‘Sometimes I miss it,’ Willow whispered. ‘I’ve been thinking about it more recently. Was it really that deadbeat?Or was that just what we told ourselves because we wanted a reason to escape?’
Jake pulled her towards him. ‘Willow, we left Honey Springs for a reason. There is nothing there for us now. Stop worrying and get some rest. It’s late.’
Willow allowed herself to curl up beside him, but as Jake fell into an easy sleep, she remained wide awake.
She couldn’t help feeling that Jake was wrong. There was something still there for her in Honey Springs.
And Jake didn’t seem to understand how she was feeling.
Even though she was now wrapped tightly in his arms, she had never felt so alone.
Chapter 3
Willow gazed at her laptop screen, half hoping that the answers might suddenly spring to life in front of her if she willed it hard enough. The office around her was buzzing, as it always was, with people talking loudly and cracking jokes – everyone was so wired about this new campaign.
Except Willow. She simply felt hollowed out. And tired, so desperately tired.
An hour ago, she had had a meeting with Kirk, where she had outlined some of her pre-launch ideas for the new Noix Noir brand. She had produced some of her rough plans on her laptop for him to see. She always felt nervous sitting in Kirk’s plush, highly glazed office and today had been no exception. Kirk had sat back on his large leather chair, legs crossed. His expression had looked almost bored, and Willow felt like a shy, awkward schoolgirl trying to impress him.
‘“The smell of tomorrow …”’ she had suggested tentatively. ‘Or perhaps, “Wake up to something new.” We could build up a campaign that focuses on anticipation and enticement, without giving too many details away.’
Kirk had frowned and pushed the laptop to one side. ‘These aren’t very original, Willow. I can’t see our TikTokor Instagram audience engaging with them. We need to build excitement and create that all-important buzz.’
‘Well, that’s what I’m attempting. I want to work on that buzz. I have influencers in mind that would be key.’
‘What? Like Esmae Reed?’ He had pressed his teeth together. ‘One of your favorites, I believe, Willow. You used her on our last campaign. And look what’s happened now. People are leaving her in droves.’
‘I couldn’t have predicted her being canceled,’ Willow had said calmly, picking up her laptop. It was pretty clear that Esmae’s downfall was now starting to bleed into her own reputation. She wasn’t even sure how she felt about that. ‘Leave this with me. I have other ideas.’
Kirk’s dark eyes had drilled into hers. ‘Yes, work on this more. These are too boring. Honestly, Willow, I really thought you would dig deep for this campaign, but it’s like you’ve taken your eye off the ball lately.’
‘Sorry, Kirk.’ She hated that her cheeks had flamed red.
He had muttered something under his breath and then glanced up at her again. ‘Send Toby in. He told me earlier that he had some new ideas to run by me.’
Willow had nodded mutely and relayed the message to Toby. Now, he was sitting in Kirk’s flashy office and had been there for the last hour, while she was sitting at her desk staring numbly at her screen. This wasn’t like her at all. Usually, she had too many ideas fighting for attention in her head, but today, only one image remained static there – almost like it was superglued in place.
Jenn’s van.
Willow found herself searching online for something beyond coffee. Soon her screen was filled with images of matcha. She adjusted her position in her seat as she settledin to read more. The barista was right, the history of matcha was fascinating. She didn’t know it could be traced right back to China, to the Tang and Song dynasties. Back then it was popular with Buddhist monks and scholars who used it for its calming and energizing properties.
Willow continued to scroll, discovering that the tea had been introduced to Japan by a Zen Buddhist named Eisai who came back from China with the seeds and planted them on Mount Sefuri. She tapped through the sites, reading even more about Eisai who focused his life on matcha, even writing a book on it. He claimed that it improved his meditation and gave him mental clarity and longevity. His teachings even influenced samurai warriors, who used matcha to sharpen their focus and maintain composure before battle. Matcha would go onto become a huge part of Japanese culture.
Willow sat back on her chair, mesmerized. She had never realized how special this drink was and how it had impacted so many throughout history. She realized with growing certainty that she wanted this special drink to be a part of her life.
Maybe matcha could help her find the clarity and focus she so badly needed.
Kirk’s office door suddenly flew open, and Toby strode out. Willow could tell by the beaming smile on his face that his meeting had been far more successful than hers.
‘Hey.’ She smiled up at him. She could never be mad at Toby, even though he was a complete stickler. There was just something charming in his cheeky grin.
‘That was amazing,’ Toby said, slamming down his laptop. ‘Kirk loved my ideas. He is going to consider them.’
‘That’s really great.’
Toby seemed to realize that he had been a bit too enthusiastic and drew a breath. ‘Oh, Willow. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that your ideas weren’t any good. I’m sure he’s considering those too.’
She laughed softly. ‘My ideas were crap, Toby. Don’t worry about it. Honestly. I’m just glad that one of us is on the ball.’
