“That’s great, Jace,” she says quietly, although there’s something off about her tone. She collects her things and I slowly pick up my backpack with Dr. Grey in it. “Do you want to just finish the bathroom tomorrow?”
My eyebrows tug downward. That was not the reaction I was expecting from her, especially when she was the one telling me to consider buying the rink. “Yeah... sure,” I say, though I’d rather stay and finish it today.
She slowly nods and her expression relaxes again. “Same time, same place tomorrow?” she asks. She looks almost hopeful.
“I’ll be here.”
Her smile softens a touch. “Great, see you then.”
I follow her out of the shop, neither of us saying anything more. I don’t get into my truck until she’s in her car, pulling away from the side of the street. I don’t know what that was—that strange shift in the way she acted. I thought she would have been more excited about me wanting to look into the rink.
She seemed so serious and hopeful when she tried to convince me that I should consider buying it. Maybe she didn’t actually mean it, but that’s so out of character for Willow. She doesn’t often say things she doesn’t mean.
Well, she didn’t used to be in the habit of doing that.
Maybe Willow Alder isn’t the same girl as I remember.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
WILLOW
“Come out with us tonight, Will.”
Startled, I glance over my shoulder and meet Finn’s gaze as he walks into the living room. I’m already curled up on the couch with my e-reader in hand and my new book boyfriend holding on to my attention. Turning back around, I look down at the words on the screen, not fully reading them as I can still feel my brother’s eyes on the back of my head.
“I’m good.”
“Come on,” he says as he walks deeper into the room. He circles around the back of the sectional and flops over the edge of it, landing on the cushions to my left. “Noah and I are going to go get drinks and we want you to come along.”
“I don’t feel like going anywhere,” I admit, lifting the blanket to show him my fuzzy pajama pants. “I’m already in comfy clothes.”
He shrugs with a sheepish grin. “You can wear that. You know no one at the bar gives a shit.”
I stare at my brother, leveling my gaze on his. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”
“It’s just not in my nature.”
The front door slamming echoes through the house. Noah’s voice carries after it, although it sounds like he’s talking to himself rather than to either of us. “You guys ready?” he asks as he steps into the doorway of the living room. I look back at him and his brow furrows. “Are you not coming?”
Noah has a confused look on his face and Finn is giving me puppy dog eyes and sticking out his bottom lip. For him being the oldest brother, sometimes he’s more immature than Noah and me. An exasperated sigh escapes me as my shoulders sag and I close my e-reader. “One drink.”
Finn curls his hand into a fist, bends his arm at the elbow, and jerks it past his body. “Yes!”
“It’s been forever since we’ve all gone out together.”
I scrunch up my face at Noah. “We just went out last winter when I was home for the holidays.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says, his eyes widening as he nods at me. “That’s the definition of forever.”
I roll my eyes, a laugh escaping me as I throw my blanket from my body and leave it on the ottoman with my e-reader. “You’re ridiculous,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m going to go get changed and then I’ll be ready.”
Finn climbs up off the couch. “We’ll be out in the truck.”
The bottoms of my pants shift around my ankles as I head out of the living room and into the hallway, then make my way up to the second floor. The sounds of my brothers’ voices carry throughout the house as they both walk into the kitchen and then it grows silent after the door closes.
I find a pair of jeans and a sweater and change into it before gathering my hair on top of my head, securing it in a high ponytail. Going out wasn’t exactly my plan tonight, but I know how persistent my brothers can be. They’re both lucky that I like them and enjoy their company. I couldn’t imagine having two brothers that I didn’t like.
The three of us have always been close. Whatever they were doing when we were kids, I was always close behind. They didn’t always want me to tag along, but Jace was always the one who talked them into letting me.
