“Because Hume and its dirt roads can’t compete with LA, New York, or London.”
“Damn right they can’t, if you like a city where no one remembers your name.”
“My bad, I forgot the Birch family is pro Hume.”
“Why wouldn’t we be? Hume is our home. Just because a place has twenty Bean There Done Thats in a ten-mile radius, it doesn’t make it better.”
She planted her arms across her chest. “And what does Hume have that makes it so special?”
“You …” Willa’s jaw slightly dropped at the unexpected compliment. “Me, Mr. Morton, Dial, Keni. The people are what make Hume special. Fuck LA.”
“Well Fancy doesn’t feel that way.”
“Then fuck her too.” I didn’t mean that but the fact that Los Angeles was blessed with Fancy’s presence pissed me off. I knew damn well no one in LA cared a piss about her, not like most people in Hume did. No matter where she traveled, Hume would always be here waiting for her.
“I thought you and Fancy were friends?”
I kissed my teeth, “In high school. We’re a long way from that.”
“So I shouldn’t be worried now that she’s in town?”
“Worried about what?”
“You two?”
“Fancy isn’t checking for me. She never has, and I’ve moved on.”
“Have you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Edison …” There was a distinct energy when a woman was about to ask you about your future together. The air got denser, and it became harder to breathe. Willa’s smile while still present, was askew. It was flat, no longer sincere. And her eyes were like camera shutters focusing in on every pore and fine line on my face. “Don’t you get tired of keeping people at bay?”
“I’m just a private person.”
“Bullshit. If you wanted to you would.”
She had me there, all I could do was nod in agreement.
Willa cupped my face, rubbing her thumb across my cheek. “Baby, I want to love you, but it seems like you don’t want to let me.”
My stomach turned. Willa being in love with me was the last thing I wanted. And now that she’d actually verbalized it, I knew this relationship had run its course. She was an amazing woman but beyond the sex, we weren’t compatible. We didn’t share a single interest. She liked rom-coms. I liked shoot em ups. She hated animals. I had a cat, two goats, some chickens, and a cow named Scout. She wanted a modern country house, and I was comfortably settled on my rustic farm.
Willa continued. “I was thinking, and I don’t remember the last time you asked me out on a date that didn’t include staying in and watching a movie.”
“I don’t think that’s true. We went for a drive not too long ago.” Willa and I weren’t a couple. And I never led her to believe our hook ups would transcend sex. But I knew she wanted more. So by not coming around I was trying to end it without having to have the talk and witness the disappointment on her face. “I thought we’d agreed to keep it casual.”
“I am keeping it casual. I only see you once or twice a month as it is. I’m starting to think you’re interested in keeping it pushing. If you don’t want to see me any more just tell me.”
Goddamnit, this was not the night I’d envisioned. I’d hoped for a low-stakes evening. My stomach knotted into tight coils. This was the part I hated, which is why I avoided it like the plague. I didn’t want to let anyone down. Clearing my throat I said, “I think you’re great, Willa. I do.”
“But?” Her eyes searched my face for answers.
“I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve gotten to spend together. The sleepovers … your delicious quiches in the morning?—”
“Ugh Edison, just spit it out. You always talk like someone is feeding you the words through an earpiece.”
Ouch.“I just think maybe we’d be better as friends with no benefits.” One of the words to best describe me was people pleaser. I was the type who typically went with the flow, only jumping ship when a waterfall was visible. This character trait had me eating food I was allergic to and tolerating others’ bad behavior just to keep the peace.
