The phone cut off before Willow could answer. So – that was it. They were on a break. Willow felt surprisingly calm about it all; perhaps all they needed was some space and time to figure out what they really wanted. The only thing that had truly annoyed her was Jake’s cold response toward Lucas. Had he really disliked him that much?
And why did it rattle her so much that he did?
Chapter 14
Lucas
‘So, this is it? The first day of you having that van outside your place. How are you feeling?’
Greg was currently battling his way through a pile of late-breakfast pancakes. Rachel was sitting opposite him, assessing him calmly whilst she drank her black coffee. Lucas was using this quiet time before the main lunch rush to sit with his friends and escape the heat of the kitchen for a while. It helped that Janice was doing most of the cooking this morning. She didn’t mind. She said it was taking her mind off scolding Tommy for spending too much time painting Willow’s van – and not enough time on his studies.
‘I suppose I’ll go out later and buy one of these matcha things …’ Lucas shrugged. ‘But let’s face it, the chances are she will get bored in a week or so. Business is slow here, even more so now the winter rush is over. In my view, she’ll struggle to sell anything.’
‘She’s definitely an optimist, I’ll give her that,’ Rachel muttered. ‘Although, it’s weird she has decided to come back here after all this time—’
‘It’s fine!’ Lucas said firmly. ‘I told you. I don’t have a problem with it.’
Rachel’s eyes glinted at him. ‘You keep telling yourself that, huh? Both Greg and I knew how you felt about that girl. Years and years at school you pined after her and then she went off with that arrogant creep. This is almost like a book I didn’t write—’
‘I didn’t pine after her. It wasn’t like that.’ He scowled. ‘And if you wrote a book on that, it would be quite boring. Boy and girl never dated. Girl left, boy didn’t care. Girl came back, boy still didn’t care …’
Rachel smirked at him. ‘You keep telling yourself that, Luc.’
Lucas ran his hands through his hair, feeling frustration burn deep inside himself. He didn’t like his situation to be drilled down to such simple, primal terms. He and Willow had had something deep once, a real friendship that had felt so true and pure. Yes, it was true he had a huge crush on her and often wished things had moved onto the next stage and yes, he was heartbroken when things ended up the way they did. Even now, he had never had a closeness like what he had had with Willow. They were childhood friends – they shared dreams and fears. They swapped lost teeth and fixed each other’s bumps and bruises. She had been a major part of his life.
Until suddenly, she wasn’t.
He wasn’t even sure how it all happened.
Having her back here was churning everything up again.
‘She has a boyfriend anyway, remember?’ He reminded them. ‘The delightful Jake. She still seems smitten.’
Greg snorted. ‘Yeah, you think?’
‘What do you mean?’
Greg shrugged. ‘I dunno. It just seems to me that Jake isn’t here, and Willow is back on her own, ready to start a new life. Doesn’t that say something to you?’
Rachel had that dreamy look on her face. ‘It’s probably one of those long-distance affairs. I mean, as much as I hate the guy – they have been together forever. I guess if anyone can make it work, it’s them?’
‘You think?’ Greg said. ‘Jake just always struck me as the type that needed his woman where he could see her.’
‘Jake just struck me as the type of guy that needs to get struck,’ Lucas muttered. ‘Anyway, this is pointless speculation. Willow is probably only going to be back for a while with this van of hers. If it works, she might sell it. If it doesn’t, she’ll leave. It’s a spring flirtation, trying something new, nothing more.’
‘Well, I’ll be getting a drink from her,’ Greg said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. ‘At least that idiot of a boyfriend hasn’t joined her.’
‘It’s a shame you’re not as forgiving about Jenn,’ Lucas said mildly.
Greg flashed him a look. ‘That’s different and you know it. Jenn deliberately annoys me. She is …’
He didn’t finish the sentence, seemingly struggling to find the right words. Instead, he stuffed the last of his pancake in his mouth and wiped the maple syrup from his lips.
Lucas got up from his seat. He needed to get on with work, no matter how tempting it was to stay there and chat.
‘Well, my advice stands,’ Rachel said, shooting a fierce look in Lucas’s direction. ‘Unless you want to get hurt again, you’re probably best staying away from Willow. She’s a sweet enough girl, but I don’t think she has a clue about how you used to feel about her.’
‘Of course she doesn’t,’ Lucas snapped. ‘And I plan to keep it that way.’
