“Before I can do that, though, I need to figure out which of these I like better…” Rory continued comparing the stark-white and slightly less stark samples, so Willow slipped over to the unoccupied paint counter, leaned against it, and prepared for a long night. The last time she’d agreed to come with Rory, they’d spent three hours in this damn store, most of which had been spent looking at door hooks.Door hooks. Only Rory would put that much effort into perfection.
After that unforgettable experience, Willow had sworn to herself she’d never come again. And then tonight had happened. She and Mac were supposed to watch their nieces while Rory and Sean went out to dinner. Instead, he’d had to work late, which meant Rory was slated for a night of seclusion. But when she’d dropped the girls off, she’d looked a bit frustrated at her husband’s disappearing act—a crack in a perfect facade. It was so unlike Rory, Willow had taken pity on her and asked if she could come with.
And now she was bored out of her ever-loving mind, debating the merits of painting a room dove or moonlight. That was what she got for trying to be the nice one. Mac had only waved with glee as Willow and Rory had left. Never mind the fact that she was on the hook as solo caretaker for their seven- and nine-year-old nieces. Apparently, that was far superior to being stuck with their eldest sister for any amount of time.
Rory was mumbling about cyan versus cerulean throw pillows and which would look better with moonlight when a laugh drew Willow’s attention down the aisle toward a small display of lighting fixtures. Two people stood below an array of ceiling fans, and it took Willow only half a second to realize it was Finn and Nola. The same time the realization hit her, an invisible fist clenched around her stomach and squeezed.
She hadn’t seen him since their kiss—had done all she could to avoid him, to be honest. If any of them had needed help with something at the building or had questions about a regulation, she’d had Avery run interference. Maybe not her most professional move, but she hadn’t been able to face him just yet. Not when the kiss still had her all jumbled up inside.
Rory’s nonstop stream of conversation faded into the background while Willow watched Finn and Nola laugh, Finn’s head tossed back and a huge smile on his face. And, yeah, she could say the fist squeezing harder around her insides was just the shock at seeing him when it wasn’t part of her plan. But she’d done an awful lot of lying to herself since he’d come back to town, and she was tired of it.
As much as she’d tried to avoid it, as much as she’d done whatever she could to believe something else, there was no getting around it. She was attracted to Finn. Desperately. Her mouth tingled as she remembered how he’d pressed her up against the wall, had slipped his tongue between her lips and feasted on her like she was the best thing he’d tasted in years. And now? Seeing him laughing and so comfortable with another girl kicked her straight in the heart, jealousy seeping out of her pores. Which didn’t make any sense. She’d never been jealous a day in her life, so why the hell would it start now when she wasn’t evenwithFinn?
“All right, I think I decided on moonlight,” Rory said, stepping up next to Willow. “What’s got your attention?”
Before Willow could straighten and look in the opposite direction of where Finn and Nola stood, her sister turned and glanced down the aisle. Rory’s eyes narrowed when she saw who stood there, and she hummed low in her throat. Her gaze was calculating, which meant Willow had about three seconds to get her sister out of the store before Rory did something that would no doubt humiliate her.
“Are you about ready?” Willow asked, keeping her voice quiet as she pushed away from the counter.
“Not quite.” Rory grabbed Willow’s hand and dragged her down the aisle, closer to Finn and Nola. “Need to get some new paintbrushes too. What do you think of these, Will?” she asked, far louder than she needed to.
At the sound of Willow’s name, Finn’s head snapped up, his laughter cutting off. He looked in their direction, a slow smile spreading across his lips when he caught sight of her.Lord, why did that make her stomach flip?
And, damn, now he was coming toward them, Nola at his side, and the single tumble of Willow’s stomach turned into a series of somersaults with no end in sight.
“Rory,” Finn said with a nod. “Good to see you. How’re things?”
Finn might’ve asked the question of Rory, but his eyes strayed almost immediately to Willow. And then he did a slow sweep of her from head to toe while Rory went on about everything amazing that was going on in her life—two kids on the honor roll, heading up the PTA, the multitude of fundraisers she’d done for Havenbrook residents in need, her husband being promoted to partner in the firm. It all blurred into background noise as Willow’s body heated up simply from Finn’s gaze. The way he allowed his eyes to trace over every curve of her was as good as a caress on her naked body. Everything tightened, her nipples going stiff and the warmth in her lower belly spreading until it was all she could focus on.
“But enough about me,” Rory said, placing a hand on his forearm. “I heard y’all bought the old soda fountain. Gettin’ it all fixed up?”
Finn finally dragged his eyes away from Willow and glanced at her sister. “We’re tryin’. Between the three of us, we’ll be lucky if it doesn’t look like a flea market in there, though.”
“Oh? What’re y’all thinkin’?”
Nola shrugged. “We’re still a little fuzzy on the details. We just know we don’t want a typical honky-tonk vibe. Maybe something with an industrial flair instead?” She pulled out her phone and turned it to face Rory and Willow, showcasing a few pictures she had stored. “We were thinkin’ something like this.”
“Together?” Rory asked, her voice laced with horror. “Oh no, honey. No.” Rory shook her head as she plucked the phone from Nola’s fingers and swiped through the images. “Now I know this is y’all’s baby, but I just wouldn’t be a good neighbor if I didn’t offer a few suggestions, now would I?” Rory’s eyes were alight with excitement, no doubt over telling someone—anyone—what to do. She grabbed Nola’s wrist and led her down the aisle back toward the lighting. “What I’d suggest is—”
Willow stopped listening then, because Finn stepped closer to her, choosing to stay with her rather than listen to Rory give a play-by-play of what they needed in the bar. He leaned a shoulder against the shelves at her back, curving his body toward her and bringing him far closer than was a good idea.
“Fancy meetin’ you here,” he said.
She slid him a look out of the corner of her eye, trying not to be affected by the warmth swirling in his gaze. Trying and failing. “If you’re not careful, I’m gonna start thinkin’ you’re following me.”
He smiled then, the sight nearly knocking Willow on her ass. “If I were following you, we’d run into each other a helluva lot more than we have been.” He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Why did that tiny, innocent touch have her body lighting up? “I guess I’ve just been lucky these past few days.”
Willow swallowed, attempting to maintain the facade of calm, when inside, she felt like she was on fire. “Is that what you’d call it?”
Once again, he let his eyes drop to take in every inch of her. And those eyes? They heated until there was no doubt in her mind he was mentally undressing her, imagining what every inch of her would look like bare. “Yeah, Willowtree,” he said, his voice deep and rough, just a whisper in the space between them. “I call it damn lucky.”
She swallowed. Tried to get her breathing under control. Failed miserably. “Quit lookin’ at me like that.”
“Like what?” he asked with a smile.
“Likethat.”
He leaned closer, dropped his voice even more. “Like I’m picturing what would’ve happened if I hadn’t walked away the other night? If I’d been able to get you out of your shirt? See what you’ve got hiding under all these layers? Can’t say I’vestoppedthinkin’ about it. This is just the first time you’ve been present for it.”
