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Willow walked out of the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand.
“Thanks, Mom. Tell Patty I’ll be there to eat soon.” His attention was caught by Willow weaving her hand frantically. “Make that meandWillow.” Willow grinned at him and dropped her hand. “Okay, bye.”
“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind if I tag along?”
“No, not at all. You haven’t eaten yet?”
She shook her head. “Been busy trying to get my photographs organized. I took a lot of them today.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to make a joke about the yoga session, but from the heaviness in her blue eyes, Asher thought better of it. She wasn’t even looking at him directly. One hand had caught her other arm, and she twisted on her heel, perhaps worried that he was going to say something about Jimmy.
“I need to run by my mom’s office and sign some papers.”
Willow’s eyes finally landed on his. “Let me just grab my hoodie, and we can go together.”
Waiting until she’d walked outside, Asher pulled the door closed and locked it. He walked to the car, and they drove to the camp.
When they arrived, Asher watched Willow as she walked a little ahead of him.
She’d had her hair braided earlier, and now it fell in gentle waves, glinting gold like the last fading light of the sunset. Even in shorts and a hoodie, Asher didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more beautiful.
If Mom hadn’t called me, what would have happened?The question bounced around his mind, and Asher pulled his lips flat, shaking his head to himself.I don’t even know what she was thinking. It could have been about something completely different, and I’m just taking it the wrong way.
“Are you going to walk behind me the whole way?” Willow’s laugh reached his ears, and Asher grinned, running to catch up with her.
It’s not like I can tell her what was on my mind.
“Thanks for not saying anything about Jimmy.” Willow glanced up at him. “I saw in your expression that you wanted to, back there.”
Asher was about to protest when he caught the knowing look in her eyes.I can’t hide anything from her. She knows me too well.Letting out a small sigh, his shoulders dropped, and he put one arm around her. “I didn’t want to tease you."
“Yeah, you do enough of that already.” Her finger poked his side, and Asher chuckled. “But thanks, I really do appreciate that.” Another heavy sigh broke from her lips, and she dropped her head. “Two dates and two disasters. I hope that the next one’s better.”
Asher didn’t say anything in reply but squeezed her shoulder gently.
“You haven’t had any other dates yet?”
A hint of curiosity was in her voice, but Asher didn’t meet her gaze. I only want her.“I’ve been so busy with camp that I haven’t had time to even look at the app.”
“You can set up your phone to get notifications about matches.”
Asher shrugged. “Like I said, I’ve been busy. I can get back to that once the summer season is over.”Once I know for sure that I’m over you, then I’ll start thinking about dating, and I think that’s going to be a long time coming.
Willow shrugged. “I suppose that makes sense. I just hope you’re not missing out.”
“I don’t feel like I am.” When she shot him a quick glance, Asher smiled at her and caught a brief smile in return before Willow ducked her head. Had she picked up on what he really meant?
“I guess I’ll just meet you up at the dining hall, then?”
Asher nodded, pulling his arm away from her shoulders. “Sure. I won’t be long.”
“Please don’t be.” Willow laughed, but her expression was a little tight. “I’ve got no idea who might still be in the dining hall, and the last person I want to see is Jimmy.”
The way her brow wrinkled told Asher that she really was worried about running into Jimmy again. She bit her lip, and all Asher wanted to do was free that lip from her teeth. On instinct, he stepped forward and brushed his finger across her cheek.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be long. You can wait for me outside if you want.”
Her eyes lifted to his, and she smiled at him. “Thanks, Asher. I think I will just wait for you to get there.”
