by Abby Brooks
Willow shot Juliet a look and poured herself some coffee. “I had a really nice time with your brother today. He’s really sweet.” And he takes my breath away and I feel like I’m on the precipice of some great big something when we’re together.
“Harry’s a good guy.” Ian smiled and poured himself a cup of coffee. “But his job is his first love. I wouldn’t get too wrapped up in him.”
Juliet slapped him on the arm. “Ian!”
Ian looked genuinely confused. “What?”
“You so don’t know how to do girl talk.” She shooed him from the room and dragged Willow out onto the deck. “So tell me all about your day with him. I want all the details. All the grit. Was it life-changing?”
Yes. It was, Willow thought, but instead of saying it out loud, she just rolled her eyes. “It was really nice, but life-changing?” She shook her head. “I still work in New York and he has a restaurant here in Bliss and both of us are apparently married to our jobs.” Willow turned away from Juliet and stared out at the ocean, surprised by the surge of bitterness that clenched her teeth together.
“Hey,” Juliet said, putting a hand on Willow’s back. “I was just trying to have some fun.”
Willow studied the water and took a deep breath. “I know. I don’t mean to be weird, I’m just feeling way off balance.”
“Do we need to trade in our coffee for something with a little more kick?”
Willow nodded her head and Juliet took her mug from her hand and disappeared into the kitchen only to reappear moments later with two very full glasses of red wine.
“I thought this looked like a double serving kind of conversation.” She smiled and gestured for Willow to follow her down off the deck towards the beach. “Grab those chairs. I’ve found that heavy topics don’t feel quite so heavy down near the water. The ocean always makes me feel trivial, but in a good way.”
They got the chairs set up so they could watch the tide roll out while they dug their toes into dry sand. Juliet wasn’t even really sure where all the bitterness was coming from and she told Juliet as much. Julz nodded and stared off towards the horizon.
“Does it have to do with Harry?”
“No.” Willow shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”
Juliet stayed quiet and Willow sighed. “We kissed today and it was wonderful. In fact, the whole time I was with him, it was wonderful.” She turned to her friend and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t judge, I know we barely know each other. I fully recognize I’ve gone a little off the deep end here.”
“Believe me. I’m the last one to judge. I met the love of my life just six months ago and we’ll be married at the end of this week. I know what it is to stand next to a man you’ve only just met and wonder if you’re crazy for being totally swept off your feet and wanting to spend more time with him.”
Willow wiggled her toes, enjoying the way the sand moved between them. “Not just more time. All the time. I want to spend all the time I have with him.”
“I get it.”
“But I can’t. I’ve got my career to focus on, a career that I’ve invested my whole entire life into. And it’s not like I can just pick up and find another job here. I don’t even think South Carolina has a ballet company, let alone a ballet company like ACB. And then, there’s his career. His business. It’s not like he can pick up and move to New York. So, it’s just silly to be spending any time with him at all, especially when it’s destined to fail.”
“Willow.” Juliet held out her hand. “You don’t have to plan your whole life with the guy in order to enjoy spending some time with him while you’re here.”
Except when I’m with him, it feels like I’ve found my forever. Like finishing my life with him is an inevitability. “I guess. It’s just … well …” She searched for the best way to explain what she was feeling. “Harry makes me feel like I’m more than a ballerina. Like I’m more than what I do. Like…”
“Like you make more sense when you’re with him.”
“Yeah.” Willow took a drink of the wine and let her gaze trace the horizon.
“And you’ve spent an entire life living on not enough of everything and never knew it until he showed up and suddenly you understand what it means to have it all?”
“Yes, exactly like that.”
Juliet raised her glass. “Well, my friend. Experience has taught me one thing. Sometimes our best laid plans go awry.”
“You can’t quote Robert Burns at me and think that makes you sound smart. I know all about you and your thirst for inspirational quotes!”
“Just because I didn’t write the original quote doesn’t mean I can’t get credit for knowing when to pull it out.”
Willow laughed and took a sip of her wine. Juliet was right. Sitting here at the edge of the sea, staring out towards the the broad and seemingly endless stretch of water and sky made her feel inconsequential. Like maybe Juliet was right. Maybe her life didn’t have to march along to some pre-determined plan she had laid out when she was a kid.
“Here’s the thing, and I’m kind of vamping off of something someone really smart once said to me. If this guy makes you feel that good, then fuck it, spend this week with him.”
“Are you distilling my great advice to you about Ian down to fuck it, spend a week with him?”
“Yep. And it’s as awesome now as it was back then.” Juliet pursed her lips and made a face that dared Willow to argue with her logic.
Willow took that dare. “If you say so.”
“I know so. Sometimes you have to take a big breath and do the shit that scares you.”
“Says the woman living her happily ever after.”
Juliet raised her glass. “Exactly. See how well it worked out for me?”
