by Brooks, Abby
But Willow just shook her head. “No. I swear to you, she didn’t.”
“Sure.” He drew out the word as he winked and flashed her the OK sign.
“I swear I’m telling you the truth. All Juliet told me was your name, and not even your full name.” She looked pretty damn convincing, even a little weirded out herself.
“If she didn’t tell you, how the hell did you guess?” The whole thing was strange, and Harry was still fifty percent sure Juliet spilled the beans.
“That means I was right? Your birthday is July twenty-eighth?”
“Yep,” he said. “Now. Out with it. How did you know?”
“My grandfather’s birthday was July twenty-eighth.” It looked like there was more to the story, but Willow clamped her mouth shut and ran a hand through her hair instead of continuing. “That makes you a Leo,” she added, and Harry got the feeling she was leaving a lot unsaid. “I love Leos.”
He didn’t know what to say. He never paid much attention to astrology, preferring to anchor himself in the real world with facts and certainties. Still, it felt really fucking good to be something Willow loved, even if it was an abstract idea of his personality she thought she understood because of the day he was born.
Footsteps thumped across the deck and he looked up to find Ian and Juliet heading his way.
“Sorry to interrupt, little brother, but Julz and I are heading to bed.” Ian shoved his hands into his back pockets. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, but we just wanted to say goodnight.”
To bed?
Hadn’t the sun just set?
Harry looked around and found the moon suspended amongst a field of stars, outlining the water in streaks of silver. The deck was empty. His family had left. Warm light spilled through the windows, and two empty wineglasses sat on the granite counter in the kitchen. He glanced at Willow who looked just as shocked as he felt.
Juliet tucked herself under Ian’s arm. “Willow’s pretty amazing, isn’t she?” She laughed as a knowing smile lit her face. “I’ve lost more than one evening talking to her.”
Harry checked the time and found it was after midnight. “Wow! I had no idea!” A slow grin stretched his face and he knew without a doubt that he needed to see Willow again, as many times as he could before she went back to New York. “I need to go, but…” He took her hand and the world closed in on him as her skin met his. “Can I see you again?” he asked, oblivious to Juliet and Ian standing so close. “Tomorrow?”
Her cheeks pinked and she beamed. “I’d like that. Very much.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “Oh, boy,” he said to Juliet. “Let’s give these two some space.”
As the couple walked away, Harry met Willow’s gaze. “I’ll call you in the morning,” he promised, then wandered, shell-shocked, through the house and out to his car.
Hours. They’d talked for hours. His entire family had left…
…and he hadn’t even noticed.
Chapter Eight
Willow
“What the hell was that?” Willow asked Juliet as they stumbled up the stairs toward the guest bedroom.
“That was the feeling of being blindsided by a Moore, my dear, sweet, unsuspecting friend.” Juliet giggled and gave her a conspiratorial look.
Willow didn’t know what to say.
Her heart was still pounding.
Her stomach was a tangled mess of nerves and jitters and excitement.
She felt like she’d just stepped off the stage, applause still roaring in her ears, her body limp with exhaustion, carried forward on adrenaline alone.
She gave Juliet a quick squeeze, dying to tell her about the way it felt when he touched her, about the coincidence with their names, and most importantly of all, his birthday. But Ian was constantly in earshot and Willow was very aware that he was Harry’s big brother. Which meant anything she said had a real possibility of making its way back to Harry.
And before any of that found its way to him, she wanted to wrap her mind around it first.
So, she stayed quiet while her thoughts swirled, a tumultuous mess of half-finished ideas, questions without answers, and the feeling of losing herself in his eyes.
She could’ve written off the whole coincidental name thing. Even she could admit it was a bit of a stretch to look at Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and call it a sign.
But the fact that Harry shared a birthday with her grandpa?
While she shared a birthday with her grandma?
Those two things together were powerful enough, but when you add in the way her grandparents loved each other…?
It all had to mean something, no doubt about that. No doubt at all.
But what?
That was the question she couldn’t stop asking.
Willow brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas, then climbed into bed and tucked the covers up to her chin. She fell asleep to the gentle rush of the ocean against the shore and the memory of Harry’s hand on hers.
* * *
On most days, Willow was out of bed at seven and in the studio by eight, where she warmed up until class started at nine. She would sip on water and black coffee until she had a small break at ten thirty where she nibbled on a protein bar before rehearsal.
But, nothing had been typical about the day she met Harrison Moore, so she shouldn’t have been surprised to learn the day after would be atypical, too.
“Willie?”
With a low groan, she rolled away from the voice, pulling the covers over her head to block the sun angling through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Go away. I'm not here.”
Juliet put a gentle hand on her back. “Is that what you want me to tell Harry? Because he's on the phone.”
All the exhaustion and early morning bleariness drained from her body and she sat straight up in bed. “He is? What time is it?”
Juliet chuckled. “It’s ten o’clock, sleepy head.”
Blinking, Willow waited as her brain digested the information. She’d slept three hours past her typical wake up time? She couldn’t remember the last time that happened. Her body was a well-oiled machine. It worked with precision and she could almost set a clock with her circadian rhythm.
