AllFreeNovel
Share Us
By the time it was over, he knew he’d just experienced something unique, and by the beaming smile on Gretchen’s face, she had too. They’d made this memorytogether, and Will leaned over to kiss her.
She kissed him back, but he kept it chaste, given that they were in public. The lights came up, and Will started to gather their soda cups and the now-empty bag of popcorn.
“I don’t think I can eat another bite,” he said. “I’ve eaten so much popcorn today.”
Gretchen only shook her head, her smile cemented in place. “Now I know what to get you for your birthday. When is that, by the way?”
“May,” he said. “You?”
“November.”
He nodded, wishing her birthday sat closer than his. She’d said he didn’t have to bring her so many gifts for Valentine’s Day, but Will wanted to fill her life with all of her favorite things. Absolutely all of them.
“You’re not getting out of taking me to dinner,” Gretchen said as they started down the steps that would take them out of the tent. “You promised me we’d try that fondue place.”
“I know what I promised,” he said, a single spark of irritation firing through him. He counted that as progress, because Will hated being reminded of what he’d already said or done, especially if it was in the very recent past.
They’d talked about where to go for dinner at the boutique, and she’d said she wanted to try Fondue Fusion, which had just arrived in Sweet Water Falls a few weeks ago.
Gretchen glanced at him as they left the tent, and Will gave her a smile. “Sorry,” he murmured.
“I wasn’t saying you’d forgotten.”
“I know,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not upset.”
“Good.” She released his hand and linked her arm through his instead. “It’s about forty minutes back to Sweet Water Falls. Maybe you’ll have digested a lot by then.”
He smiled into the darkening sky, wishing he could somehow freeze time right now. Nothing else would move. No clock hands, no other people. Just him and Gretchen would get to continue with their day together, and it would never, ever end.
As it was, nothing froze, and about an hour later, he pulled into the parking lot at Fondue Fusion. Before he could put the truck in park and hurry around to get her out, her phone rang.
“It’s Jon,” she said, looking up from her device to Will, her eyebrows up.
He flipped the truck into gear, his male protective streak rearing its jealous head. “Answer it,” he said. “I’ll be right around.” He unbuckled and slid from the truck as she slid on the call and said, “Hey, Jon.”
Will took his time, making his steps slow and measured, because he didn’t want Gretchen to feel like she couldn’t talk to her assistant. Jon meant a great deal to her, and she simply didn’t see the man the way Will did.
He paused near the front of the truck and looked toward the entrance of the restaurant. It didn’t seem too busy tonight, which was good. Though Will hadn’t worked the farm today, nor had he run any miles at all, the same level of exhaustion ran through his system.
He turned when Gretchen opened her door. “Hey, I would’ve—”
“We have to go,” she said, her voice loud and panicked. She dropped from the truck and ran toward him. Tears streamed down her face. “We have to go right now. Taffy is on fire.”
“What?” Will received her into his arms and held her tight while she sobbed. That only lasted three seconds, and then she jerked back.
“Come on,” she said. “We have to go.” She ran back toward the passenger door, and Will didn’t even try to play gentleman. He hurried to get behind the wheel, and he’d pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street before he asked, “Did he call the fire department?”
The sound of sirens suddenly met his ears, and that was all the answer Will needed. Pure helplessness filled him as Gretchen continued to cry in the passenger seat, and no amount of pressure from his hand to hers could calm her.
All Will could do was drive, so he did that a little faster, hoping to get her where she wanted to be and praying that Taffy wouldn’t be completely crispy by the time the fire engines arrived.
