Willow watched as he rooted around in the cupboards, singing softly under his breath as he did so. Finally, he spoke again.
‘This is probably none of my business – but you looked pretty upset just now.’
‘I’m OK.’ Willow tried to keep her tone light. ‘I guess I just have a lot on my mind too.’
‘You said it was tricky coming back – I mean, I haven’t been anywhere else, so I couldn’t possibly understand everything about that – but I do understand not fitting in.’ He stirred the drinks slowly. ‘It took me a long time to find my place in Honey Springs. Sometimes, I think I still am struggling with it.’
‘What helped?’ she asked quietly.
Greg handed her a drink and sat on the chair opposite. ‘Friends, opening up to them. I’m lucky to have Rachel and Lucas – but mostly I’m lucky to have Lucas. He really is the best person I know.’
A warm sensation washed over Willow as she sipped her drink. She wished Lucas had reached out to her today. There had been so much she wanted to say to him still, but she was so scared that he might say something that she didn’t want to hear.
Like he didn’t see her in that way. That they were better off as friends, or even worse – maybe not even that.
But after that kiss at the Falls and then the moment in The Diner, Willow knew something had shifted inside her. They had crossed a line. How could they go back to being friends after that?
She could never see him the same way now.
And how could she be thinking these things when she had only just broken up with her boyfriend? Was she a bad person? Was she on a rebound without even realizing it? Can you even be on a rebound if you’ve been unhappy for ages? It was such a mess. She lowered her head, feeling those tears bite again.
‘I know you and Lucas used to be close,’ Greg continued. ‘Maybe you could both try again. I think it would be good for both of you, and I think he would like that too.’
‘Do you really think so?’ she whispered. ‘It feels like I’m last the person he wants around him. I feel like I should stay away.’
Greg chuckled softly. ‘If I know my friend as well as I think I do, then he would hate that.’ He paused and his gentle eyes settled on Willow. ‘Just give him a chance, Willow. He is stubborn and stupid sometimes, but he really is the best person I know, and I do believe that the two of you need each other right now.’
‘Really?’
Greg smiled. ‘Really. In fact, I’d go as far as to say you were made for each other.’
Chapter 26
Lucas
Lucas spent most of the day trying to shake off the hangover that was refusing to let go like a clingy child. His mood wasn’t improved by the fact that he had been so awful to Willow earlier. It had been such a surprise to see her there on the doorstep; his weary brain hadn’t dealt with it at all well. And now he was deeply regretting his life choices.
‘I should have called her back,’ he said to Mia, while pacing the small apartment. ‘I should have insisted she come in so that we could talk properly.’
Mia was lying on the couch with a pack of frozen peas on her head. She groaned softly. ‘Luc, are you going to talk about this all day?’
‘You said yourself I needed to talk to her?’
She lifted the pack and glared at him with bleary eyes. ‘Yeah, I did, but when do you ever take notice of me?’ She sighed dramatically and flopped back down. ‘Honestly, this is just like those crappy romance novels that Rachel loves so much. All the miscommunication and misunderstanding – it’s maddening.’
‘And how do those novels work out?’
‘I dunno. Ask Rachel! She writes them,’ Mia replied dryly. ‘Or better still, write your own, I think you’ll nail it.’
Lucas contemplated trying to find Willow, but when she’d left his apartment, it looked like she was heading into town, so he had no idea where to find her. She could even be getting a bus over to the Ridge or someplace else. He considered calling her, but that seemed a bit too desperate.
So, he spent the day feeling restless instead. Trying to push back the niggling emotions that seemed to be overcoming him.
He decided he would visit her later, at the cabin. He would explain properly why he had been so moody lately and why it was so hard for him to have her back in town.
And he would hope that they could rebuild something – even if it was just the basis of a friendship again. He recognized Willow might not want anything more right now and he knew he would have to accept it.
Because anything less would drive him crazy.
