“I waited as long as I could to call you. Thought about you all night and first thing this morning and then every minute of the day until I finally gave in.”
“A girl could get used to that, too.”
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line and Willow crawled out of bed and headed to the window. She put a hand to the glass and watched the waves roll in against the beach, then realized she was grinning like an idiot.
“Can I see you today?” Harry asked.
Yes, yes, yes, she thought.
“Do you want to see me today?” she asked instead, trying to sound coy and sufficiently aloof.
“Desperately.” Harry cleared his throat. “I know I’m not supposed to say that. I’m supposed to play it cool and be tough and strong, or whatever. But if I’ve only got a week to get to know you, then I want to skip the bullshit and get straight to the heart of the matter.”
Willow closed her eyes, feeling childish for not being honest about what she was thinking just a minute before. No games? How incredibly refreshing. “I can totally get behind that.”
“Good. When can I see you?”
“When do you want to see me?” She fiddled with the edge of her blanket, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger as she fought against a smile. A big, broad, cheesy smile that felt as vibrant as the morning sun beaming outside the window.
“Why do you answer every question with a question?”
For some reason, Willow took his question as a challenge and accepted it. “Why won’t you just tell me when you’re going to be here?”
Harry laughed, clearly pleased with the game. “What if I said I’d be there at one? Would that be too early?”
“Would it be too early for you?”
“Willow Tamran.” Hearing Harry say her name had Willow’s heart jumping in her chest. “Are you truly as stubborn as I am?”
“I’ll see you at one, then?” she asked, refusing to be the first not to ask a question.
“How can I turn down a woman like you?”
Willow flopped on the bed with a smile glued in place, one that filled the entire room with happiness. They ended the call and she stared at the ceiling, shaking her head in wonder. Whatever had clicked between them the night before, was still clicking that morning. If anything, it was stronger in the light of day.
Chapter Nine
Willow
As Willow brushed her teeth, she ran through a mental checklist of all she ate the day before. Cringing, she realized she’d consumed at least three times her typical calorie count. She sighed, puffing out her cheeks as she stared into the mirror.
Solid career choice, she thought to her reflection. That’s the way to get cast as Juliet. Come back to work out of shape.
Inevitably, she’d gain a little weight while she was in Bliss. If the dance company wasn’t going straight into Nutcracker-mode when she got home, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But she was supposed to be heading down to performance weight. Not an easy feat when there was a wedding involved.
With three hours until Harry picked her up to do who knew what…she needed to get ahead of the game and burn some calories. She pulled on some exercise clothes and laced up her running shoes, then bounded downstairs where she found Ian and Juliet sitting at the table.
“How’s Harry?” Ian gave her a knowing grin identical to the one on his fiancé’s face.
With a light shrug of her shoulders, Willow shook her head. “You two are so smitten with each other, you see romance everywhere.” She gave them each a quick hug, then not one to let anyone down, turned over her shoulder as she stepped through the back door. “But maybe you’re right because he’ll be here at one!”
The door closed on Juliet’s whooping laughter and Willow headed for the beach to get in her run. The sun beat down on her shoulders, warming her skin and causing sweat to bead at her hairline after only a few minutes of motion.
Much to her surprise, she found peace by the ocean.
Just water and sky, her feet thumping in sand, her breath rushing through her lungs.
The night before, she’d told Harry the open space made her feel exposed, but that morning she felt…tranquil. Serene. Even as her thighs burned with the extra challenge of keeping her balance in sand, even has her heart thundered with exertion, the hush that fell in between each swell of the waves soothed some part deep within her she hadn’t realized needed soothing.
Though, maybe that had more to do with Harry than the wide open spaces.
Willow ran until she couldn’t anymore, sucking in deep breaths only to blow them back out through pursed lips. Lost in her thoughts, she’d gone too far. There was no way she could run the whole way back. She bent, resting her hands on her thighs as she caught her breath, wondering what time it was as she chastised herself for a rookie mistake.
Get a hold of yourself, Willow! Like seriously, get it together. Sleeping late. Running too long. You’re dropping balls everywhere!
When she straightened, she caught sight of another runner on the beach. A man heading her way. Tall and lean, his skin glistening with sweat, something about his posture looked familiar.
Willow’s heart leapt like a child recognizing a long-lost friend and her gut swore it was none other than Harrison Moore coming her way. She covered her eyes from the sun and stared in his direction, squinting in disbelief. The closer the guy got, the more certain she became that she was moments away from another chance meeting with Harry. Apparently, destiny wanted to make sure she got the message it sent the night before…the man was not to be ignored.
She couldn't help but admire his stride. His arms swung with an easy grace while powerful legs pushed off the sand. His abs flexed with every step and
