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“I’ll get the pizza,” I say, and turn toward the door as Carlos answers.
I grab my wallet off the counter and pull open my front door, expecting a teenager delivering pizza.
But I’m wrong.
Willow—looking like she stepped out of a music video—is standing on my front porch with the same coy smile on her face that always melted my heart.
CHAPTER 40
“GOT A MINUTE?” she says, blushing. “I’ve got to head back to Nashville earlier than expected.”
“Sure,” I say, although now seems like the worst possible time to have a heart-to-heart with her.
“A spot opened up at the Grand Ole Opry tomorrow night,” she says. “When will I ever get another chance to share billing with Vince Gill and Crystal Gayle?”
“That’s amazing,” I say, awed by her success. “You’ve got to do it.”
“I’m flying out early tomorrow,” she says. “Rehearsal’s in the afternoon.”
What she doesn’t say—but what’s implied—is if we’re going to have our conversation, it’s got to be now. This feels like the typical problem Willow and I always had. We were great together, but our jobs always got in the way.
Behind me, I hear Carlos on the phone—surprise in his voice—but I try not to focus on what he’s saying.
“All right,” I say, stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind me. “I’m all yours.”
The sun is on the verge of setting, and Willow looks luminous in the glow of twilight. Her hair is pulled back in a loose braid, and she’s wearing jeans and sandals and a faded blue T-shirt with the wordsMAGNOLIA FARMSunderneath a picture of the silos owned by the famous Waco residents Chip and Joanna Gaines. Willow and I used to watch their showFixer Uppertogether—just one of the many little things we shared.
We step out into the grass and meander slowly toward the pasture where Mom and Dad’s horses are grazing.
I think of Megan and feel like I’m cheating.
But it’s not cheating if all you’re doing is talking, right?
“We’ve been through a lot together, Rory,” Willow says. “Even though we broke up a while ago, you’ve always been special to me. We’ve stayed good friends.”
My heart starts to speed up.
“I know it sounds corny,” she says, “but I always kind of thought of us like Ross and Rachel fromFriends,you know? It wasn’tifwe were going to get back together, butwhen.”
I feel a lump in my throat. As she says this, I realize that’s how I always felt.
Like we were meant to be.
“But real life isn’t like a TV show,” Willow says. “A girl can’t wait around forever.”
As she says this, she stops and turns to face me. Her eyes are moist, as if she’s on the verge of tears.
I never stopped loving her,I realize.
She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can get a word out, my front door bursts open and Carlos calls out to me.
“We’ve got to go,” he shouts.“Now.”
“What do you mean?” I say. “Where?”
“Back to Snakebite,” he says, hopping off the porch and approaching us. “There might still be time.”
So much for the moment Willow and I were sharing.
