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“Of course. I’ll just grab it for you.”
Sara wanders off, leaving Maeve and me alone. I smile politely but when her smile drops, I know I’m in for a lecture. She’s not just here for a vase. “Let me have it.”
“It’s been two weeks since you stopped by your parents’ place. Two weeks! Your mom’s going crazy with worry and your dad’s tired from having to placate her. We’ve all seen the change in you, Willow, and I thought it was a good thing but—”
“Here it is,” Sara announces loudly, giving me a sympathetic smile before Maeve looks her way. It’s amazing how quickly a town can turn on you when you stop being the broken “yes girl.”
“Oh. Thank you, Sara. It’s perfect.”
My phone buzzes with a text, and since it’s on loud, I use it as an excuse to leave.
“Sara will ring that up,” I say, already walking away. “I’ve got to check this.”
I bang my head against the wall as soon as I’m out of sight, and that’s where Sara finds me a few minutes later. “Well, that was nosy,” she says as she falls against the wall beside me. “Sometimes I wonder who these people think they are.”
“Very different from suburban life, huh?”
“It is.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Only the anonymity. I love our ranch. I love the vast landscapes. I love you. But sometimes it would be nice to live somewhere where not everyone knew my name.”
“Yep, that’s the part I hate the most, and I’ve never known anything different.”
Sara’s lips purse. “Maybe you need to get out of here for a while. Spend more time in the city.”
“You mean more time with Jesse.”
“Of course not. I meant Pippa.”
“Isn’t it the same?”
“Not at all. I’m sure they don’t see each otherthatoften.”
“Uh, I—”
The sound of the store phone cuts into our conversation, which I’m not exactly complaining about. “Better get that.” I shrug, before backing out of the room with an apologetic grin.
“You’re not sorry at all,” Sara calls out as I round the corner with a fake pout. “Don’t even pretend you are.”
I’m laughing to myself as I answer the phone, so my tone comes across much lighter than it’s been lately. “Hello, Audrey’s, how can I help you?”
“Willow, it’s Kim from Raven’s Boutique.”And there goes the lightness.I’d assumed they’d forgotten about us.
“Hi. How are you?”
“Good. Good. Thanks for asking. I’m sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I was so grateful to hear that you’d called.”
“We haven’t made any decisions. We just wanted a few more details before—”
“Oh, I know. God, I’ve barely given you any information. I’m actually calling because my boss wants to invite you to a dinner we’re having in LA on Friday night. You and Sara.”
“Ah, what kind of dinner?” I hesitate, not even hiding the nerves in my voice.
“It’s a sponsorship dinner. We do a lot of collaborations like yours, so it would be a chance for you to see all the happy clients we work with while giving us time to chat.”
Smooth. I can’t help but laugh.