She rubbed her eyes, then held her hand out for the phone. “Good morning,” she said to Harry, shooing a giggling Juliet from the room.
“Morning, sleeping beauty. Are you still in bed?”
“I literally opened my eyes thirty seconds ago.” A yawn fought its way up her throat and into the conversation.
Harry made an exasperated sound. “I’m so sorry! She didn’t have to wake you. I feel terrible.”
Willow ran a hand through her tangled hair and blinked a few times to convince her eyes to stay open. “Don’t be sorry. I can think of worse ways to start the day than talking to you.”
Holy shit. Did she really just say that out loud?
“I like the sound of that.” A smile brightened Harry’s voice.
Pleasure zinged through her body.
She liked the sound of that too.
Just like she liked the sound of his voice. And the way he looked at her, like she was the only thing on the planet that mattered to him. And the way he touched her with such reverent sweetness, but such…
…what?
He had a masculine energy that flew in the face of the word ‘sweet.’ So much strength and a commanding presence that was contradicted by his…what? Was his touch gentle? Was that the right word?
“I’m sorry,” Harry said. “Do you need some time to wake up?”
Willow sniffed. “Oh, no. I’m good. Sorry, just got lost looking at the ocean. A girl could get used to this.” She guessed that sounded better than I was busy thinking about how masculine and gentle you are at the same time and how hot I find it.
“I waited as long as I could to call you. Thought about you all night and first thing this morning and then every minute of the day until I finally gave in.”
“A girl could get u
sed to that, too.”
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line and Willow crawled out of bed and headed to the window. She put a hand to the glass and watched the waves roll in against the beach, then realized she was grinning like an idiot.
“Can I see you today?” Harry asked.
Yes, yes, yes, she thought.
“Do you want to see me today?” she asked instead, trying to sound coy and sufficiently aloof.
“Desperately.” Harry cleared his throat. “I know I’m not supposed to say that. I’m supposed to play it cool and be tough and strong, or whatever. But if I’ve only got a week to get to know you, then I want to skip the bullshit and get straight to the heart of the matter.”
Willow closed her eyes, feeling childish for not being honest about what she was thinking just a minute before. No games? How incredibly refreshing. “I can totally get behind that.”
“Good. When can I see you?”
“When do you want to see me?” She fiddled with the edge of her blanket, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger as she fought against a smile. A big, broad, cheesy smile that felt as vibrant as the morning sun beaming outside the window.
“Why do you answer every question with a question?”
For some reason, Willow took his question as a challenge and accepted it. “Why won’t you just tell me when you’re going to be here?”
Harry laughed, clearly pleased with the game. “What if I said I’d be there at one? Would that be too early?”
“Would it be too early for you?”
“Willow Tamran.” Hearing Harry say her name had Willow’s heart jumping in her chest. “Are you truly as stubborn as I am?”
“I’ll see you at one, then?” she asked, refusing to be the first not to ask a question.
“How can I turn down a woman like you?”
Willow flopped on the bed with a smile glued in place, one that filled the entire room with happiness. They ended the call and she stared at the ceiling, shaking her head in wonder. Whatever had clicked between them the night before, was still clicking that morning. If anything, it was stronger in the light of day.
Chapter Nine
Willow
As Willow brushed her teeth, she ran through a mental checklist of all she ate the day before. Cringing, she realized she’d consumed at least three times her typical calorie count. She sighed, puffing out her cheeks as she stared into the mirror.
Solid career choice, she thought to her reflection. That’s the way to get cast as Juliet. Come back to work out of shape.
Inevitably, she’d gain a little weight while she was in Bliss. If the dance company wasn’t going straight into Nutcracker-mode when she got home, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But she was supposed to be heading down to performance weight. Not an easy feat when there was a wedding involved.
With three hours until Harry picked her up to do who knew what…she needed to get ahead of the game and burn some calories. She pulled on some exercise clothes and laced up her running shoes, then bounded downstairs where she found Ian and Juliet sitting at the table.
“How’s Harry?” Ian gave her a knowing grin identical to the one on his fiancé’s face.
With a light shrug of her shoulders, Willow shook her head. “You two are so smitten with each other, you see romance everywhere.” She gave them each a quick hug, then not one to let anyone down, turned over her shoulder as she stepped through the back door. “But maybe you’re right because he’ll be here at one!”
The door closed on Juliet’s whooping laughter and Willow headed for the beach to get in her run. The sun beat down on her shoulders, warming her skin and causing sweat to bead at her hairline after only a few minutes of motion.
Much to her surprise, she found peace by the ocean.
Just water and sky, her feet thumping in sand, her breath rushing through her lungs.
The night before, she’d told Harry the open space made her feel exposed, but that morning she felt…tranquil. Serene. Even as her thighs burned with the extra challenge of keeping her balance in sand, even has her heart thundered with exertion, the hush that fell in between each swell of the waves soothed some part deep within her she hadn’t realized needed soothing.
Though, maybe that had more to do with Harry than the wide open spaces.
