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Laughing, Willow pushed herself away. “Sounds good. I bet you’d get a ton of dates, too!”
Still laughing, Asher watched as Willow made her way outside and then walked into the kitchen to get the stuff for the s’mores.
* * *
The kitchen was quiet,which was a relief after the evening Asher had spent sitting alone in a bar waiting for a date that hadn’t turned up.I probably sat there for way too long.
He’d always planned to tell Willow about what had happened to him and his supposed date, but now that it came to it, a deep embarrassment settled inside him. The date had been a last minute thing, but Mandy—the person he was supposed to meet—had seemed really eager. Her messages had been full of enthusiasm, and she’d sounded even more excited when he’d told her that they could meet that evening.
There was always the chance that she’d walked in, seen him, and then walked away again. Asher wasn’t going to pretend that wasn’t a possibility, as much as he didn’t want to admit it.I’m going to have to tell that to Willow, too.Even the thought was embarrassing, but there was nothing he would hide from Willow…apart from being in love with her.
Grabbing a wine glass out of the cupboard, Asher walked toward the window and looked out the backyard. Willow had gotten the fire going already, and a slow grin spread across Asher’s face. She looked a sight, wrapped up in her big fleece hoodie with a blazing fire beside her and a glass of white wine in her hand.
His smile faded quickly as he thought back to what she’d told him.Her date sent her car back to Windy Lake without her knowing.Asher had no idea what the guy had thought he was doing. Not only was he full of himself, but he also clearly thought that whatever he wanted, he would get—including Willow.Perhaps I should have gone to get her.Guilt speared through him, and he dropped his head, putting both hands flat on the counter and dragging in air through gritted teeth.
I won’t hesitate the next time.
He grabbed everything he needed, and balancing all the stuff in his arms, Asher made his way outside, dumping it all in a small table next to Willow. “How’s the wine?
“It’s great, thanks.” Tilting her head upward so she could look at him a little better, Willow scrutinized him, her eyes roving over his face. “What were you thinking about?”
“When?”
“A few seconds ago. I saw you waiting in the window, watching me.”
Heat began to move up his chest and into his neck. “I didn’t know you saw me. I was just thinking…” He shook his head. “I was just thinking about how dumb I was to leave you there. I should have come and rescued you.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. I was fine, and I didn’t want to ruin your evening. Besides, up until the point where he told me he’d sent my car back to Windy Lake, I thought he was just an egotistical, over-confident rich guy who only wanted to talk about himself.” Shrugging, a small, dry laugh broke from her lips. “I don’t actually think he meant anything bad by it. I think he thought I would be grateful after everything he told me about himself. Obviously, he thinks he’s a pretty amazing guy, and I guess he figured I would think so, too.”
Guilt refused to remove its jagged thorns from Asher’s heart. “All the same, your instincts were right.”
Reaching out, Willow grasped his hand, squeezing his fingers. Her smile was gentle, but there was a shadow in her eyes that told him she was worrying about him.
“Please stop. This is not your fault. This isnobody’sfault except Neil’s. I got myself out of there, and I got back home, so it’s all good.” Letting go of his hand, she waved toward the fire. “And now I have my fire, my wine, my s’mores, and my best friend.” Her smile grew into a grin. “What more could a girl want?”
“I’d better get those s’mores going, then!” Sitting on the chair next to her, Asher reached to pour himself a glass of wine. “Maybe next time, you’ll find a great guy.”
“Or maybe he’ll be even worse than Neil.” Taking a sip of her wine, Willow shook her head. “Could you imagine him being your surgeon? I don’t think I would need the anesthesiologist! Him droning on about himself would be enough to put me to sleep.”
Asher snorted with laughter. “Tell me the food was good, at least.”
“It was, although I was pretty gutted I couldn’t choose my own meal from the menu.” She rolled her eyes when he stared back at her, his wine glass frozen halfway to his mouth. “Yep. Neil chose everything for me.”
“What a jerk.”
“Yeah, he was awful.”
Grimacing, Asher let his smile fall. “Tell me again what happened to your car. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“He had someone drive my car to Windy Lake, and expected me to ride in a limo with him. The valet told me that they thought I realized this was happening. I told him that the next time, he ought to check with the lady first. I still can’t believe that valet did that.”
“I’ll take you back to the restaurant if you ever want to go. And, I will let you order whatever you want.”
Her eyes twinkled back at him. “Only if you’re paying. And, I’m not sure I want to go back. That place will always make me think of that date.”
“Well, you definitely don’t have to see him again. So that’s a relief, right?”
“I guess.” Resting her head, Willow looked up to the sky. “The stars are beginning to come out. It’s actually a very peaceful end to the night.”
