‘Mom loved her too, didn’t she? I remember she was so angry when her mom up and left like that.’
‘Mom wanted to look after people. It’s what she did best,’ Lucas replied quietly.
‘What do you think Mom would say if she was here now?’
Lucas gulped his beer and then wiped his lips. ‘She would tell you to stop sticking your nose into my business. She would tell you to focus on yourself.’
Mia pulled a face. ‘Funny, because that doesn’t sound like Mom at all. I’m thinking she would tell you to reach out to Willow. She would tell you not to give up on a good thing, because they are damn hard to find.’
Lucas frowned. He got up. ‘I need another beer.’
He left the room, knowing full well which piece of advice his mom would give.
And it wasn’t what he’d said.
Chapter 25
Willow
‘It’s not a big deal, Willow. I will be absolutely fine.’
Willow tried to suppress her feelings as she made herself focus on Jake’s words. She knew he was confident about his job, but this sounded scary. More scary than usual and it annoyed her that he was being so flippant about it.
She had been surprised when he had called her so soon. After ending things, she had half expected Jake to go silent on her, but instead he had rung her and apologized for his reaction before. He wanted to stay friends. He admitted that he hoped that Willow would change her mind in time but was happy to respect her wishes as they stood. All he wanted was to stay in touch. Willow didn’t have the heart to say no. Besides, she felt it would be fine as long as he didn’t overstep her boundaries.
She really didn’t need any more confusion in her life.
Regardless of this, and whatever state they were in, she didn’t want to see him hurt. She still cared deeply about him.
‘All these extra shifts must be taking their toll. I know you love the experience, but you need to look after yourself too,’ she said. ‘Please be careful.’
She was sure she could hear his shrug on the other end of the phone. She wondered if he was pulling that face that he always used to when he thought Willow was talking too much or making a terrible point. It always used to annoy her when he did this. She guessed it didn’t matter anymore.
‘It really will be OK,’ he continued with relish. ‘I’m with the best team. Imagine what my posts will look like …’
She bit back her irritation and tried to focus instead on getting ready for work as she listened to him drone on. This had been the first phone call she had received from Jake all week. Instead, she had been sent a few scrappy messages and links to his uploads. It seemed to Willow that she was very much bottom of his priority list right now. She wasn’t his girlfriend anymore, so she could hardly complain, but the truth was, it hadn’t been much better when they were together.
Willow did wonder wistfully why he still insisted on keeping in touch anyway. Was it just to show off, or did he really miss her company?
She didn’t mention this. She didn’t want to come across as needy or pissed. But it was hard to keep the frustration out of her voice.
‘Maybe you should just focus on the job, not the social media potential …’ she said pointedly. ‘You are there for a reason …’
‘I can do both, Will! My followers want to see my day, and this is going to be a day like no other. I think I’ll get a few more thousand followers easily. I’ve already gained so much attention from my collab with Alex.’
‘Sounds good …’ She focused on brushing her hair and ignored the niggly feeling that bit at her – the internal voice that kept whispering inside.
All he cares about is his online life. It’s not even real.
Had anything been? How much of their relationship had been a facade? As Willow rubbed cold cream into her skin, she began to wonder. Even when they were younger Jake had always wanted to show a public persona, a clear message to the world that they were strong and had a perfect relationship. She racked her brain to try and remember the last deep and meaningful conversation they had had. She was coming up blank every time.
The reality was, she had been unhappy with Jake for so long and now she could see that she really was better without him.
‘Jake, I need to go …’ she said. It was a lie.
‘Yeah OK. Be sure to have a look later. I’ll be posting updates.’
He hung up the phone quickly. Willow stared blankly in the mirror, knowing that she needed to focus on her makeup but having no motivation to do it. It was Sunday and she wasn’t planning to open the wagon today. Instead, she wanted to take a walk around Honey Springs. Her reflection looked tired and drawn. She hadn’t slept well but that was because of another guy.
