He picks her up and hugs her tight. “Anything you want.”
“Yay!”
I high-five her. “Yay!”
She wiggles out of his arms and barrels down the steps.
Gunnar cringes. “Careful. Please don’t break your neck. Your mother would have my hide.”
“God love her.”
“She has no idea how much she’s saved me.”
I think I get it now. I take his hand, and we walk down to the end of the hallway. He stiffens when we get to the last door on the left. I open the door to find a master bedroom that takes up the entire back part of the second level. It’s bigger than any apartment I have ever lived in. The California king bed seems more like a twin in this enormous room. I turn in circles, taking in the room. The huge picture window on one end gives a clear view of the field and the lake in the distance. I open a door and about wet my pants to find a massive second-level porch that runs the entire length of the house.
Gunnar leans against the French door. “I built this for Willow. It was a surprise. On weekends and nights, I would work from sunup to sundown, and Kevin did a lot during the week when he was off work. It wasn’t complete, but I couldn’t wait to show it to her. So the night before our wedding, I drove her down here. I made her wear a blindfold, which she hated. I walked her up the steps, and in that very spot where you are now, I removed her blindfold to show her what I had done for us.”
“I’m guessing she was underwhelmed.”
He snorts.
If I ever get Willow alone, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind. The nerve of her to break him like that.
“Is that why you’ve never brought me here?”
“Yeah. Stupid, I know.”
I take his hand and pull him out onto the balcony. From up here, we both see Lily running back to her house. Her daddy picks her up and swings her around.
“It’s not stupid. Not at all. This was a labor of love, and it wasn’t enough. I’m so sorry.” I pause for a moment. “Just to be clear, when Willow stayed at your house, did you...”
He pulls me close. “She hates storms for a very legitimate reason, and in good conscience, I couldn’t let her drive during the storm. As much as she hurt me, I couldn’t do that to even her. But I am not lying to you when I say nothing happened.”
I swallow hard and fight off all the doubt I have swirling around in my mind because I want to believe him. “You promise?”
He cups my face. “I promise. And I am not going to Northwestern.”
I wrap my arms around him, and he pulls me close. If I wasn’t sure before, I am completely convinced now. I’m falling hard for Gunnar, and I like how it feels.
“Tell me something.” I point toward the lake. “Is this the same lake where we did our moon bathing?”
“Affirmative.”
“You let me pee behind a rock when a real bathroom was on the other side of the shore?”
A pink blush creeps up his neck. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t ready to let you in. I am now.” He kisses me on the lips and runs his hands through my hair. When we come up for air, he whispers, “Stay with me tonight. Here, in this room.”
“I’m not Willow.”
“I know. Thank you for not being her.”
I lick my lips. “I’ll stay, but you have to do two things for me.”
His eyes grow big with anticipation.
“One: make sure that front door is locked.”
He grins. “Done. What’s the second?”
“Can we fire up that Jacuzzi tub?”
He tickles my neck with kisses. “Absolutely.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Gunnar
Not more than thirty seconds after Andie leaves my house this morning, there’s a knock on my front door. I rush downstairs, my heart skipping a beat. Andie must not be ready to leave. I’ll be late for work if it means more time with that beautiful girl.
I fling the door open. “Did you forget—”
Instead of Andie standing there, it’s Willow. She’s wearing her standard-issue short shorts and wedge heels. She threads a strand of her long hair through her fingers. This cannot be happening. I peer over her head to make sure Andie’s gone. Whew.
“Don’t worry. She left before I knocked.” Her snarky smile makes me doubt her words.
Every muscle in my body stiffens. I want to scream. “What do you want?”
She slides her claws down my chest as she pushes past me. What once made my body come alive now sends shivers down my spine.
“To talk.”
She roams through the living room and toward the kitchen as if she owns the place. I know that look, and she’s evaluating every piece of furniture in my house. In the kitchen, she pilfers through my cabinets until she finds two coffee cups.
“Can I make you some coffee?”
“Nope. I need to get ready for work so...” I point toward the front door.
She opens the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of water, takes a sip, then licks her lips.
I roll my eyes.
“Have you thought any more about my plan?”
I point at the door, hoping she’ll get the hint. “I don’t need to think about it.”
Her hips sway back and forth as she walks toward her prey—me. “Perfect. I’ll have the movers here by the end of the week. We can sell this place and start over.”
I chuckle as I swat her hand away from my face. “We?”
She blinks, realizing her slip. “I meant you, of course.” She bats away fake tears. “I miss you so much.”
“Sure you do. That’s why you were screwing around on me and why you’ve been shacking up with Miles ever since you’ve been back, right? Does Phillip know?”
She winks, and I think I’m going to hurl. “Aww. Are you checking up on me?”
I turn my back to her. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s a small town, remember? I don’t care who you “do.” I am over you. I thought you were smart enough to get the hint the other day.”
She shakes her head, her platinum-blond hair swishing around her shoulders. “I don’t believe that.” She twirls in a circle, her arms open wide. “Look at this place. You built this for me. You want me back.”
