Either way, he was a little frustrated and more than a little disappointed that he wasn’t going to get to spend any time alone with Willow.
Of course, he could ask her to hang out until closing time–which was midnight–and maybe she wouldn’t mind waiting while he did the books and handled everything that needed to be handled. She would understand and maybe even enjoy learning a little more about his job. Or maybe…
Oh, right…she thinks this is just a job.
“Shit.”
Yeah, he was going to have to come up with a way to tell her about that.
It wasn’t like he lied about it, not exactly. More like a lie of omission, and it was really done because he didn’t want her looking at him any differently. Now that he knew her better, he knew it was a mistake. Willow wasn’t the kind of person to see him for anything except who he was. She wouldn’t have felt intimidated, she would have still been his friend.
And his girlfriend.
But after he admitted how he lied–and his reasoning–he couldn’t be so sure.
Why didn’t I speak up sooner?
“Hey, you.”
Turning, he saw Willow standing at the bar smiling happily. He drank in the sight of her. Funny how it had only been yesterday morning when he last saw her, and he was already a little crazed with missing her.
Stepping around the bar, he did a quick check and saw she was there alone; no friends. “Hey, yourself,” he said gruffly, taking her in his arms and kissing her like he hadn’t seen her in weeks rather than days.
Or…a day.
When they broke apart, Willow rested her hands on his chest and let out a very sexy little sigh. “Wow. A girl could totally get used to that kind of a greeting.”
“I’ll see what I can do about that,” he teased and helped her onto one of the barstools. “So, where are the girls?”
“Oh, they’re meeting me here. They figured I’d want to stay and hang out with you until you got done for the night.” Then she paused and nibbled her bottom lip. “But if you’re going to be too busy, I don’t have to do that. You know…no pressure. If you’ve got too much to do, I can leave like I always do. No big deal. I mean, we weren’t dating the last time we all came here on a Friday night and I never stayed until closing time so I have no idea what it is that you have to do, but I’m guessing it’s a lot since you’re always here and you checked in with your boss so much while we were away. And…”
“Willow?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re rambling,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. Taking a step back, he kept his hands at her waist, feeling better just touching her this innocently. “So, how was your day?”
“Oh, my goodness, have we gotten that domesticated already?”
“What?”
“The whole ‘hi, honey, how was your day?’ thing. It’s sweet, but it just feels like something long-time couples might say.”
“I disagree. I look at it as something you should say to anyone who means something to you. You should be interested in how they are and how their day went.” He kissed the tip of her nose again. “So there.”
Willow reached up and cupped his face and kissed him briefly on the lips. “Okay, then. My day was pretty great.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s up?”
“Well, Mrs. Moore, Josh’s mom, just got a promotion at her job and wants to hire me as a full-time nanny!”
“Really? That’s amazing!” Lifting her out of her seat, Levi hugged her and spun her around. “Congratulations!” Once she was back in her seat, he asked, “But what about the dogs?”
Smiling, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. “I love that you thought of them too.”
“I know how much you love them.”
“That I do. And Mrs. Moore knows it as well, and we talked about it, and we agreed that I could still do it with Josh in the stroller. I might not be able to take them all out at one time like I do now, but in shifts. It gives Josh time outside, and it means I don’t have to let anyone down or scrambling to find new walkers for their dogs. It’s a win, win.” Her smile grew and he could feel the excitement practically vibrating off of her.
“This calls for a celebration!” Stepping around the bar, he held up a finger. “I’ll be right back.” Stepping into the back room where they kept all the wine and champagne, he found the best bottle he had and went back to get her approval.
“Oh, my goodness! Champagne?” Her laugh was pure feminine joy, and he loved knowing he was the one to make that happen. “Can we chill it a little and then save it for when the girls get here?”
“Absolutely.”
After that, Willow sat at the bar and chatted with him while he made drinks and even joked around with the staff when he was busy.
She fit.
He’d dated women who made demands on his time or who weren’t pleased when he wasn’t giving them his full attention, but not Willow. He had a feeling she would be comfortable coming and hanging out here more than just on Friday nights. But eventually he was going to have to find time to take her out on actual dates–especially if she was going to be a full-time nanny.
As she told him more about the position, he could see just how it was the perfect fit for her too. There was a lightness to her–a joy–that hadn’t been there a few days ago. Like she’d finally found her calling. He could only wonder if she had spoken to her parents about it yet. Judging by her mood, she hadn’t. He hoped they didn’t crush her enthusiasm.
“Hey! There are the new love birds!” Donna called out as she approached the bar. Levi watched with
