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Her feet took her to the building without her even realizing it. It was only when thethwackof someone chopping wood caught her attention that she even realized she had made it to the main building. Frowning, Willow shoved one hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face.I’ll have to tie it back for yoga.
“Hello?”
Walking around to the back of the building, her breath suddenly hitched. Asher was shirtless, his muscles gleaming in the sunshine as he hoisted the axe. Swinging it high into the air, he brought it down to thwack into the wood. Setting it down, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with one hand.
Willow swallowed hard. Suddenly, the air seemed thick, making it hard to breathe.What are you doing? Stop watching him!
For whatever reason, she couldn’t take her eyes off him, her heartbeat growing faster by the minute.You’ve seen Asher do this plenty of times before. What’s going on with you?There wasn’t any explanation for the way that her eyes were glued to his chest or why her breathing was a little ragged. Her mouth went dry, and she licked her lips, finally managing to pull her eyes away from him.
“Willow?”
Blinking, she demanded her lips pull into a smile, trying to look straight into his eyes instead of anywhere else.
“Did you need something?” It took Willow a second to realize that he was coming toward her.
“Hi.” For whatever reason, she couldn’t get her eyes to focus on him. “Hi. Yes. Sorry. I— Sorry, I was just coming to…”
Asher grinned at her, a smile in his clear blue eyes. “Are you okay? Did you drink too much wine? You’re only supposed to taste it, you know. In fact, weren’t you supposed to be taking pictures?”
Rolling her eyes, Willow stuck both hands to her hips. “Very funny.” Getting back into their usual teasing conversation was helping her make sense of what was going on in her head, although it was still a struggle just to act normal.I wish at least he’d put a shirt on.“I’m fine. I’ve taken plenty of photos. I was out on the lake in a canoe, and I got one of the best shots of the camp that I’ve ever taken! Do you want to see it?” Slinging the camera strap over her head, she held it out to him.
Asher backed up, both hands lifted, palms outwards. “I would, but I’m already really sweaty, and I don’t want to get any on your camera.”
“This evening, then.” Looking behind him, Willow pointed to the pile of wood that had been stacked already. “What are you up to?”
“Chopping wood?” Asher’s eyebrows wiggled. “Isn’t that obvious?” Letting out a loud groan, Willow threw back her head, rocked on her heels, and squeezed her eyes closed.
Her body jolted as she felt his hand on her shoulder, and when she opened her eyes, he was leaning closer to her.
“Hey, you asked.”
For whatever reason, the same fire that had leapt into her belly when Jimmy had touched her arm suddenly reignited itself. Willow’s smile cracked, and she was forced to try and keep it in place.What is going on with me?
To her relief, Asher seemed to think that her fixed smile was because of his teasing. With a grin, he dropped his hand from her arm, jerking one thumb in the direction of the woodpile.
“Mom told me that we needed some more wood for the campfires. I didn’t want to chop the wood anywhere near the guests, so I had Chuck bring the logs over here. He’ll come pick up the rest of wood later once I’ve chopped it all.”
“I see.” Licking her suddenly very dry lips, Willow looked away. That fire was still burning brightly, and she wasn’t sure how to put it out. Tilting her head in the direction of the building, she began to move away. “I’d better get going. I need to get changed.”
“Changed for what?”
“I’m taking a yoga class.” For whatever reason, Willow found she didn’t want to tell him that she was going with Jimmy. “Your parents have already said I should take some of the classes and do some of the activities. It might give me a better perspective as a photographer, help inspire some new shots.”
Asher nodded, going to pick up the axe again. “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll walk back with you, if you like. It won’t take me long to do the rest of the wood.”
“Sounds good.” Walking backward, Willow headed toward the building. “I need to hurry, though. I don’t want to be late.” Asher didn’t reply, just gave her a thumbs up before swinging his axe again—and her mouth went dry. Turning away, she walked to the building with quick steps, her head dropping low.
What on earth is going on?
It wasn’t until she got inside that Willow realized just how fast her heart was beating. Her stomach twisted, and she paused for a second, one hand on the doorknob.
This can’t be happening. Asher is my best friend. There’s no way that I can find him attractive.She bit her lip, hard.That would ruin everything.
8
Asher scowled at his reflection in the mirror.
For the last week, neither of them had really talked aboutNow and Forever, and neither himself nor Willow had gone on another date. The idea of the double date hadn’t been brought up once, either, although that was mostly down to Asher deciding not to talk about it anymore. If he didn’t show any enthusiasm, he figured then Willow might forget about the idea completely. Asher didn’t think he could cope with seeing her focus all her attention on another guy—especially if they hit it off.
