He missed them both so deeply.
He shook his head. He knew he had to face things. Wherever Willow went, trouble was bound to follow her.
And if those two were poking around near his property, he needed to go and investigate properly.
With another desperate sigh, Lucas pulled on his sneakers and headed downstairs.
The women were standing by the van. That stupid, brightly painted van that Jenn had dumped here a few months ago with some high-flying ideas about using it to sell cakes or something. Lucas had seen her ad on the Honey Springs website and assumed it would be sold to someone with fresh ideas, ideally something that didn’t involve selling food or drinks in his parking lot! Someone who would hopefully take it far away from Honey Springs.
They were both giggling like idiots and touching the sides like it was magical or something. A nervous pulse trickled through him.
This was not a good sign.
‘Hey,’ he said, in an attempt to draw their attention away from the van. ‘What you doing?’
Willow spun around first. Her cheeks immediately flamed red as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t have. She touched her chest instinctively. ‘Just checking out the van, that’s all.’
Her response was quite breathy and defensive. Lucas circled around towards Jenn.
‘I thought you were giving this up to hike around Europe or something? Aren’t you selling it?’
Jenn grinned at him, one of her wide-mouthed, all-teeth smiles that Lucas knew Greg hated because he said it was jarring. He could kind of understand why. It was so fake.
‘Yeah, I am. I’m leaving soon.’
‘So, what are doing? Saying goodbye?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘To be honest, I could do with you moving this monstrosity before you go. It’s an eyesore.’
Jenn chuckled lightly under her breath. ‘It’s right behind The Diner at the moment, Lucas, no one can see it. Stop being such a drama queen.’ She was now stroking the side of the van lovingly like it was a horse or something. ‘I’ll miss my lovely Vera.’
Vera? Lucas sighed. She was as bad as Greg with that car of his. ‘What’s with the stupid name anyway?’
‘Vera isn’t a stupid name. It suits her. Anyway, she is being moved. Probably tomorrow. Or at least I’ll get the boys to. I won’t be here and Willow can’t drive.’
‘Good,’ he muttered.
‘She’s moving to the parking lot, like we agreed.’
‘What? I don’t want this thing dumped on me, Jenn, that’s not what we agreed! Especially if it’s not even being used.’
Lucas was very aware that he was stammering, but he no longer cared. He thought he was getting shot of this van – not having it put in prime spot next to The Diner to gather rust. Was Jenn deliberately trying to annoy him?
‘Yes, I’m leaving,’ Jenn said calmly. ‘But I no longer own the van. Willow does. And she’ll be running things like we agreed. She’ll have a new name for it and everything. So, thestupidname Vera will be gone.’
Lucas turned to Willow in shock. She was just standing there, coolly assessing him with those large liquid eyes of hers. Lucas felt something spark inside himself.
‘I thought you were just passing through or something?’
‘What gave you that idea?’ she asked quietly. ‘I never actually said that.’
Lucas shook his head. Instant replies flooded his mind. I dunno, the way you left five years ago with your nose in the air, declaring you’d never set foot in this town again, all whilst clasping the hand of that rat Jake …
‘Nothing,’ he muttered instead. ‘I just figured you had your life set up in Seattle. With Jake.’
‘Well, you figured wrong,’ Willow replied with a stiff smile. ‘I’m back and I’m ready to make this new venture work. I hope that won’t be a problem for you, Lucas.’
‘That won’t be a problem, will it, Luc?’ Jenn added sweetly.
Lucas couldn’t find the right words to respond, so instead he muttered something under his breath and marched back towards The Diner.