Willow ran until she couldn’t anymore, sucking in deep breaths only to blow them back out through pursed lips. Lost in her thoughts, she’d gone too far. There was no way she could run the whole way back. She bent, resting her hands on her thighs as she caught her breath, wondering what time it was as she chastised herself for a rookie mistake.
Get a hold of yourself, Willow! Like seriously, get it together. Sleeping late. Running too long. You’re dropping balls everywhere!
When she straightened, she caught sight of another runner on the beach. A man heading her way. Tall and lean, his skin glistening with sweat, something about his posture looked familiar.
Willow’s heart leapt like a child recognizing a long-lost friend and her gut swore it was none other than Harrison Moore coming her way. She covered her eyes from the sun and stared in his direction, squinting in disbelief. The closer the guy got, the more certain she became that she was moments away from another chance meeting with Harry. Apparently, destiny wanted to make sure she got the message it sent the night before…the man was not to be ignored.
She couldn't help but admire his stride. His arms swung with an easy grace while powerful legs pushed off the sand. His abs flexed with every step and he kept his chin lifted as he stared out ahead of himself.
Willow spent her days in the studio with men who dedicated their lives to molding their bodies and she firmly believed that male dancers were seriously underappreciated for having some of the most beautiful musculature of all the athletes in the world. At that point, she was willing to put Harry next to any of them and choose him hands down. Without realizing it, she found herself walking his way, running her hands through her ponytail to smooth back any fly-aways the wind had set free.
“Willow?” Harry slowed to a walk and squinted toward her. “What are you doing out here?”
“Same as you, it looks like.” She flared her hands and looked down at her sports bra and running shorts. “Gotta stay in shape, vacation or not.”
She watched his eyes travel her body, and noticed they lingered on her breasts and again on her thighs.
“Do you happen to know what time it is?” she asked, fighting a blush. “I have a hot date in a few hours I need to get ready for.”
A smile crinkled the corners of Harry’s eyes. “I imagine the guy preparing to hang out with the likes of you is feeling mighty nervous right about now. I mean, look at you. What could he possibly say to keep someone who looks like that—” he scanned her from head to toe again “—interested in him?”
“That’s funny, because I’m busy wondering how I can manage to keep him interested in me. He’s smart, and funny, and all kinds of hot. What’s he gonna see in boring old me?”
“Boring?! Ha!” Harry ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t imagine anyone calling you boring. Ever.”
With a head bob of agreement, she conceded the point. “This is true. I am pretty spectacular.”
“In all seriousness,” he said with a laugh. “Do you have anything in particular you’d like to do today?”
Willow wiped the sweat off her forehead as she pondered how easy it was to be around him. They fell into place like two pieces of a puzzle. “I was hoping you’d show me around Bliss. Maybe help me figure out what was wonderful enough about this place to steal my best friend from me.”
The sight of Harry with the ocean beyond his handsome face and bare torso gave Willow some idea of what might have gotten Juliet hooked on Bliss…
“I’m fairly sure you already met him, because I think you’re staying in his guestroom.” Harry winked, then put his hands on his hips and blew air out of his mouth, still trying to catch his breath. “I�
�ll definitely give you a tour, although that won’t take as much time as I’d like to spend with you. Maybe we could stop at Good Beginnings, Ellie and James’ cafe…? Get some coffee? Maybe some food?”
“That sounds wonderful!” An idea popped into Willow’s head. “Do you think there’ll be time to run some errands before Good Beginnings closes?”
Harry crinkled his forehead and shrugged. Apparently, errands didn’t rate high on his scale of acceptable date destinations. “They don’t close until three…?”
“I was thinking, if you don’t mind, maybe we could make some stops during my tour so I can put together a gift basket of morning sickness cures for Ellie. Unless that might be too weird. Getting a gift from a stranger.” She crossed her arms and chewed on her pinky nail as Harry beamed.
“I don’t think she’d find it weird at all. In fact, that’s super cool of you. If you still think you’ll be ready at one o’clock, we’ll have plenty of time to go shopping before the café closes.”
The prospect of doing something nice for someone had Willow extra excited about the afternoon and she hoped Harry felt the same. “And that brings us right back to our original question,” she said. “Do you happen to know what time it is?”
“No clue. But you should definitely turn back now. From what I hear, the guy you’re meeting is big on punctuality.”
“I get that about him. And I can totally respect it.”
With a little wave and a wide smile, Willow turned around and started the jog back to Juliet’s, the fatigue she’d been fighting moments before completely gone.
Chapter Ten
Willow
On the jog home, Willow might as well have been carried over the sand by fairies. By the time her feet thumped across the deck into Juliet’s house, her stomach gurgled hungrily. She’d be a fool to eat, though. Putting food into a stomach as excited as hers would spell certain disaster.
Instead, she took a quick shower, then chose a floor-length sundress and paired it with sandals and a light sweater to cover the camisole straps. Not fully satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, she added some chunky bracelets and long earrings. After a few minutes of indecision, she let her hair air dry to give it more body, then wandered downstairs around noon and found Juliet drinking coffee and studying papers strewn across the table, twirling a pen in her fingers.