8
Another (smaller) glass of wine and a short, Ian-chauffeured car ride later, and Willow found herself walking into Moore Good Eats, Harry’s restaurant. She teetered a little over the threshold and choked back a giggle as Juliet clutched at her arm to help keep her upright. Maybe she’d had just a little too much wine. Hopefully, there would be bread or something on the table so she could sop up some of the alcohol in her system. And hopefully Harry would be here tonight so she could see him again.
The hostess led them back to a table near a window with a gorgeous view of the ocean. If the decor of the restaurant had any amount of insight into Harry’s character, Willow found herself all the more interested in getting to know him better. Clean lines and simple textures came together to create something unobtrusive yet beautiful. The waitress took their drink orders and, thankfully, brought a bread basket. Willow helped herself and studied the menu.
She really didn’t want another salad, but all the other menu items were too complex, containing ingredients that she didn’t know the nutritional information for, and in unknown amounts. Anxiety rose in her stomach and she actually regretted Nutcracker season being so close. She hated hitting her stage weight in normal circumstances, but being on vacation while having to work down to stage weight sucked. She typically preferred pre-packaged foods like protein bars or simple meals like grilled chicken and veggies. Restaurants threw such a wrench into the gears, because sometimes, even salads ended up being bad for you.
A thorough perusal of the menu turned up nothing for Willow to eat other than another, you guessed it, salad. She would have to ask the waitress how the chicken was prepared, but more than likely, she would just be eating lettuce. Again.
“You know,” Juliet said. “The good thing about knowing the guy who owns the place is that he might be willing to help you find something that won’t ruin your diet.”
Willow smiled across the table at her friend. Juliet didn’t always agree with the harsh realities of eating with the stage in mind, but she did try to understand. “I’ll find something. No need to make a fuss.”
Ian’s eyes went wide “Diet? As long as it’s a weight gain diet…”
This was the one part of her job that Willow got tired of defendi
ng. “It’s just part of the job,” she said and folded her menu and put it on the table. “If I was a sumo wrestler, you’d be shoving food at me without thinking.” She smiled and tried not to look like she was trying to find Harry over Ian's shoulder while she totally tried to find Harry by glancing over Ian's shoulder.
Dinner passed in a stream of good conversation and lots of laughter. It didn’t take an observational genius to see why Juliet had fallen so head over heels, crazy in love with Ian. He was sweet and funny and protective. He took care of Juliet while managing to give her room to breathe and be her own person. If ever there was a perfect man for Juliet, this was the guy. He had Willow in stitches, describing the day they’d met at a rest stop outside Bliss.
“And I spent the rest of the night thinking about her,” he finished, after describing his trek out onto the beach to rescue Juliet’s dog, Lulu.
“And then we ran into each other at Good Beginnings the next morning, which suited me just fine because I couldn’t get my mind of him, either.” Juliet took Ian’s hand and Willow’s mind turned to Harry for like the millionth time that evening.
Where was he? Was he in the kitchen? An office? At home? She loved the thought of sharing the same space as him, but would love it even more if she could actually see him.
Damn, Willow, she thought to herself. Get a grip.
How could she be so infatuated with a guy she had only just met? And yet, how could everything about him be everything she ever wanted? How could his lips taste so sweet and his body be so yummy? And all the sexy thoughts… How could he conjure up so many sexy thoughts in her head?
And then, suddenly, as if she somehow summoned him with the sheer power of concentration, Harry was standing at her side. “When I saw the order for a salad with absolutely plain chicken come through, I knew it was you. Dressing on the side, of course.”
Willow flared her fingers and smiled up at him. “Of course.”
Harry crouched down so he wasn’t towering over her. “I could have whipped something up special for you, you know.”
“Julz and Ian said as much, but I didn’t want to put you out.”
“What’s the point of being a chef if you can’t spoil your friends with a good meal? Besides, I would feel good knowing I had taken care of your needs.”
Willow smiled and looked down at her hands, a blush starting in her toes, all warm and wonderful and flaring across her cheeks. She didn’t have a good answer for him. At least not one that made sense. She wanted to tell him how good it felt to know someone wanted to take care of her. That of all the people in the world who might say such a thing to her, he was the one she wanted to hear it from the most.
And then there was the more physical reaction that being near him brought her, the flip-flopping of her stomach, the surge of need pooling between her legs. The desire to have his lips on hers, to taste him and to have him taste her in return. To have her hands on him, to trace them down that ever so gorgeous chest, down over his tight stomach, to kiss between that delightful little V at his hip bones that pointed down towards other parts of his body she wanted to get to know more intimately.
Harry cleared his throat and Willow met his eyes, afraid that her thoughts had been flashing across her face like some kind of neon sign. “How about you let me cook you a good dinner tomorrow? You shoot me a text with the kinds of stuff you can eat and I'll make you something delicious and nutritious and get you all filled up.” He smiled weakly and turned to Juliet. “Plus, I need to discuss some best man and maid of honor stuff with her.” He returned his gaze to Willow and his smile widened. “Thoughts?”
How could she say anything but yes? “That sounds lovely.”
