In the back was the game room. Willow rememberedthat Greg and some other kids from school used to spend all their time there playing all sorts of board games and made-up stuff. It had sounded kind of geeky at the time and Willow remembered that Jake had been pretty scornful about it, but now she could see it would be cozy and probably lots of fun.
Willow sighed as her gaze drifted towards the little road where her grandma had lived. She couldn’t face heading down there again; just thinking about it made her stomach shrink a little. Willow missed her so much. Suddenly, she could hear her grandma’s voice in her head, as clear and sweet as if she was standing right beside her.
‘Always follow your heart, Willow. Don’t be swayed by others. Do what feels right for you …’
Tears prickled in her eyes. What else would Grandma say to her now? Would she tell her to fight for Lucas, or walk away? What would she say if she knew that Willow had only just gotten out of a relationship?
And how would she respond knowing that the boy that they had both loved so much now suddenly wanted to avoid her?
‘Hey? Are you alright? It’s a little early to be crying outside the bookstore.’
Willow turned to see Greg standing there. He pushed his glasses up against his nose and shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
‘Sorry,’ he added. ‘You just seemed a bit – well, sad …’
Willow nodded slowly. ‘I guess I am. Coming back here hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would be.’
Greg smiled in his lopsided way and held up a key. ‘Well, why don’t we go in and have a chat? Might as well make use of this while I have it.’
Willow knew that the bookstore was owned by old Ernie, who spent a lot of his days either hidden away behind the shelves or eating in The Diner. He was a quiet, slightly eccentric guy, who Greg was clearly very fond of and Mia had said she was eager to work for. Willow could understand why. He always seemed to be a kind and laid-back man.
‘He lets me come in on Sundays and use the backroom to design my game,’ Greg explained. ‘I’ve been working on a few over the years, but this latest one I’m pretty excited about.’
Willow followed him in and was immediately hit by the familiar scent of musty books. This had been another early hangout for her and Lucas. Lucas had loved the comics that Ernie used to stock and would spend ages leafing through them, trying to teach Willow the differences between DC and Marvel. She smiled at the memory.
‘I used to love it in here,’ she said, running her hand across a nearby shelf.
‘Really?’ Greg looked a little amused. ‘I thought you were too cool for a place like this. It was always kids like me and Rachel hanging out here.’
‘I came here before, with Lucas.’ Willow felt her cheeks warm. She knew most of her teenage years had been spent away from Honey Springs with Jake and she felt a little ashamed of that now. Why had she allowed herself to drift away so much? It had been easier, she supposed, to allow it to happen. Small town life had become boring and routine, and she had longed for more – but in that longing, she had neglected some of the things that were important to her.
‘Ernie has a stash of coffee and tea here,’ Greg said gently. ‘It’s not quite up to your matcha level, but at least it will be warm and sweet.’
He gestured for her to follow him through the small wooden door that led to the games room. Willow had only been there once before, when she was thirteen or so, and that had been with Lucas. The room was as she remembered, small and dark with several tables set up, and in the far corner were some large, comfortable chairs with a small kitchenette area to make drinks.
‘Ernie likes this spot to play cards with his friends,’ Greg said, gesturing. ‘Not many of us meet up here now, but a few come over from neighboring towns. We play stuff like Dungeons & Dragons and similar games. It probably sounds too geeky for—’
‘Not at all,’ Willow interrupted. ‘It sounds kind of nice.’
Greg smiled. It was the first sincerely warm smile she had seen him give her and it completely changed his features. His eyes softened and the sharp angles and frostiness that had first greeted her simply melted away. She could see that he was a nice guy, with a slightly shy edge to him. Maybe he had put up those barriers to protect himself. Willow settled down on one of the chairs, while Greg busied himself making a coffee for them both.
‘I guess it takes my mind off stuff, being here,’ he said softly. ‘I don’t have to think about the things going on.’
‘I heard your dad is in the hospital,’ Willow replied. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘You heard?’ He offered a sheepish grin. ‘Don’t tell me? The Parker sisters?’
Willow grinned back. ‘They like to keep me posted on town news.’
‘They sure do.’ He filled the small gray kettle. ‘Yeah, my dad has dementia. He fell recently too and hurt his ankle. He is staying in the hospital for a while.’
‘And then?’
‘Then? I don’t know. I guess he’ll come back to live with me.’ Greg shrugged. ‘I’m all he has. You know he loves it here too. Him and Ernie used to play cards together.’
Willow nodded, not really knowing what else to say. She could feel Greg’s sadness drifting over to her. It was heartbreaking.
‘Lucas always says this stuff tastes like shit,’ Greg warned as he busied himself with the drinks. ‘But it’s better than nothing.’
