What other option did she have?
Later in the afternoon, the crowds had died down a little. Willow sent Tommy home and posted another photo online of her depleted stock and one of her glowing, but tired face.
Busy day on the matcha wagon – but totally worth it.
Every day should be #matchaday.
Except she didn’t feel as happy as she should. She kept thinking about her run-in with Lucas earlier and how horrible he had been towards her. Looking back, she wished she had taken the ice and shoved it some place that would have made him angrier.
She sighed and began to prepare to close. It had been a long day. She had to focus on the positives.
‘Hey!’
Willow looked up. Mia was standing in front her, seeming a little sheepish. ‘I wanted to check you were OK,’ she continued. ‘I heard your argument with my brother earlier. I wanted to come out, but I had some things to sort out with Ernie. I’m going to be starting at the bookshop soon. In time, Ernie said he will let me totally refurb the place. It certainly needs it’.
‘Oh my God. That’s great. Ernie always seemed like a nice person to work for,’ Willow replied in an attempt to deflect. Her head was hurting, and she wasn’t sure if she had the energy to go into all this Lucas stuff again.
‘He is. And he’s basically retired, so I’ll be in charge of so much.’ Mia grinned. ‘That’ll make the job easier.’
‘I’m really pleased for you.’
Mia turned. Her attention was drawn to a figure leaving The Diner. It was Adam.
‘That guy is so cute, but ridiculously quiet. All I know is that he’s the new vet in town, but anytime anyone talks to him, he kind of clams up.’
‘I guess he’s shy,’ Willow replied. ‘It can’t be easy being a stranger in a small town.’
After all, she knew all about that.
‘True. It’s a shame though. He is cute.’
Willow laughed. ‘Seriously? I thought you were sworn off men.’
‘Well, I said that, and I am …’ Mia shifted her gaze. ‘I’m not sure I could think about anyone that wasn’t Joshua.’
‘That’s understandable. You were together a long time.’
Mia sighed and flopped down on one of the free chairs. ‘It’s certainly complicated. But not as complicated as my brother. Willow, I know for a fact that he feels bad for shouting at you.’
Willow folded her arms. ‘Yeah, and so he should.’
‘Today isn’t exactly the easiest of days …’ Mia nodded slightly, her eyes wide. ‘He wanted to do something special to mark it.’
Willow’s hand sprung to her mouth, the truth suddenly dawning on her. ‘Oh my! It’s the anniversary today, isn’t it? The days are flying past so fast, I didn’t realize.’
Mia was looking at the ground, her feet scuffing the floor. ‘It’s hard for us to forget. Luc has been thinking about what to do for ages.’
‘The decorations, the music – it all makes sense now.’ An ironclad fist hit Willow hard in her chest. ‘But no one came,’ she whispered.
‘No, they were all here.’ Mia gestured toward the wagon. ‘It wasn’t your fault. Luc is too pigheaded. He expected people to remember—’
‘No, they should have,’ Willow said quietly. It was her fault. She had distracted everyone away from The Diner. ‘I should have remembered. I could have told people to pop in. I was too stressed about Jake and everything, I didn’t realize—’
‘Don’t worry about it, Willow. You have stuff on your mind too.’
‘I need to see him.’
‘Not yet,’ Mia replied bluntly. ‘Give him tonight. He’s hurting. And he’s not good when he’s hurting. I’ll be with him.’
