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The past hour has been surreal.
I just watched Ginger walk Willow out of our poker game, and Alex gave her the code to make sure she doesn’t leave the building.
We fell so far away from her when we went from friends to strangers, but this goes beyond our years of separation. It’s like I don’t know Willow any more and I hate that we had to let her go all of those years ago.
“Willow’s in trouble. I don’t know what it is yet but her property didn’t clear.” As Alex tells me our girl just attempted to swindle us, I jerk back in my chair.
“Does she know?” My first instinctual thought is to assume her innocence, but as soon as I ask the question, I already know in my heart that she knew.
When I look up to meet Alex’s gaze, her betrayal is written all over his face.
“She knew, Shane.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Her business is one of the most successful in the area.”—I point between us—“We made sure of it.” The muscles in my neck tighten in anger but I still don’t have all of the information I need.
Alex and I went out of our way to make sure she had every opportunity to succeed.
Years ago a chain of coffee shops were moving in and scouting potential spots to open around her location. We worked behind the scenes to deter them from getting anywhere near her. We know everyone within twenty city blocks of us. Cashing in favors all over the place, we made it so rent became too expensive, permits were rejected or lost, and licenses were denied. Eventually those businesses found other areas more accommodating and moved along.
Then Willow’s coffee shop was chosen by neighborhood angel investors as the recipient of a grant to promote local business and she received close to $300,000 to expand or maintain her business and she bought out the empty store next door and doubled in size.
“Ginger checked twice. She’s double mortgaged.” The hurt in Alex’s eyes reflects the pain I feel in my gut.
“What about the money?” I’m getting ahead of myself and speaking loudly. Pulling myself back, I lower my voice and continue. “What about the money we got to her through that angel venture bullshit?” So what if it was the both of us.
I know we both agreed a long time ago to let her go, but neither of us were willing to let her wander too far.
We always watched over her.
We knew she could do more for her business and the community if she just had a little boost and she proved us right. Willow took advantage of every opportunity we were able to place in front of her.
There’s no way she should be in here looking for more money.
“I don’t know, man. She’s at risk of foreclosure. Didn’t you see her tonight? She doesn’t look healthy.” Alex is already deep into her all over again.
Yeah, I saw her tonight.
When I saw her walk through our front doors, my heart skipped a fucking beat. I’m drawn to her like a magnet. It’s as though my obsession for her is hard-coded into my DNA and one look sends me into a tailspin. What that girl does to me even now, I don’t understand it.
Then she asked to join our game.
The game no one should know about.
“So wait. Back up. She’s maxed out and she came in here, buying into our game, knowing she was lying to us—US, Alex?” Now my anger is boiling over and I know exactly why I’m mad.
We’ve done everything for her.
She doesn’t know about any of it, but there isn’t anything either of us wouldn’t do for her if she only asked.
But she didn’t ask.
I’ve held myself back from her. My entire adult life I’ve fantasized about what her lips would taste like, how soft her skin feels at the top of her thighs. I’ve imagined over and over again what she sounds like when she comes—when she comes for me. I’ve tortured myself keeping her near, but neither of us could function if she was far away.
In my perfect world, Willow would have been mine.
But I’m a depraved fuck.
She deserved better.
