“She wasn’t spittin’ fire when she let me kiss her tonight.”
Raising an eyebrow, Drew said, “Maybe not. Doesn’t mean you don’t have a shit-ton of work ahead of you.”
Didn’t he know it. But that was all right. Finn hadn’t fought hard enough for her in the first place. Hadn’t stuck it out when he was pressed between a rock and a hard place. So if that meant he had to work harder now, so be it. Willow deserved every bit of sweat on his part, and he was trying hard to be worthy of her.
Acouple days after the kiss that’d rocked Willow’s world, she was still doing her best to forget about it. Okay, she was doing her best totryto forget. So far, it wasn’t going well. Or at all, really. She’d done little but think about what it’d felt like to have Finn’s lips on hers again, to have every inch of his body pressed against hers, all that heat directed solely at her.
There was no denying it anymore. Over the years, shehadn’tinflated their chemistry in her mind. It was there, and it was real, and it was every bit as potent as it’d been when they’d been only teenagers. Maybe even more so. Which meant she was well and truly screwed.
“Will.” Rory stood in the paint section of the local hardware store, holding up two white samples. “Which one do you like better?”
Normally, Willow could debate paint colors with the best of them, but she could barely focus on her own name let alone the varying shades of dove and moonlight. “Um…that one.” She pointed to the one in Rory’s left hand.
Rory scrunched her nose, her lips pursing as she considered it. “You don’t think it’s too yellow?”
“What room is this goin’ in again?”
Rory narrowed her eyes. “Have you been listening to anythin’ I’ve been sayin’?”
Well, actually…no. No, she hadn’t been. As if Willow didn’t have enough to think about after that kiss with Finn, she also had to contend with the fact that her daddy was coming home from his conference at the end of the week. She wasn’t sure how she’d managed it, but as far as she knew, he was none the wiser about the new Havenbrook residents. And if he’d gotten wind of it, she had no doubt he would’ve called her immediately, demanding answers. Since she hadn’t received any five a.m. wake-up calls, she figured all was good. Which was nice in the present, but it only postponed the inevitable blowup when he came back and found out what had been happening in his precious Havenbrook during his absence.
“Sorry, Rory. Tell me again?”
With a huff and an eye roll, Rory held out the white and white paint samples in front of Willow’s face. “I’m repaintin’ the study.”
“Didn’t you just do that a couple months ago?”
Rory lifted a single, perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Yes, I did. But I don’t like it. It’s too dark for the space, closes it in. I want to go light this time, with pops of color in the accent pieces instead. I’m thinkin’ crimson and teal.” She waved the paint sample Willow had picked in her face. “So, do you think this one is too yellow for that?”
She shouldn’t have been surprised at Rory’s whim when it came to redecorating her house. Sean, Rory’s husband, worked as an attorney at his daddy’s firm, which meant long hours for him and even longer hours for Rory at home taking care of their two daughters all by herself. Willow didn’t know the ins and outs of their marriage—Rory wasn’t one to discuss that kind of thing, so Willow didn’t push—but it seemed to her Sean didn’t put up a fuss at the constant changes Rory made because she didn’t put up a fuss when he had to work late for the sixth night in a row.
“No, I don’t think it’s too yellow,” Willow said, though she still hadn’t more than glanced at the samples.
“Hmm…” Rory turned around, moving to the different light sources the hardware store offered to see the variances in color. “I’m just not sure.”
Willow plucked a deep blue sample from the display. The shade would be perfect if she painted an ocean scene at sunset. “So Sean’s workin’ late again?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“He seems to be doin’ that a lot lately. He workin’ on a new case?”
“You know his daddy trusts him the most, Will. Doesn’t like any of the other attorneys to help him with his cases, which means long hours for Sean.” Rory’s response came out sharper than usual, an undercurrent in her tone that had Willow glancing up. But before Willow could question her on it, Rory’s smile was back in place.
“Did you hear about what happened to Brenda Nokes?” Rory asked, her eyebrows raised.
“Can’t say I have.” Willow replaced the blue sample and grabbed something in a light orange—perfect for the glow of the sun.
“It’s a shame, just a shame. She caught Bill with Susanna Jenkins! Can you believe that? Poor thing, her husband and her best friend.” Rory tutted, shaking her head. “According to Edna, she’s not leavin’ him either. They’re gonna try to work it out.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“Good?” Rory laughed humorlessly. “I wouldn’t say there’s anything good about the situation. Can you imagine havin’ to decide between divorcing or sticking it out with a man who wants someone else? Bless her heart, I just feel so bad for her.”
Despite being a gossipmonger, Rory’s sympathy was genuine. Without letting Willow get a word in, she continued, “At least they don’t need to worry about people talkin’ for long. All the commotion around it’ll die down in a bit. Honestly, all anyone can talk about is the Thomas boys anyway.” She looked at Willow over her shoulder. “Did you get my voice mail about them moving in to that little apartment over their building? No one’s been able to figure out if it’s permanent or temporary. But heavens, can you imagine the Thomas boys living here again?”
Rory laughed, shaking her head as if the idea were preposterous. As if Willow hadn’t been imagining that very thing since she’d been swept off her feet by a kiss that definitely shouldn’t have happened. “I haven’t had a chance to swing by yet, but I’m plannin’ to. Just to check in on them, of course. See how they’re doin’ and welcome them back into town. Maybe bring ’em some muffins.”
Uh-huh. A welcome that came with a side of spying and information mining. Willow saw right through Rory’s bullshit story, but she didn’t call her on it. What was the use? Besides, if Rory’s attention was snagged on something else, maybe she’d stay off Willow’s case for more than a day.
