His mouth twitches and his eyebrows lift as his fingers loosen their grip around my bicep, but not letting go. “Willow,” he says, my name no more than a whisper. His throat bobs and then he clears it, his hand falling away from my arm. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yes, I’m fine.” I nod, a nervous laugh slipping from my lips. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to run into you.”
“I’m okay,” he says, his voice gruff as he scratches the back of his neck. “It happened too fast for either of us to see the other coming.” He looks to the hardware store then down at the bag in my arm. “What’s all this for?”
“The store,” I admit, shifting my weight on my feet as I adjust the bag in my arm. He’s still holding the space heater. “My brother’s closed it, but I convinced them to let me reopen it.”
His eyebrows cinch closer together and his hand falls away from the back of his neck. “They closed the store?”
Relief washes over me. Finally, someone else who didn’t know about the store closing.
My head bobs and I explain yet again why my brothers closed it and when I’m planning to reopen it .
“Hmm,” he murmurs, tilting his head to the side as he looks past me. He twists his lips to the side and for a moment, a warmth washes over me. He still chews on the inside of his cheek when he’s lost in thought, just like I remember. His mouth drifts back to neutral, his eyes flickering to mine as he releases his cheek. “What are your plans for it?”
“Well—” I pause and swallow roughly as I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not exactly sure yet. First, I need to clean the place and patch some holes in the walls. Finn said they closed the store recently, but I think it’s been longer than he’s let on.”
Jace tucks the box under his arm. “I’ll come help.”
My heart beats a little harder against my ribcage and I quickly shake my head. “That’s okay. I’m sure you have other things to do.”
His forehead creases, but only for a moment. It’s a small movement that happens so quickly, I wouldn’t have noticed if I weren’t staring at him. “I promise I don’t,” he says.
“I’m just going there to clean.”
“I know.” He takes a step away from me, his other arm moving in a sweeping motion. “After you.”
My feet are cemented for a second as my eyes scan his face. I don’t need his help, although it does make the task feel a little less daunting. He’s more than a foot taller than me, so he can also reach the spots I can’t.
The softest sigh escapes me and I’m not sure what emotion is even behind it.
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
JACE
Shortening my strides, I fall into step with Willow as we head down the brick sidewalk. There’s a comfortable silence between us, although there’s almost a buzz lingering in the air. Something dancing in the spaces between the atoms bouncing around. I can’t quite put my finger on it and when I glance at her from the corner of my eye, she appears unaffected.
Her gaze is trained ahead and she tightens her grip around the brown paper bag, as if it will float away if she loosens her hold on it. We reach the cross-walk, both of us pausing to wait for the light to change.
“Can I carry that for you?”
Willow turns her head to look at me. “I got it, but thank you.”
“Sure,” I reply, adjusting my arm around the box I’m holding.
“What are your plans now that you’re back home?”
Absentmindedly, I chew on the inside of my cheek, releasing it as I pull open the door for her. “I’m not really sure. I didn’t plan on coming home this soon, so I guess I’ll just have to figure it out.” I pause as hints of jasmine, vanilla, and maple invade my senses.
Willow walks over to the counter across the room and I follow her, letting the door fall shut behind me. She sets downher bag, throwing glances my way as she takes the supplies out. “How is your ankle?”
“Oh, it’s fine,” I reply with a shrug and shake of my head as I set the box down, then slide it over to Willow. The last thing I want to do is talk about what happened, but I know Willow Alder. I have to give her something to stop her from digging.
“It feels sore sometimes, depending on what I’ve done all day, but normally it feels fine. It’s just on the ice that it doesn’t hold up well.”
She rolls her lips between her teeth, sympathy filling her eyes as they linger on mine. “I’m sorry, Jace. I’m sure having to retire early couldn’t have been easy for you.”
