Page 14 of Honey Bee Library (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman #7)

COLE

I was confused.

What had started out as a really nice morning had shifted fast. Suddenly the shy, blushing Willow who had checked me out when I was shirtless in the kitchen was gone, and the cold, distant Willow I’d met the first time I walked into the diner had returned.

Maybe I was naive to think our relationship had grown. I stupidly thought an intimate conversation over a glass of wine plus her making me breakfast the next morning meant she was finally beginning to trust me. That, perhaps, we could be friends.

Now she was doing everything she could to avoid eye contact with me. And I was starting to wonder if I should just accept that Willow and I would never be more than business partners—no matter how much I wished otherwise.

The silence at the table was palpable. I looked at Maddie, who met my gaze with raised eyebrows.

I tipped my head forward as if to signal for her to speak.

I needed her to say something to take the pressure off of me.

I was becoming fluent in Willow, and I knew she wasn’t interested in talking to me.

“Have you lived here long?” Maddie asked, turning her attention to Willow.

I silently celebrated inside. She’d picked up on my silent cues.

Willow looked over at Maddie. She was mid-chew, so she raised the hand holding her fork to her lips and nodded. “I moved here a year ago,” she said after she’d swallowed.

“Oh? From where?”

Willow’s attention had returned to her plate as she cut off another chunk of French toast. “Dallas,” she said before she took another bite.

“I bet there’s lots of cowboys there,” Maddie said with a soft laugh.

Willow was still chewing, so she just nodded.

Silence fell around us once more.

Maddie met my gaze and I could see her question.

She wanted to know what my plans were from here.

The truth was, I didn’t know. If it were feasible, I would build a time machine and head back to an hour ago when my relationship with Willow felt different.

Now it was like we had taken two giant steps back.

Part of me wanted to return to our business relationship in an effort to make things easier around the diner. The other part just wanted Willow to like me. It was strange, but it was the truth. I’d grown to care what this woman thought about me.

The time to try to engage Willow in further conversation ended when Jasper climbed down from the counter and declared that he was done eating.

Willow didn’t miss a beat as she pushed her chair back and stood.

She told him to gather his plate as she did the same to her own, and then nodded for him to follow her to the sink.

I could hear the faucet turn on and the sound of dishes being loaded into the dishwasher. Then Jasper’s voice grew quieter as Willow ushered him to their room and shut the door.

Now alone with Maddie, I glanced up to see her studying me as she chewed. Her expression was unreadable, so I turned my focus to my coffee and took a sip. Her gaze hadn’t wavered when I finally set the mug down, and her eyebrows were now raised.

“What?” I asked, the heat of annoyance pricking the back of my neck.

My sharp tone wasn’t lost on Maddie, but she didn’t seem fazed as she shook her head. “Nothing.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re thinking something,” I said as I picked up my fork and waved the tines in her direction. I had a sinking suspicion as to what was rolling around in her mind, but I forced myself not to react until I knew for sure. There was no need to prove her hypothesis.

“Do you…like Willow?” she asked as she sat back in her seat and crossed her arms.

I frowned, not sure what to say. If I was adamant that, no, I didn’t, she would take my reaction as an affirmative.

If I said there was a slight possibility that I could be attracted to Willow, she would also take that as an affirmative.

No matter what I said, she already knew the answer: I was interested in Willow.

I just shrugged. “I have to work around the woman. I don’t want things to be awkward.”

“Yet, you invited her to stay at your rental home and bought her son clothes and toys.” Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened.

At the mention of the items I had Maddie buy for Jasper, the image of him walking out into the kitchen in those new clothes put a smile on my face.

It was a small victory in my relationship with Willow.

I couldn’t deny that I liked taking care of them.

From the little I knew about her ex, the only conclusion I could draw was that he wasn’t interested in helping out his family. A concept that I could not understand.

“You know my grandmother. You know what she would do to me if she ever found out that I let a single mom spend the night in her office chair.”

However, what I said was only half true. Yes, Gran would be horrified if I didn’t help Willow, but deep down, I knew that wasn’t my only motivation. I wanted to know that Willow was safe. After spending a substantial amount of time around the diner, I knew how much Harmony Island loved her.

