her wineglass. “I’m thinking I might buy it.”
I choked on my wine. Eyes watering, I slapped a hand to my chest and gasped. “You’re going to buy the inn?How rich are you?”
She shook her head. “Don’t ask. It’s just so charming. The town needs it if we want any of the other local businesses to survive long term. And you know I love a renovation project.”
Willa shook her blond hair. “I’m confused. You, Magnolia Stephens-Thomas, are going to give up planning events in the Big Apple to become a backwoods innkeeper?”
Magnolia threw a balled-up napkin at her. “Gross, no. You make it sound so sad. I won’t be the one running it. I’ll buy it and fix it up, then I’ll find someone to run it for me. It would be a strategic investment in the economic future of Lovewell.”
“You’re insane,” Willa scoffed.
Magnolia flicked her hair. “Oh, I know it. Here’s the thing. We can’t control the future, but we can control how we show up for one another. So just because you’ll be here and Lila and I will be elsewhere doesn’t mean we won’t have your back every single day.”
Willa lowered her head, fighting back another round of tears. “Thank you.”
“We will find a way to live our dreams. We’re scrappy, gorgeous, and smart.” Magnolia held her glass aloft. “The world better get the fuck out of our way.”
The girls ordered a second basket of fries and we were feeling much better by the time the band set up for the night. I hadn’t really participated in the Lovewell nightlife scene since I’d been home, but even I knew about Jasper Hawkins and his band. A few of them were local timber guys, and a couple others worked down at the hydroelectric plant in Woodville. They mostly played covers and performed at town events and weddings.
Magnolia was trying to convince us to come back to her house for a sleepover when the air in the bar shifted. The Heberts had arrived. En masse.
Including Owen.
And damn, he looked good. Was he wearing a flannel shirt or had I had too much wine?
Despite my better judgment, I craned my neck to get a better look.
“Ooh.” Magnolia bounced in her seat and rubbed her hands together. “The lumberjack brigade has arrived. We’ve got Scruffy Lumberjack, Corporate Lumberjack, Man Bun Lumberjack, and, ooh, my personal favorite, Sensitive Musician Lumberjack. It’s a goddamn buffet, ladies.”
I slid her wineglass away. It was probably time to cut her off.
With one brow lifted, she smirked at me. “You calling dibs on Corporate?”
I only spared a second to glare at her before my attention diverted back to Owen. He was like a homing beacon, and I couldn’t look away. His hair was a little longer than when he’d returned to town, almost shaggy, and his perpetual stubble had officially transformed into a full-blown beard. He was wearing jeans and a pair of broken-inwork boots. And yes, he really, really was wearing a flannel shirt.
Damn him. I swore I ovulated on the spot. That was the magic of Lovewell. It could turn even the most impeccably groomed Tom Ford–wearing city guy into a feral lumberjack in a matter of weeks.
The moment he came into view, my pulse had taken off, and my core had tightened. That was the effect this man had on me. He’d been out in the woods helping Gus for a couple of days, so I’d been starving for him already. Now that he was in my proximity, I was ravenous.
But what was he doing here? Owen avoided town events and crowds if at all possible.
When Jude climbed up on stage, it made more sense. They’d come to watch him play. So adorable.
Jude slung his guitar strap over his head and ducked down, tuning the instrument. He sometimes played with the band, but he was so reserved that he usually faded into the background.
“Are we going to talk about this?” Willa asked, slapping my hand gently. “Or do you expect us to pretend you’re not eye fucking your hot boss right now?”
“Pretty sure she’s done a lot more than eye fucking, Willa,” Magnolia leaned forward, a Cheshire cat grin spreading across her face. “Now be a good girl and spill. He’s incredible in bed, right?”
“Stooop,” I whisper-yelled, my face flaming.
Owen stopped at a table and greeted Henri Gagnon and his wife Alice, then wandered to the bar and spoke to Jim for a moment, probably ordering drinks. He looked so comfortable here, almost like he was enjoying himself.