“Good.” Harry straightened. “I agree.” He put a hand on her shoulder, just the lightest possible touch and Willow’s breath stuttered in her chest and a little shiver of delight rolled through her. His touch meant everything to her.
It felt so damn right.
They exchanged goodbyes and Harry wandered back to wherever he came from.
“What. The hell. Was that?” Juliet stared open-mouthed at her and asked her question as if it was three separate sentences. She turned her attention to Ian who shook his head, a similar look of shock lighting up his face.
“What do you mean?” asked Willow, looking first at Juliet and then at Ian.
“That … whatever the hell that was between you two.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“That was the most intense conversation about dinner that I’ve ever heard. Hands down.” Juliet turned to Ian who nodded his head in agreement.
“Yep,” he said. “I’d say you were exaggerating if I hadn’t been here to experience it myself. That was some crazy sexual tension there.”
Juliet widened her eyes. “Ian!”
“What? I’m just calling it like I see it.” He took a long drink of wine. “And what I’m seeing is that my little brother has finally met his match.”
9
The moment the order for the salad with the plain chicken and the dressing on the side had come in, Harry had known Willow was in the restaurant. Of course, he knew Ian and Juliet were bringing her some time that night and had been waiting all evening to know they had finally shown up. When her order came in, he snuck out of his office and watched her at the table laughing and joking with Juliet and Ian.
Even sitting, she moved with so much calculated grace, her thin arms gesturing in broad control movements, and her genuine smile lighting up the table and spreading to the people around her like wildfire. Harry loved his job. He was really, really good at his job. But tonight, he wished he could say to hell with being the owner of Moore Good Eats and pull up a chair at their table and spend the rest of the night with her, enjoying the easy comfort of her presence.
After Willow left the restaurant, the rest of the evening passed by so fucking slowly. Like, he didn’t think the restaurant would ever close. Totally distracted by thoughts of her, Harry finally gave up trying to be a good boss and closed the door on his office and typed Willow Tamran American City Ballet into a Google search. The sheer volume of newspaper articles and YouTube videos that came up surprised him. Juliet had mentioned that Willow was good at what she did, but nothing in Willow’s demeanor indicated that she was this big of a deal.
He read article after article about her written by critics praising her dancing. Her ability to bring nuance to trite characters. One critic even went so far as to call her performance in a ballet last year “the only good thing in an evening ripe with disappointment.” Intrigued, he found clips of the performance on YouTube and lost the rest of the evening to watching her dance. He didn’t understand ballet, had never once even considered going to see a ballet, and yet every time Willow moved, he couldn’t help but watch. She captivated him with a single look over her shoulder. Wowed him with her powerful leaps and vibrant turns.
How could one person be so strong and so delicate at the same time? In one clip, he could see the sweat beading on her forehead and yet, she moved with such certainty, never once showing the fatigue she had to be fighting. In another, the audience roared as she whipped out a vicious series of turns on one leg. As he scrolled through the comments, the number of people singling her out as amazing both humbled him and didn’t surprise him at all. Even someone as totally clueless about her world as he was could see that she was gifted. Like, really fucking gifted.
And yet she was so real. So unassuming. Sitting with her was just like sitting with anyone else. Well, not like that at all. Harry had never been so turned on by a woman’s body and mind in all his life. But, judging by the comments on the videos and all the praise in the newspaper articles, Willow Tamran was pretty much a star in the ballet world and she never once came off that way. Knowing what she could do, knowing how talented and revered she was in her field, and knowing how sweet and down to earth she was made him all the more intrigued by her.
As if he didn’t have enough reasons to be fascinated
with Willow.
He closed down the restaurant with his mind mostly on her, planning out the meal he wanted to make her tomorrow evening. She was so dreadfully thin, but after seeing the other ballerinas in the videos with her, that really was just the norm in her field. But, surely, he could make her a meal that stayed in her nutritional guidelines without resorting to just feeding her plain lettuce and unseasoned chicken. Surely, he could nourish her body and therefore her spirit. Good food was good for the soul. Harry knew that better than anyone.
By the time he made it home, his mind had wandered to less wholesome thoughts about Willow, remembering the way her legs had looked in her shorts, her tiny little breasts in her sports bra, the way her lips against his had calmed him and sent all the blood in his body racing towards his dick the same instant. He showered and imagined she was with him, that it was her fingers running down his body, grasping his hard on…
He shuddered as he took himself into his own hands, leaned against the wall and let the shower beat down against his back as he stroked his length. Imagined her mouth on him. Those big blue eyes looking up at him. The way it would feel to sheath himself so deep inside her that she screamed.
He cried out as he came in the shower, her face and name blazing through his mind.
* * *
Later that night, he lay awake in bed, his thoughts still completely wrapped up in Willow. Finally, he gave in and picked up his phone and tapped out a quick text.
You awake?
He waited anxiously for her response, both hoping that he would get one and that if she was sleeping, he hadn’t woken her. A minute passed and just as he rolled over to put his phone back on his bedside table, it buzzed in his hand.
Yep. Can’t sleep.