Page 85 of Caught in the Axe
“Did they get murdered?”
“Worse, the power goes out and they make a fire and fall in love. They go to forage for stuff in the woods and I wasn’t sure if it was one of thosesurvival shows.”
I could hear her giggling in the background.
Willa snorted on the other end. “They are trying to forage for food and the kids are just hanging around in a cabin. Never mind they have cars they can get into and drive away in. But the need to survive bonds them.”
“Dumbasses. Maybe they were just horny so they pretended to be stuck there?”
“And these people? They were ridiculously irresponsible.” I waved a hand as I went on. “Like they are full-on neglecting their children.”
I described their attempts to make fire and the bear cub that had been thrown in for comic relief and before long, we were both howling with laughter.
“You know,” she said, her voice lighter, even as it was clear her tears hadn’t stopped, “I’m beginning to think Hallmark has been lying to us all this time. These hot, emotionally stable men with full heads of hair don’t really exist.”
My mind flashed to Owen. That wasn’t quite accurate. They existed, all right. They just weren’t forever. Which was almost a crueler reality.
“But since Hallmark men are nonsexual, maybe they have tiny penises,” Willa said, snorting into the phone.
“Aren’t you in public?”
“I’m too upset to care. Plus, the terminal is pretty empty right now.”
“My theory is that they’re like Ken dolls.” I giggled through my tears. “That’s the secret flaw. The corporate titan turned small-town florist? Or the carpenter who drives a Mercedes and lives in a gorgeous house? They’ve got nothing downstairs.”
Willa gasped for breath on the other end of the phone. “Yes. I’ll never swoon over a Hallmark man again. Those poor women. Lured in by the small-town charm, broad shoulders, and deep voices. Only to find out it’s all smooth down there.”
Even as my heart ached for my bestie, I roared with laughter. This conversation was beyond absurd, and it made me miss her so much.
She sniffed. “I love you.”
“I love you so fucking much. And I’m here for you. Always.”
The walls were closing in on me. I’d gone for a run around my mom’s neighborhood to give myself something to do. Then I headed to the Savards’ house, where I fed Madam Flo, a.k.a. Florence Nightingale, Willa’s ancient cat. I’d taken care of her when Dr. and Mrs. Savard went to Florida in January and still had a key to the house. I texted Mrs. Savard to let her know I’d check on her for as long as they needed. Then I cleaned her litter box, took out their trash, and got the mail.
Willa had texted to tell me he was stable and that the doctors were optimistic. I’d passed the information on to my mom and Magnolia.
Mom didn’t question me when I cleaned and alphabetized her spice cabinet, but every time she checked on me, her brow was knit with concern. I was about to start on the medicine cabinet when she strongly suggested I snuggle up with a good book and try to get some sleep.
My fingers itched to text him, but I heldstrong.
What good could come of it if I did? Soon, we’d be in different states, likely to never see one another again. We’d had our fling in Boston, the one meant to allow us to get the attraction, the passion, out of our systems.
Only, the opposite had happened.
These feelings weren’t going away. In fact, they were becoming more overwhelming by the day.
And life was so precious. I needed no greater reminder today.
For years, I’d been with the wrong person.
And although Owen couldn’t be a forever option, he felt so right for today. And why deny myself happiness and connection and affection today, when tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed?
So after a full hour of pacing, then throwing myself onto my bed and rereading the same page of my current read over and over, I made sure my mom was asleep, then snuck out. Because the pull was too strong. And I was tired of resisting.
For once, I’d take what I wanted and let the consequences be damned.
Because I needed to feel his arms around me, his lips on my skin, more than I needed to breathe right now. I needed to be in the presence of the one person who could comfort and thrill me at the same time.
