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Of course she noticed things like that. Willa, with her eye for detail, noticed everything. Except when we were together. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. But we always got lost or stuck. She never noticed the way I wanted her. Never realized when we lost our way.

Maybe that meant she had feelings too. But until I knew for sure one way or the other, I was most definitely not fucking this up.

“This turn looks familiar.” I nodded down an identical dirt path.

“Let’s try it out.”

She didn’t pull away. Instead she kept her delicate arm around my waist, her fingers wrapped around the belt loop of my jeans. She was so short I had my arm around her shoulders, holding her to me. Her long, curly hair would normally tickle my exposed skin, but since it was cold, I was covered up. I missed the feel of it. The sway. More than once I imagined what it would feel like to have that hair dancing along my chest, what it would feel like to put my fingers through it.

“Umm, I think we made a wrong turn.” Willa pointed at an estate slowly coming into view. It was fancy and enormous. Like something out of Downton Abbey.

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. “Shit. Back we go.” We spun around, still linked, and returned to the road. If we didn’t find our way soon we’d have to approach a house and beg for help.

I really didn’t want to have to resort to that.

Luckily when we returned to the road Willa saw something I didn’t. “Right idea, wrong intersection! Right up there. That’s our turn! I remember it because the stones look more heart-shaped than rectangular.”

Of course that’s what she noticed.

Truth be told, it was one of the things I loved about her. She noticed everything. Everyone. She knew when someone was trying to hide their sadness and gave them a shoulder to cry on. Or when someone was feeling left out. She was so damned kind.

“See? Just up there on the left.” She pointed at the break in the stone wall and the familiar wrought-iron arch. Our hotel.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and we broke apart. My body wanted to switch sides and plaster her to my other hip, but instead I let her step away as I read the new text message. “Seth and Annalise got back about an hour ago. Said they’re taking a nap before dinner.”

Willa snorted. “Nap? They’re banging.”

“Good for them. I’m just glad they’re in a cottage and not the main building with us.” I was happy that they were happy, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hear it.

“Are you tired?” Willa turned this way and that, making her mane of hair swish around. It distracted me.

“Uh, not really. Why?”

“I want to grab a different lens and see if I can get myself sorted. There’s some really pretty arches and stone walls behind the house.”

Wander around the grounds? “Sounds like a plan.” I didn’t stare at her ass as we walked up the stairs to the second floor. I didn’t brush against her when she held the door open for me to join her inside.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as I stared out the ancient bay windows that looked down on an open yard bracketed by enormous trees. “Your view is so much better than mine.” I had a room on the third floor that had a delightful view of the roof.

“You're welcome to stare out my windows any time.” She flipped open a small piece of luggage that held all her camera equipment. “Want to grab a beer before we head out?”

“I’d love to.” Wandering around with Willa drinking beer was quite literally my favorite pastime. “That local ale I had last night was amazing. You should try it.”

“Perfect!” Her grin damn near blinded me as she found the lens she wanted. With a few quick moves she replaced the spare in her bag and the one on her camera. “Hey Ev?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you think we get lost so often? Normally I’m really good with direction. But with you…”

My damn heart twisted in my chest. But with you… Was it possible? I swallowed down the lump that formed in my throat. “I, uh, think we get really distracted when we’re together. We’re having fun.”

She stared at me so long I almost kept talking. Almost.

Then she nodded once and smiled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Remember when we got stuck in that elevator at Jennings Hall?”

How could I forget? We walked right past the “Elevator Out of Service” sign because we were so deep into a conversation about the final we just took. We got stuck between the fourth and fifth floor. For three hours. “We’ve got a knack for ignoring the obvious.”

“That we do.” She nibbled on her lower lip for a moment longer, then gave her attention back to the luggage. I didn’t notice how nicely her jeans hugged her curves. Or how oddly comforting it was that she still liked to wear citrus scented lotions and perfumes. The smell always calmed me.