I pull my phone away from my ear to confirm she is, indeed, correct. “Shit. I don’t know how late I stayed up, but I fell asleep trying to write this damn book.”
“Still no luck?” Her sympathetic tone grates on my already frayed nerves about this project.
“I’ve got a direction.” My sharp tone makes me instantly feel guilty. “Sorry, I need more sleep. Or a gallon of coffee.” I sigh.
“No worries. I was just calling to see if you wanted to head to Rosedale to get a change of scenery.” Rina’s hard, outer shell is something she’s never aimed my way. She’s my best friend in every way conceivable, not just my older sister. She stepped up a lot when our parents died in a car crash when I was still in high school. She helped our oldest brother, Ledger, who became Lennox and my guardian while we finished school, and we both wouldn’t be here without the two of them. But Rina and I have always been close.
“Wish I could, but I need to work on this. It feels like I’m right on the cusp of a breakthrough, so I want to stay the course and hope I make a break in it today.”
“Sounds good, Will. I’ll be back in a few hours, so if you need a breather, let me know.”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I put the phone down and stare at my black computer screen. I need coffee, but after last night, I need to steer clear of Oakley for a while. He’s a great inspiration but way too damn distracting for my deadline.
Coffee at home it is.
I brew a whole pot and pour it into the biggest mug I have before I sit back down at my desk and go over everything I did last night.
Five hours later, and I haven’t added shit to my outline. I realize the only time I was productive was at Grind Time yesterday, and I don’t have time to be choosy about where inspiration is hitting.
Thumping my head onto my desk, I try to come up with any solution that doesn’t involve being around Oakley so much. My underused libido can’t handle it, and I need to focus. It may be a self-implemented deadline, but I already announced it to my readers. There is one thing I promised myself I would do when I started this career, and that is delivering what I promise to my readers at all costs, but I’m dangerously close to going back on that promise.
I’ll just have to ignore the sexy ex-Marshal.
Totally doable.
Chapter 4
Oakley
Willow has been coming by Grind Time every morning and staying until I close up shop for a week and a half.
It’s wreaking havoc on my already-frayed mind, thanks to Woodcroft showing up and having to tell the sheriff who I really am.
The day after he showed up, she didn’t come in, and I honestly can’t tell you if I was more relieved or annoyed by that. Then, she showed up the next day and just kept plopping her sexy ass in the same chair right when we opened.
Now, it’s not just that she lights up the room, it’s the way her brown hair falls in her face when she’s concentrating and she blows it off with a puff of her breath. It’s the way she frantically types when she’s onto something—you can see the excitement in her movements. It’s the way her blue eyes zone out, not really focusing on anything, but it gives me a chance to study them from behind the counter. To see the flecks of gold that catch the light every so often.
Fuck. I need to get a grip.
My life consists of running the coffee shop and then working out until I can barely walk. It’s the only way I can get some sleep every night. Woodcroft showing up has brought the nightmares back, just when I was going weeks without one. The fact is, I can only look at Willow, nothingmore. I’m in no place mentally to even entertain the idea of something more.
But damn, do I wish I could.
It’s not only her appearance either. Her brain is equally fascinating. When I found out she was an author, not too long after I moved to Bluebell Falls, I decided to check out some of her books. Now I own and have read them all. She’s incredibly gifted, and there are days I just want to pick her brain. To see how she comes up with her storylines and how she keeps her light when she writes such dark things.
I could use a little of that.
But it’s not in the cards for me. I came to terms with that a few years into my Marshal career. The realization that my job was extremely dangerous made me stop dating entirely, and I’ve never regretted my decision.
Until Willow.
I was able to keep my want pushed down because she rarely came in here. But the last week and a half? It’s hard to relegate her to anything other than charming.
Where the fuck is all this poetic nonsense coming from?
