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Asher swallowed hard, finding it impossible to pull his gaze away. Willow had no idea just how beautiful she was. Even though she was wrapped in a huge fleece hoodie, he found her almost entirely irresistible.
“You going to tell me about your date?” Her eyes shifted to his, and Asher coughed, looking away quickly.I hope she didn’t catch me staring.
“Uh…sure.”
“It all sounds very mysterious.” Willow giggled and shifted in her seat, turning to face him a bit more. “Did she just call you up out of the blue?”
“She messaged me.” One shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “A lot, actually. My phone blew up with a bunch of messages, but I was busy and didn’t get a chance to even see who had messaged me. I finally looked at my phone, and Mandy had sent me about twenty different messages.”
Willow’s smile suddenly cracked. “Oh. She sounds pretty…intense.”
“Yeah, I thought so, too, although I’ll admit to being flattered. She was desperate to meet up tonight.”
“Did you ask her why she was in such a rush?”
Asher nodded. “Sure, and she said it was because she was only in Windy Lake until tomorrow. Her office had a meeting or a conference here—I forget exactly—so she could only do tonight.”
“Oh.” Willow’s lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “It doesn’t sound like there was potential for a long-term relationship.”
Pausing Asher considered for a moment.Was that a hint of jealousy?“I didn’t mind that. I just wanted to get out of the house.” He began to make up the s’mores so that he wouldn’t have to look into her face.I can already feel the embarrassment.“So, I went to meet her at the bar.”
Willow nodded and licked her lips. “Right. What was she like? Did you guys hit it off?”
Asher cleared his throat gruffly. “Remember I said you thought your date was bad? At least yours showed up!”
A quick glance in her direction told him that she was stunned. Wide blue eyes stared back at him, and her mouth was a little ajar.
“At least I had some friends at the bar. But, still, it sucks getting stood up.”
“Oh, no. Asher, I’m so sorry.” Willow shook her head. “There’s got to be a reason. Maybe she had to fly out sooner than she realized. Or her meeting ran over.”
Asher handed her the first s’more. “Or maybe she walked into the bar, saw me, and walked away again.”
“No way. You’re hot. You know that, right? Like, ridiculously hot.”
“Not everyone has the same taste.” Trying to shrug it off, he laughed, but Willow didn’t look convinced. “Anyway, I sat there for way too long.”
Willow picked up her s’more and handed it back to him. “I think you should get the first one. I think you need it more than me.”
“Thanks, but you can have it. I’ll make the next one.”
Willow took back the s’more and bit into it, her eyes closing. “Amazing. You know what would go really well with this?”
“If you’re going to say a chocolate milkshake, then I’ll stop you right there.”
The sparkling giggle that came from her told him that he’d hit on the right answer. Asher got that she was doing it just to tease him, but he couldn’t help laughing. Suddenly, all the stress of the evening seemed to fade away.Thiswas what made him happy—just being with Willow, sitting out in the dark, enjoying her conversation, and laughing together.
“I’ve got an idea for you.”
Lifting one eyebrow, Asher looked at her as she took another sip of her wine. “Really? Hit me with it.”
“How about we go on a double date next time? That way, we’ll at least have each other.”
Grinning Asher shook his head. “That’s never going to work. I’ll just end up being the third wheel.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Leaning across her chair, Willow whacked his arm with the back of her hand teasingly. “Mandy is an idiot.” She lifted her chin, but her eyes were twinkling. “I’m not saying that you won’t have a bad date, but at least if you do, then I’ll be right there with you.”
I can’t imagine anything worse than sitting across from Willow and seeing her flirting with her date.“Alright. Why not?” Reluctantly, Asher agreed, aware of the relief that poured into Willow’s face.
