“Yeah,” she whispers. “It’s working.”
I pull her into my arms, and she melts against me, her face buried in my chest. We stand there in the cold parking lot, holding each other, and I silently promise her that I’m going to be worth her trust.
“Come for dinner tomorrow,” I say into her hair. “Just you, me, and Ben. Nothing fancy. Let us get to know you.”
She pulls back, and her smile is tentative but real. “Okay. I’d like that.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I kiss her forehead, soft and gentle. “Drive safe, Doc. Text me when you get home.”
“I will.”
I watch her drive away, and my phone buzzes before she’s even out of the parking lot.
Willa: Thank you. For tonight. For everything. For being patient with me.
I grin and type back quickly.
Henry: Thank you for taking a chance on me. Sleep well. Dream of handsome bakers.
Willa: And chocolate lava cakes?
Henry: Those too. Though I’m better than cake.
Willa: Prove it.
I stare at those two words, my heart racing. She’s flirting. Actually flirting.
Henry: Challenge accepted. See you tomorrow, sweetheart.
I get Ben home and into bed, and then I lie awake thinking about Willa. About her fears and the way she kissed me like I was oxygen.
Tomorrow we’ll have dinner. We’ll talk. I’ll learn more about her past, and she’ll see that I’m not going anywhere.
And maybe —just maybe— she’ll let me love her the way she deserves.
Chapter 13
Willa
I drive home in a daze,my lips still tingling from Henry’s kiss. When I get to my cottage, Mrs. Chen is outside despite the cold, taking out her trash.
“Dr. Monroe!” She waves. “How was your evening?”
“It was... good. Really good.”
She beams at me. “Henry Hunter is such a lovely man. And that boy of his is a sweetheart.”
“They are,” I admit, unable to stop smiling.
“It’s so nice to see you happy, dear. You’ve seemed so sad since you moved here.” She pats my arm. “Hold onto that happiness. And that man. Good ones are hard to find.”
I watch her shuffle back to her house, and something settles in my chest.
Hold onto that happiness.
