“I think I have feelings for him.Real feelings.”
“I know you do,” she murmurs.
Gosh, have I really been that obvious?“I wish he wasn’t leaving.”
“But he is.”
“Yeah.”
She glances at me.“So what are you going to do about it?”
The million-dollar question, one I don’t have an answer to.
WhatcanI do?
He doesn’t seem to have a choice about leaving—he said something about work on Monday—and I have a business to run and a life here in Inner Shores.
With slumped shoulders, I trail Willow into her cottage, tiptoeing past a sleeping Sebastian to go use the bathroom.On my way out, I accidentally jab my hip against the crystal toilet paper holder.
Rubbing the sore spot, I come back out to find Willow rummaging through the kitchen, setting out fresh hummus, sliced avocado, and homemade pickled beets.She peers at me from behind the fridge door.“You need to eat something so you’re not hungover tomorrow.”
I would love to eat something.Just not this.“Do you have anything greasy?”
She purses her lips.“There might be some crackers in the pantry.”
Crackers aren’t greasy.And if they are, she should probably check the expiration date.
My head starts to swim, so I drop onto the couch.Sebastian opens one angry blue eye, judging me with his glare.
Willow carries over a plate filled with food I don’t want and sets it on the coffee table.I snag a cracker, taking a bite.Tastes like sawdust.
Ethan smells like sawdust…
My chest caves in.I don’t want him to go.Not now.Not ever.
“Have you ever been to Philadelphia?”I ask.
Willow picks up Sebastian and sets the angry cat onto her lap.He curls up against her stomach, purring away like a revving engine.“Can’t say I have.”
“Ethan lives in Philadelphia.”
Her lips tilt into a small smile.“I remember.”
Maybe the cracker will taste better with the avocado.
Nope.It’s somehow worse.
Where is a big ole cheeseburger when you need it?
Ethan would have gotten me a cheeseburger.Or Lucky Charms.They’re not greasy, but God, are they good.“I like him a lot.”
“So you’ve said.”
Maybe too much.Is there such a thing?Or do I like him just the right amount?The perfect amount for, say, something more than a fling.Something more serious.
“So what if he has to leave?”I think aloud.“People do long-distance relationships all the time.Why can’t we be one of them?”
Philly has an airport, doesn’t it?And once my new employees feel comfortable, I should be able to take a little more time off than usual.Ethan isn’t the only one who’s fallen into a routine or needs a little adventure in their life.
