Chapter 10
Willow
Saturday morning rolls around, and I wake up feeling refreshed. Maybe this cabin isn’t so bad after all. Being tucked away in the woods, with plenty of privacy, has been better than I expected. I’ve come to terms with not having the bells and whistles here, and the simplicity of it all is calming. The only issue is I am officially out of coffee, and that’s a must. A hot cup of coffee and a folding chair on my porch are more relaxing than one would think. So, I need to head to town.
I take the world's coldest shower, which I have yet to grow fond of, and get myself ready for the day. Jeans and a T-shirt are the most effort I’m willing to put into today. My first stop is the coffee shop and then I'll go to the store. My fridge needs restocking for the week, and I think I need some time off the ranch to clear my head. Get some distance from… Well, who am I kidding, Weston.
I hop in the dusty old truck and head down the road. I like that the road to the cabin is the same one that leads to the ranch house. I love getting to see it and be near it all the time; it’s like a piece of me gets to still live in my golden years. The house is new, but the feeling I have here is the same. Jack and Mabel must’ve built this one while I was gone. The old one was my home away from home growing up. I really want to stop by and see Weston's parents, but I’m worried it’ll be awkward. My memories here are filled with happiness andlaughter, and I don’t want to ruin that by showing up at their home unannounced.
When I drive past Jack and Mabel’s, I see a car that’s a little too shiny for these neck of the woods. Not to mention, everything here is either Ford, Chevy, or Dodge, and there’s a BMW parked in front.
As the caring tenant of one of their cabins, I decide to investigate. I let my foot off the pedal to slow the truck, driving slowly down the gravel road, the sound of my tires crunching over the rocks. I’m not being nosy, I'm making sure they are safe. The first thing I see is Mabel. The urge to stop is even stronger now. I’ve been avoiding them, partially because it hurt that they cut me off when Weston walked out, and partially because I’m afraid they’ll treat me differently, and that would hurt even worse.
Oh, and she’s waving.
I can’t even roll down the damn window because this thing was made when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I take back what I said about simplicity; some things make life less simple. It’s then that I see a familiar face
Oh my God, that’s Josh, in the small town of Windy Peaks, and not New York City, where he just was two days ago when we last spoke. My heart starts racing, and I suddenly feel nervous. Why am I nervous? Probably because we haven’t seen each other in a month. I have a million questions going through my head, but the one I can’t ignore iswhyis he here?
Speeding up, I press my foot down on the gas pedal and whip into their paved driveway up to their house, turn the truck off, and hop out.
“Willow girl.” Mabel steps around Josh when she sees me walking up and opens up her arms for a hug.
My face hurts from how wide my smile stretches at her gesture. She smells faintly of fresh cinnamon and bread. If I had to guess, she’s spent her morning cooking. I guess some things haven’t changed here at all. “I have missed you.”
“You too, sweet girl. I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I hope you know we only distanced ourselves because we thought it would be easier for you after Weston, well, anyway, it’s great to see you. It appears we have some catching up to do.” She nods her head over to Josh, and I let her go and walk to him.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but after a month apart, I expected him to wrap me tight in his arms and squeeze. Instead, I get the lovely gesture of a side hug.
“Great to see you, sweetheart.” His voice sounds different, like he’s on the phone with one of his clients, he’s trying to schmooze. I hate this persona of his, it’s like nails on a chalkboard with how unauthentic he comes across. Besides my boss and Josh, I haven’t had to talk to anyone in corporate in a month, and it’s right now that I’m realizing I liked it better that way. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” His smile is tight and doesn’t reach his eyes, almost as if he’s annoyed with me.
“Of course, this is Mabel. She’s pretty much the community mom. Mabel, this is my fiancé, Josh.”
He wraps his arm around me now and gives my upper arm a squeeze. I don’t miss the way Mabel’s eyes are tracking everything. Now, Josh’s smile isn’t the only one that is forced. Mine feels borderline painful. We all stand together, and my fear that things would be weird when we reunited has officially come to fruition.
“Well, we are having family dinner tonight. We would love to have you guys.” Mabel clasps her hands together and looks at each of us with a warm smile.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to turn down the offer. Sitting in a room with Weston and Josh together is my exact definition of hell.
My fiancé loves nothing more than a good dinner party. He really shines when it comes to the way he can talk to people; it’s why he’s so good at his job. “We’d love that, wouldn’t we?” Josh prompts when I don’t respond, lost in my thoughts.
I shake my head and reinforce my now very painful phony smile, “Of course. You’re in for a real treat; no one can cook quite like Mabel.” That part isn’t a lie. Her food is to die for, and that’s something to look forward to.
“Alright, well, I need to go water the chickens out back. I’ll see you guys back here tonight around six or so.” She waves and walks around the house to the back, where I’m guessing her coop is.
Now that we’re alone, I turn to Josh. “This is such a surprise! What are you doing here?”
“Well, we’ve never been apart for this long, and I missed you,” he says before leaning down and kissing me. “This place was kind of hard to find. I couldn’t remember the name of it, so I had to pull it up on my phone when I got into my rental car.” He then looks over to the truck I’m driving. “Speaking of rentals, why did your company not reserve you one?”
He looks at the truck with such disdain that I immediately feel defensive of it. This farm truck has worked harder than probably everyone on this ranch combined in its years. “My grandpa offered, but then his truck had some issues. I thought I told you this?” I vividly remember both conversations.
“No, I think you’re just imagining that. You’re so forgetful, sweetheart,” he says with a chuckle. I have been forgetting to call him at night, exhausted from working all day to meet the deadlines. The nights I do remember are too late with the time change, but now that he’s here, I can finally show him my hometown.
“Well, I was just heading into town. Do you want to tag along, and I can give you the Windy Peaks tour?” The excitement in my voice isn’t forced at all. I love this place, and now that he’s finally here, I can’t wait to show him all my favorite places and people.
“I’d love to. The town looks charming.” His smile is so tight that I wonder if it’s a bit forced, but right now, I’m too excited to care. It’s nice having him here and getting to merge my two worlds together.
I turn to walk us to the truck, but he grabs my arm and stops me. “What are you doing?”
