I lie in the dark, staring at the ceiling and thinking about Willa. It seems to be the only thing I know how to do right now. Ever since she left the interview and drove out of the forest in that beat-up old car, she’s been the only thing on my mind. I can’t close my eyes without seeing that pretty face, imagining those big blue eyes looking up at me.
Fuck.
When dawn breaks outside my cabin, I finally give up on sleep. Instead, I grab my axe and step outside.
The forest is cold, the sunrise turning the sky orange overhead as I walk into the trees. My office is only five-minutes away, a short trip through the woods, but Willa won’t be there for several hours. I was flexible with her shifts, and we settled on Monday to Friday, 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. The hours slot between her jobs at the hotel and diner in a way that makes me uneasy.
There’s no way she’s getting enough sleep.
No way she has any time for herself.
As I stride through the undergrowth, I think about the salary I offered. It’s far more than I originally planned to offer, but nowI’m wondering if it was enough. Business is good, despite my crappy admin system, and years of profits and solid investments have left me comfortably wealthy. I’d love to help Willa out of whatever hole she’s in. Hell, I’d do anything she asked. But something tells me she’d be too proud to accept charity from a guy she just met.
I’ll raise the salary next week,I think to myself.
She can’t argue with a raise.
I reach the part of the forest where I spent yesterday working, a pile of unchopped logs still waiting for me. I’d usually have finished them with time to spare, but I was so damn distracted after the interview that I hardly got anything done. Now I start where I left off, swinging my axe in a steady rhythm, mind drifting to Willa as the sun rises higher in the sky.
The morning passes unbearably slowly. I can’t stop checking the time. Every minute feels like an hour, and by the time I finish lunch, I swear I’m going to burst with the anticipation that’s been building inside me since I woke up. When two o’clock rolls around, I head for the office, unsure of what to do with myself. I keep sitting down and standing up again, pacing aimlessly, running an agitated hand through my hair.
I’m still pacing when I hear the car—ten minutes early.
My heart starts to race, every nerve tingling when she finally knocks on the door.
“Don’t need to knock,” I call, fighting to keep my voice steady. “Come on in.”
Willa steps inside, looking even more beautiful than yesterday. She’s wearing dark pants and a light blue blouse that matches her eyes. When she sees me, her plump pink lips curl into a smile, and I lose my fucking mind all over again.
“Hi,” she says.
I can only manage a grunt and a nod in response.
“I hope this is okay.” Willa gestures to her clothes. “I wasn’t sure…”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “You can wear whatever you want.”
“Great.” She smiles again.
There’s a pause while I try to pull myself together. Then I gesture to the desk across from mine. “This is yours. Coffee’s over there on the counter. Help yourself when you want.”
“Thanks.”
She takes a seat at her desk and boots up the computer. I run over a few more details about the job, giving her the company log-in details, and explaining what my last admin assistant did.
“You’re definitely okay with me changing this up?” she asks. “Moving things digital?”
“Do whatever you think works best. Anything’s better than the current system.”
“Got it. Thanks, Flint.”
Then she gets to work, quiet and focused, tapping away on the computer. Occasionally, she flips through the papers piled on the desk or inspects the contents of a ring binder. But if she’s overwhelmed by all the crap she has to sort through, it doesn’t show.
There’s no need for me to be here. My crews are handling three sites without me. Willa’s got the office covered, and my job is out in the forest, not behind this desk. But I don’t leave. I turn on my own computer and answer a few emails. Then I sort through the filing cabinet, tossing out old site schedules and haul route maps. I make endless cups of coffee and drink slowly, taking my time with each one.
The excuses get less convincing as the minutes tick by.
The office feels like it’s pressing in on all sides, too cramped for both of us. But I can’t make myself go. My gaze keeps drifting discreetly to Willa, watching as she pushes her bangs out of hereyes, her tongue poking between her teeth as her fingers dance across the keyboard ten times faster than mine ever could.
