Page 10 of Forever In Willow Creek

Zoe woke to the sound of her phone vibrating against the nightstand.

She almost didn’t reach for it.

Luke’s arm was draped over her waist, warm and grounding. The covers were tangled around them, and the sun hadn’t even begun to rise. Everything about the moment whispered, stay still . Stay here.

But habit—old, relentless habit—won out.

She slipped free from Luke’s embrace and grabbed the phone, padding quietly into the kitchen. She thumbed the screen and squinted at the name.

Kristen – VP Strategy.

Of course.

Zoe hesitated, thumb hovering over the “ignore” button. But her curiosity got the better of her.

“Zoe,” Kristen said without preamble. “You’re not going to believe this—we just got the offer. The one from Hamilton Consulting. They want to bring you on as Senior Partner. Full benefits, leadership track, everything we’ve been building toward. You’d be overseeing global accounts.”

Zoe’s stomach twisted.

“What’s the timeline?” she asked, already hating herself for the question.

“They want an answer by Friday,” Kristen said. “It’s aggressive, I know, but it’s the real deal. This is your next move. I don’t want to pressure you, but… well, I am pressuring you. You’ve earned this.”

Zoe barely registered her own reply. She ended the call with vague promises to think about it, then set the phone down on the kitchen counter and just… stood there.

Willow Creek still slept around her. But her heart was racing. The air felt too still, the room too small.

A few minutes later, Luke appeared in the doorway, shirtless, hair mussed, sleep still soft in his eyes. “Everything okay?”

Zoe turned toward him, but the words lodged in her throat.

“Work stuff,” she said, too casually.

He watched her. “The kind that pulls you away?”

Zoe couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I haven’t decided anything yet,” she said.

Luke stepped closer. “You don’t have to pretend, Zoe. I can see it all over you. The tug. The gears already turning.”

“I just need time to think.”

He nodded slowly. “You’ve got it.”

But something had shifted between them. Not anger, not quite disappointment—but distance. That invisible line she thought they’d crossed had reappeared, drawn sharp across the floor of the cottage.

Later that day, she tried to shake it off. She helped Sarah at the shop, smiled at Mae when she passed by the tea room, even went to the festival planning meeting with Penny. But nothing fit quite right. Not like it had the day before.

She walked through town like someone drifting between two worlds, unable to choose either.

By sunset, she found herself standing outside Harrison Auto Repair , unsure why she’d come. Luke was closing up, rolling the bay door shut, wiping grease from his hands with a rag.

“Hey,” she said softly.

He looked up. “Hey.”

“I didn’t mean to disappear today.”

“I figured you had a lot to think about.”

She stepped closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Only if you want to be honest,” he said, his voice gentle but firm.

Zoe hesitated. “They offered me a promotion. A big one.”

Luke nodded, expression unreadable. “And you want it.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

She looked at him, eyes pleading. “I didn’t come here to fall for anyone. Or to find a new life. I just wanted to breathe.”

“And now?” he asked.

Zoe shook her head, unable to answer.

Luke dropped the rag into a nearby bin and stepped past her, pausing at the door.

“I’m not going to fight for someone who doesn’t know if she wants to stay.”

The words weren’t cruel. They were quiet. Final.

Zoe stood frozen in place as he disappeared inside.

The breeze picked up, rustling the leaves overhead.

She had come here to escape.

Now she had to decide if she was willing to stay.