What I should be doing is showing her the door, but I need to get this off my chest so I can move on. “All these years, I wondered what it would feel like to have you here, wanting what I want.”
Her eyes grow big with anticipation. I walk toward her and put my hands on her shoulders. She sighs. Of course she would think it was a gesture of affection. I only want her complete attention.
A loud gasp comes from the living room. I swing around to see Andie standing there, a single eyebrow raised.
Dammit.
“Andie.” I rush to her. “It’s not what you think. Let me finish.”
She walks around me, past a grinning Willow. She runs up the stairs and to the master bedroom, with me right on her heels. She rushes around the bedroom and finds her phone on the nightstand.
“Please, Andie. Let me explain.”
She snatches up her phone. She shows it to me and walks out of the room. I grab her arm and turn her around toward me. She stares at the floor, her chest rising and falling.
“Don’t leave. Not like this.”
“Gunnar—”
“She’s here to cause trouble. I don’t want her here.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I know, but why is she here? She’s always around because you let her. I can’t deal with it.”
My heart sinks. I cup her face and swipe a tear from her eye. “Can we talk later?” Please, please, please.
She groans. I place my lips on hers for a soft, loving kiss. She holds on to my T-shirt before she gives me a slight push away. She walks down the steps, her chin jutted out, making sure she doesn’t make eye contact with Willow. With all the grace of a true Southerner, she walks through the living room, toward the front door.
“Toodles,” Willow says.
&nbs
p; Andie walks up to Willow and cranes her neck to make eye contact with her. “I may not be from around here, but I know better than to get in a pissing match with a hellcat.” She points at me. “Gunnar’s a great guy. Near perfect. He deserves someone perfect for him. It may not be me, but I’m damned sure it’s not you. Oh, and that Jacuzzi tub... fantastic.”
She opens the door to leave, when Willow throws her last barb. “You know, he got kicked out of Northwestern for cheating.”
Andie freezes. The glint in Willow’s eyes turns my blood boiling hot.
“That’s right. This perfect man got caught plagiarizing on his thesis.”
“Willow, stop!” I yell.
Willow slides her hand up my arm, causing a shiver to run up my spine. I snatch it out of her grasp.
“Did you know he’s moving back with me?”
“No, I’m not.”
Andie walks out the door, and when I hear it click, I stare down at Willow.
“What?”
“You need to go. Now.”
She rolls her eyes. “She’s going to leave you. She’s going back to Boston, and you’ll be stuck here in this big ole stupid house all by yourself, unless you take me up on my offer.”
I don’t know who she thinks she is, but she’s crossed a line that can never be uncrossed. I take her by the arm and lead her to the front door. I open the door and plant her on the front porch.
“There are two things you need to know. The first is you don’t want what I want. You never have and still don’t. And secondly, even if you did, I. Don’t. Want. You.”
Her mouth drops open.
“That’s right. I’d rather be alone in this ‘stupid’ house than be with you.”
With that, I slam the door. I stomp upstairs to get ready for work. After all this time, when I’ve decided to move on, she comes back into my life and pulls this shit. I have finally moved on and found someone who truly cares for me, who doesn’t try to change me, and I think I’m in love with her. Now I have to deal with this shit.
Willow doesn’t care for me. She doesn’t want me. She only wants to make sure no one else can have me. It’s not going to work.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Andie
It took only two blocks on the drive of shame before the tears began streaming down my face. I’m so stupid. It’s not that I don’t think Gunnar’s feelings are real, because I know they are. I see it in his eyes, feel it in my heart, but I’ll never be able to compete with her. Willow is so perfect. She’s got perfect hair that doesn’t frizz in this Southern humidity like mine does, and her face is flawless. She doesn’t even have one freckle. I’m not sure if that’s even legal in the South. I’ve only been here for a short while, and I can already find constellations in all the freckles popping out on my chest and shoulders. And I don’t even want to start on those long, sexy legs of hers. Who knows how many times they’ve been wrapped around Gunnar? The thought sends chills down my spine.
Mrs. Cavanaugh is already rolling out dough when I walk in. Without even missing a beat, she asks, “Rough night?”
I slump onto the barstool in front of her and wipe a stray tear away. “The night was wonderful. The morning is another story.”
She stops what she’s doing and pours cups of coffee for both of us before motioning for me to follow her to the nearest table. We both pour coffee into our saucers and slurp from them.
“Child, what’s wrong?”
I play with the spoon as it gives me a distorted reflection of myself in the metal. “Miss Etta, I like him. A lot.”
When I have the courage to face her again, she cackles. “Glad to see you’re finally admitting it.”
I cry into my hands. She pats my arm and waits for me to catch my breath.
“It’s Willow,” I finally say.
Miss Etta tsks. “She’s a viper. He’s not stupid... anymore. Don’t you worry about a thing. She’ll be gone soon enough to toy with her next prey.”
“And I’ll be gone soon too.”
“That’s up to you.”
I think about the blueprints I have in my apartment upstairs. That’s the easiest thing to do. I can sell my property, run away, and forget all about this place. I can do that. I think I can.
