“Hmm. I thought as much.”
“I mean, it could be okay. Do you admire her?”
Lucy giggled. “No, not especially. But as your mum pointed out, quite rightly, I could learn from her. Maybe I’ll grow to admire her.”
“It could come across as disingenuous, though, especially as she must know how you feel about her.”
“How so?”
“Lucy, you have to know that your face is an open book.” Lucy’s eyes widened, horrified that she’d somehow conveyed her disdain for Angela without saying a word. “See? Right there, just like that.” Her hands flew to her mouth, as though to stop it, even though she hadn’t said anything. Will reached for one hand, prying it away from her face and lacing his fingers through hers.
“Hey, it’s okay. Even if she knows how you feel about her—actually, especially if she knows—you can use it to your advantage. I think my mom was right. She sounds insecure, like she’s still trying to find her place in the firm. You reaching out like this gives her a chance to redeem herself. I think she’ll respect the hell out of you for it.”
“Really?”
He didn’t answer right away and regarded her intensely. “You have no idea, do you?” he said.
“I don’t know. Possibly. What do you mean?” It was as though her question had proven him right and he seemed amused. Even so, Lucy sensed that he wasn’t belittling her or being cruel.
“What I mean,” he said, leaning over to place a soft kiss on her lips, “is that you have no idea how formidable you can be.”
“Formidable” was hardly a word Lucy would use to describe herself. She’d spent most of her life feeling timid, often terrified of upsetting the apple cart. Still, it was clear that Will saw something different in her, and she wanted to know why. “How so?”
“You are clearly smart, and I’m guessing from everything we’ve talked about that you are awesome at your job.” Well, that part was true. She gave him a tentative nod, reluctant to come across as conceited. “And you’re a genuinely good person. You’re not the kind of person who would treat others badly to get ahead.” Also true—Lucy wouldn’t dream of doing that to someone. It was one of the reasons she disliked Angela so much. She acknowledged Will’s point with a small shrug.
“And you’re super-hot.” Well, that was just silly. Even if it were true, how would that make her formidable? She shook her head as if to shake all the pieces of Will’s argument into place.
“Hey.” She met Will’s eyes, confused. “I mean it. You add up your intelligence, your good heart, and your looks, and you could intimidate the hell out of someone, especially if they’re insecure.” Lucy believed Will meant what he was saying, and she swapped out her frown for a shy smile. “I mean, you gotta know that it took some serious courage on my part to kiss you, even though it was obvious that you wanted me to.”
She tutted and swatted him gently on the chest. “You are so full of yourself, Will Reinhardt.”
He grinned. “Yup,” he replied, laughing. His laughter trailed off as his eyes dropped to her mouth. “Hey, come ’ere,” he said softly before kissing her again.
There was an, “Ahem,” from the doorway and they leapt apart. Steph looked at them apologetically. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, but Joe and I are heading out.”
“Oh, right.” Lucy jumped up so quickly that the top of her head caught Will under his chin, the collision causing both to emit a loud “ow”.
“Oh, my god, are you two okay?” Steph rushed into the room, looking from one to the other in concern.
Lucy started to giggle as she rubbed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Will. Are you all right?” He touched a finger to the end of his tongue, which was bleeding. Lucy stopped laughing. “Oh, I’m so clumsy,” she chastised herself.
“It’s all good.” He stood, towering over both Steph and Lucy. “I’ll help Joe load up the car,” he said before jogging out of the room. Lucy could hear his footfalls on the staircase.
“You’re okay?” asked Steph.
“Just embarrassed.” Steph waved her comment away. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter,” Lucy said, even though she was still cross with herself. Why was she always so ungainly? “I’ve been working on my email to Angela, like you said. I showed Will, and he thinks I’m close to a draft worth sending.”
“Oh, that’s great, honey.”
“I wanted to thank you. For, well, everything, really. You’ve been wonderful and I’ve had the best time.”
Steph took both Lucy’s hands in hers. “We’ve so loved having you here. I’m kind of sad we’re leaving so soon. I wish we’d had more time together, just you and me, but Joe’s back at work tomorrow. You’ll have to come see us again, and soon.”
“I absolutely will,” said Lucy, the words popping out of her mouth before she could unpack the magnitude of what they might mean.
“Enjoy the rest of the rest your stay,” said Steph. She pulled Lucy into a tight hug and when Steph released her, she could only smile, not trusting her voice.
“Hey, babe?” Joe’s voice called from downstairs.
“Come on. Come wave us off. Coming, hon!”
Minutes later, it was just Will and Lucy alone in the giant cabin, Nate having driven into Breckenridge to go to the hardware shop.
“How’s your chin and your tongue?” Lucy asked, giving Will her complete attention.
He waved off her concern, a playful smile on his face. “I’ll live.”
Lucy reached up and ran her fingertips along the edge of his jawline, then traced his lips. They parted slightly and she could hear his intake of breath. “Will …” They were all alone.
She rose on tiptoes, her hands finding Will’s chest to steady herself, then snaking up around his neck and nestling in his hair. He seemed mesmerised, his playful smile evaporating as his eyes rivetted to hers. She was gentle with her kiss at first,
