“Aww…that’s adorable!”
“Did you?”
“I have always loved Disney princesses, so I had several parties with a princess theme.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, why?”
“After everything you’ve told me about your parents and after meeting them tonight, I can’t quite envision them doing something whimsical like that.”
“Only on birthdays and holidays,” she admitted. “And trust me, they looked uncomfortable with it.”
“Did your siblings want parties like that too or did they come out of the womb as academics?”
The imagery was enough to make her laugh. “No, they were normal kids too. And really, they’re normal now. They just chose very challenging careers. And believe it or not, they both love them. I don’t think they felt the same pressure as I did growing up. It’s probably harder on me because…”
Levi placed a finger over her lips. “No negative stories. We were going for funny childhood memories and embarrassing things like that.”
She nodded.
“What was the best Christmas present you ever got?”
“That’s easy. I got a treasure chest filled with costumes–well, princess dresses and all the accessories. I was a different princess every day of the week. It was awesome!”
“Awesome? You must have been really young.”
“Not as young as you’d think…”
His eyes went wide. “Um…are we talking under the age of ten or over the age of twenty?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Now I’m even more curious!” He hugged her closer. “Come on…tell me!”
But she held firm. “Sorry. No can do.”
“Willow…”
“Most embarrassing thing you’ve ever worn–either by choice or your parents made you.”
“Hmm…we went to Disney when I was around eight. I had a mullet and was dressed in this whole khaki outfit with a matching hat–like one of the tour guides on the Jungle Cruise.”
“That sounds so cute!”
“And I also had on a fanny pack.”
“Yeah, that ruined it.”
“Yup. What about you? And it can’t be anything princess related.”
“Well, duh. How can I be embarrassed about wearing something I love?” she asked, feigning sarcasm. “But I did go through a bit of a goth phase in high school. There are some pictures of me, Donna, and Jen, where you would think it was Halloween, but…it wasn’t.”
Levi pulled back and looked at her in shock. “No way! There is no way you were goth. I don’t believe it.”
“The next time the girls and I come into McGee’s, ask them. I think Donna even has one of the pictures on her phone.”
“Oh, believe me, I am totally asking her that.”
Resting her head on his shoulder, she asked, “Do you believe in fortune tellers or psychics or tarot cards?”
“Not quite the direction I thought we were going in, but…okay.” He sighed. “I’ve never had any personal contact with anyone who claims to be…what’s the word…clairvoyant, but I think it’s possible. What about you?”
“I totally believe in them.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “A friend of mine took me to get my cards read when we were in college and it was so spot-on. Not the usual generalization that you hear about, but a lot of specifics. But then I went to one on my own back home and it was a total waste of money. She was so off on everything that I almost left in the middle of the reading.”
“Why, what did she say?”
“That I was going to be a lawyer because I like to argue. That is the total opposite of who I am. If anything, I never make waves.”
Kissing her forehead, he said, “Well, no one’s right all the time. Maybe she was just having an off day.”
“Maybe. Still, it was very disappointing.”
Sort of like how you can lie here with me half-naked in your arms and not even remotely try to cop a feel…
“What were you hoping to find out?” he asked after a few moments.
“To know that I’m not going to grow old alone,” she admitted and immediately wanted to kick herself. “To see if maybe she could give me some hope that I was going to figure out what I was going to do with my life.”
“Willow…”
Yeah, yeah, yeah…no negative or deep thoughts…
“She wouldn’t give me the winning lottery numbers either, so that didn’t seem fair. She could have lied and said it was possible…”
“I think I’d probably spend the first few minutes trying to prove they were a fraud–like thinking crazy shit and then asking them to tell me what I was thinking.”
“So you don’t really believe.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, I don’t have any experience with them to make that call.”
She opted to leave out the part that she was supposed to meet the love of her life when she was at her lowest point and then have three kids. No need to freak him out.
Besides, how much lower can my life get?
Although…she peeked up at Levi and wondered if he could possibly be the love of her life. With a quiet sigh, she immediately pushed that thought aside. How can someone be the love of your life when they’re obviously just a good guy helping a friend out? That was friendship, not love.
Maybe she was getting too confused by this whole situation. Lines were getting blurred, but…if all she had was this week with him, did she really want to waste it talking herself out of what she wanted most?
They lay there in companionable silence, and Willow snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth of his body, the feel of his scratchy jaw…pretty much everything about him.
What’s not to like? He’s a good friend, an excellent fake boyfriend, he put up with the craziness that is my family and the Romeos…
She knew they had discussed this–all the reasons why fooling around beyond what they had done last night would be wrong. This was her grandmother’s house and all, but…
Shifting a little, she rubbed her legs against his until they were tangled together, and with a soft hum, she placed a hand on his chest.
“Willow…” His voice was barely a whisper, and