“It’s probably for the best. I get what’s best for me, and Willow gets what she wants.”
“What about Gunnar? Does he get what he wants?”
I shrug. “If I leave town, I leave him. He’s made it very clear this town is what he wants. He wants this town to thrive, and he wants to be a part of it.”
“Nice of you to speak for him. I think, given the choice, he might surprise you at what he’d choose.”
I shake my head. “If he wouldn’t move to Chicago for Willow, he won’t move to Boston for me. And he doesn’t care enough about me to be fully honest with me. I don’t know if I trust him.”
She slurps her coffee then smacks her lips. “Again, nice of you to speak for him. You aren’t Willow. I’ve known both of them since they were in diapers. As long as he was doing what she wanted, everything was fine. When he wanted something different, she’d pout. I think he knew things were going south with her and needed her to say it. He didn’t build that house for her. He might think so, but he built that house to test her. And she failed.”
The door chimes, and in walk the two developers. “Hello, Ms. Carson.”
“Morning. I didn’t expect to see you today.” Crap. I don’t need this today.
Mrs. Cavanaugh stands and grumbles under her breath. “We got lots of jam and scones orders today. I’ll get right on it.”
“I’ll be there to help in a second.”
The developers take their place at my table and pull out documents. “We did some comps to find out what your store is worth, and you’ll see here our offer is way above what it’s worth.”
The offer is very appealing. I could sell, leave this place and everyone in this town behind, take my inheritance, and never have to step foot in this city again. I peek over their shoulders as Mrs. Cavanaugh cuts out biscuits in record time. She hums a gospel hymn that I actually recognize. “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” has become my earworm this summer. I’ve really become attached to Mrs. Cavanaugh, and to Gunnar.
“In thirty days, we could have this building leveled and start working our way down the street. In six months, we could break ground for the new Save A-Lot.”
In a soft voice, Mrs. Cavanaugh sings the words to a gospel tune. “No, never alone, no, never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.”
A car creeps down the road, the driver waving at the pedestrians as they go. Stan knocks on the window and waves as he heads to work at the mill. The Jackson sisters walk in and take their usual seats. I wave to them. Even though they are cantankerous, I’ve grown fond of them. As usual, they take a picture of me with the two men.
Then Willow walks in.
She smirks as she sashays up to the counter. Mrs. Cavanaugh takes her order, but I wouldn’t put it past her to spit in Willow’s coffee. While she waits on her coffee and scone, she wanders close to our table. Her acting skills are terrible because even though she appears as though she’s checking out the plants in the window, I know she’s listening to every word we’re saying.
“So, do we have a deal?”
I stare at the two men, at Mrs. Cavanaugh, at the Jackson sisters, and then at Willow. She cocks an eyebrow. Mrs. Cavanaugh clears her throat and hands Willow her cup. Willow takes a sip of her coffee, scrunches her nose up, then walks to the door and freezes. She turns around and, with a smarmy sneer, she asks me the most off-the-wall question.
“Have you met the mayor?”
“Yep. I’ve checked that off my ‘how to fit in’ list. Why?”
She taps her cup with her finger. “Just wondering, because he would do pretty much anything to keep this town from sinking. I bet he’d even go so far as to suggest that someone do a little time in the sack to encourage a person to
see things his way.”
I cackle at her insane comment. “I have a business to run, but thank you for your input.”
“Okay, but one day, I’ll say ‘I told you so.’” Her syrupy, singsong voice makes me want to claw her eyes out.
And with that, Willow prances out of the shop.
I don’t care about anything that comes out of her mouth. I watch her get in her car and drive away, then I look back at the two men. “I don’t know anymore. If you had asked me a month ago to sign the papers, I would have done it lickety-split.”
The man furrows his brow. “Lickety-split?”
I chuckle. “I would have signed in a heartbeat. But now, this place, these people...” I point at Mrs. Cavanaugh and the Jackson sisters. “They’re like family. I need more time. I don’t know if I want to sell anymore.”
The man’s jaw drops. “You’re staying here?”
I shrug. “I don’t know about that. All I know is this store is important to them... and to me. So either you can give me more time to think about it, or I’ll have to say no right now. What will it be?” Even if things go south with Gunnar, I don’t know if I can bail on this town and these people.
Both of the Jackson sisters’ jaws have hit the table. Miss Jennifer winks and gives me a thumbs-up.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Gunnar
Time to face the music. I didn’t want to believe Willow because, well, she’s Willow, but curiosity got the best of me. She texted me that she saw developers at In A Jam, going over plans, and that Andie was very interested in what they were saying. I know she’s trying to get under my skin, but even if there is a grain of truth to her observation, I have to know for sure. So I drop the dumbbells I’m lifting and run across the street to see for myself.
Through the store window, I see Andie talking to two men, mulling over paperwork, exactly like Willow said. Dammit. Andie’s going to sell. She’s not the person I thought she was. I’m so stupid.
The two men almost knock me down as they fling the door open to leave. I watch them as they stomp down the sidewalk, one of them flailing his hands in the air.
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