She was the heart and soul of Sunny Side. If something happened to her—if she needed to leave—that place would die. And if it did, my plans for finding my mom would die along with it.

The best thing I could do for myself and the diner was to make sure that Willow was safe and happy. In order to do that, I needed to keep her where I could see her.

Maddie slid the last bite of French toast around in her syrup before she slipped it into her mouth. She chewed for a moment then nodded. “True. Georgianna would have your head on a silver platter.”

“See?” I said, probably a bit too eagerly. But Maddie was too focused on gathering her dishes to notice.

I was full, so I did the same. “Heading back to Miami?” I asked as I followed her into the kitchen. She set the dishes in the sink and flipped the faucet on before pulling open the dishwasher door.

“Yep. My work is never done,” she said as she side-eyed me.

I snorted. “That’s why you can never leave me.” I gave her my widest smile.

She just shook her head. “You’d be lost without me.”

“Wandering aimlessly,” I added.

I watched her rinse the syrup from her dishes and load them onto the racks. When she was finished, she straightened and grabbed the nearby dish towel. With her hands dry, she set the towel on the counter and stepped out of my way.

“Let me know if you need anything else,” she said, her voice returning to the normal, business-like tone that I knew and loved.

“Yes, ma’am,” I said.

She narrowed her eyes. “Liam is set up at the inn. He said something about coming over this morning.” There was an annoyed snap to her voice. She wasn’t the biggest fan of my best friend.

Sure, he had some warts, but overall he was a good guy. Ever since Anastasia was born, he’d worked to straighten his life out. I was curious to see why he was here and what I could do for him.

“Go easy on Liam,” I said as I shot her a pointed look.

She just studied me for a moment before she raised her hands. “Fine. I’m just glad I’m leaving him with you.”

“I’ll take it from here,” I said with a soft chuckle.

“Alright. I’m going to go pack my bags and head out.” She slipped her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen with her finger. “I’m just a text away if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Maddie.”

Her smile was soft. “Of course.”

I turned my attention back to the dishes in the sink, and from the corner of my eye, I saw her walk through the doorway out to the hall. I heard a muffled exclamation and hurried to turn off the faucet just in case something was wrong.

“Willow, you scared me,” Maddie said with a soft laugh to her voice.

“Sorry,” Willow whispered.

I grabbed the dishtowel from the counter top and wiped my hands as I made my way to the doorway to see what was going on.

Maddie was standing next to Willow with her hands out like she’d just walked into her. I didn’t have time to assess what was going on before Willow’s wide eyes snapped to me.

“Everything okay?” I asked, glancing between Maddie and Willow.

Maddie nodded. “Yeah, I just?—”

“I came out here to let you know that Jasper and I are ready. If you’re not, I can just call a ride.” Willow’s cheeks were flushed, and she was staring at my chest as if she were unable to meet my gaze.

“Um, sure. I can be ready in five. Is that okay?”

Her gaze met mine briefly before she dropped it and took a step back. “That’s fine.”

I didn’t know what to expect, Willow turning and practically sprinting down the hallway to her room was not high on that list. Something was definitely off between us. Was it me? Did she overhear my conversation with Maddie?

My entire body flooded with regret as realization dawned on me. Of course, Willow was acting strange, she’d heard what I said about her. Why did Maddie have to come out and ask me if I liked Willow in such a direct way? Did Willow hear my answer?

Shit. This was not good.

“That was…strange,” Maddie said as she turned to face me. “Is she always this jumpy?”

I pushed my hand through my hair and shrugged. “Jumpy? Not that I know of. Hard to read? Definitely.” I glanced back at her closed door before I returned my attention to Maddie.

“I’ve got to go get ready. Have a safe flight back home.”

She nodded. “And good luck,” she said, her eyes wide as she tipped her head toward Willow’s door.

I gave her an appreciative smile. “Thanks.”

I headed to my room and grabbed my tie and suit coat.

I was out and waiting in the foyer exactly two minutes later.

I tapped my fingers against my thighs as I waited for Willow to come out.

Just when I’d convinced myself that she’d snuck out when I was getting ready, the bedroom door opened and Jasper emerged.