Page 26 of Honey Bee Library (Sweet Tea and a Southern Gentleman #7)

COLE

Jasper kept me busy all evening. After we looked at the fish tank and talked fish facts for an hour, we packed up the few plastic shovels and buckets I had in the garage and headed out to the beach to look for seashells.

When we finally made it back to the house, I built a campfire in the sand while Jasper laid out his favorite seashells in a line on the ground.

We roasted hotdogs for dinner and marshmallows for s’mores.

Once our stomachs were full and the fire was out, we spent the rest of the evening sitting on the outdoor couch, watching a football game. Willow had texted that she was still out with Maddie and now they were grabbing a bite to eat.

After I set down my phone, I glanced over to see that Jasper had passed out next to me. I chuckled, thinking about what kind of credit card bill I was going to have next month—Maddie had expensive taste—before I pushed that thought from my mind.

Willow deserved to be spoiled. She worked harder than any woman I’d ever known.

I wanted to take care of her, and if I needed to go through my assistant to make it happen, that wasn’t beneath me.

I knew that Willow would never accept help directly from me, so if I was going to take care of her, I needed my cavalry.

I just hoped that she was enjoying herself with Maddie.

Not wanting Jasper to get a crick in his neck from the way he was lying on the couch, I slowly stood and then turned to pick him up.

I slid my hands underneath his body and hoisted him up to my chest. He twisted for a moment before he stilled.

I walked him through the house and to the room I’d taken Willow to earlier.

I felt bad that Jasper was still a bit sandy from the beach, so after I laid him on the comforter, I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and tried my best to brush him off.

He giggled when I got to his feet, so I made sure to be quick.

Just as I let go of his foot, he scooted and wiggled until he was basically buried in the pillows on the bed.

After covering him with a nearby blanket, I took the towel with me as I tiptoed out of the room and shut the door behind me. Now in the hallway, I sighed.

It was so strange to me that Jasper’s father was nowhere to be found. I’d only known that kid for a short period of time, and he’d already become one of my best friends. It boggled my mind that a father could just walk out on his son like that. Especially when his son was as cool as Jasper.

“Idiot,” I muttered under my breath as I twisted the towel in my hands and made my way down the hall to the laundry room.

Once I’d dropped the towel in the utility sink, I headed into the living room to settle down on my leather armchair.

I flipped open the book I’d been reading before Gran had to go to the memory care unit and I’d driven to Harmony Island.

That felt like ages ago, when in fact it had only been a month.

So much of my life had changed in such a short amount of time. I knew I could never go back to who I was before I went to Harmony, and with how I was feeling about Willow and Jasper, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

I liked who I was when I was with Willow and Jasper. Before them, I was just a lonely bachelor who looked to his career for satisfaction. Now, I wanted to be a better person for the two of them. I wanted to be a better man for Willow.

It was strange that I was entertaining these thoughts. Especially since I knew, eventually, I was going to walk away from Sunny Side Up Diner. But I didn’t want to. And a part of me—one that I was trying to keep hidden—desperately wanted Willow to feel the same.

I must have nodded off. I was suddenly jolted awake by the laughter of two women.

I glanced up to see Willow and Maddie standing in the foyer, both holding bags with various names on them.

They were deep in conversation, and for the first time in a long time, Willow looked at peace.

Her smile was wide and it lit up the entire room.

My heart pounded at the sight.

“Thank you so much,” Willow said as she moved to take Maddie’s bags from her. “I had a really good time.”

Maddie returned the smile. “Of course. I’m glad we got to know each other better.”

I set my book on the shelf next to me and stood. “Did you ladies have a good time?”

Was it wrong that I wanted Willow to smile at me the way she was smiling at Maddie? She’d basically hated me the entire time I’d known her. Just once, I wanted to feel what it was like to bask in Willow’s praise.

“I had a very good time,” Willow said, turning her attention to me. Her smile softened. Where it had been bold with Maddie, it turned shy and hesitant. Like she wasn’t sure what to think, but was trying to be brave.

That smile caused my chest to swell. That smile made all the previous interactions I’d had with her worth it. Willow was starting to trust me. She was breaking down her wall and letting me in, and I wanted to prove to her that I was a man she could trust.

“Jasper do good for you?” she asked as she broke her gaze away from mine and glanced around the room.

It was only then that I realized I had been staring at her. I cleared my throat. “He’s in bed. I think I wore him out.”

Willow laughed. It was soft and genuine and all I wanted to hear. “I’m surprised it wasn’t the other way around.” She glanced back at me.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it. I need to get home and get some sleep.” Maddie patted my arm as she turned toward the front door. “A word,”’ she whispered under her breath. Her gaze was insistent when I glanced down at her.

“Um, yeah, sure,” I said, glancing back at Willow, who was studying the bags in her hands. “Jasper’s asleep in your room. If you don’t want to wake him up, we can put those in my room,” I said nodding toward her things.

Was it wrong that I didn’t want to miss this chance to talk to her? I was worried that if I obliged Maddie, Willow would retreat to her room and I wasn’t going to see her for the rest of the night. I wanted to see her. Talk to her. Be around her.

Willow met my gaze and held it for a moment before she nodded. “Okay.”

I couldn’t help the smile that emerged. And for the first time, I didn’t try to hide it. I wanted her see just how happy she made me. “Good,” I said as I turned to Maddie, who was looking at me with an incredulous expression.

“Ready?” I asked as I extended my hand.

I followed after her through the foyer and shut the front door behind me once we were both outside. When I turned to face her, I scoffed when I saw her raised eyebrows and wide eyes.

I pushed my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “What?” I asked, shrugging. I didn’t know what her expression meant, and I was ready to get this interaction wrapped up so I could head back inside to Willow.

“Willow thought you were my boyfriend.”

The laugh that emerged was loud and startled even me. “What?” I asked.

“Willow thought that you and I were dating.”

I frowned. “Why…why would she think that?”

Maddie folded her arms. “I have no idea. She asked why you made your girlfriend work social events at your club.” She quirked an eyebrow. “I put two and two together.”

“Did you tell her that we aren’t dating?” I hurried to ask.

Maddie raised her hand. “Don’t worry, Romeo. I told her that you’re my boss, that’s all.”

I blew out my breath. “Oh, good.”

When she didn’t respond right away, I glanced over to see that Maddie was studying me once more.

Unable to read her reaction, I pulled back. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

She shrugged. “I think I might have just removed the last hurdle for you two.”

My cheeks warmed, and I feared I’d just revealed to Maddie what her words meant to me. I wasn’t sure I wanted her to know exactly how I felt about Willow, but things were rapidly changing, and I doubted I could keep my feelings a secret much longer.

Maddie chuckled and turned to head toward her car. “That’s what I thought.”

“What? What’s what you thought?” I asked, though I knew exactly what she was saying.

Maddie glanced over her shoulder at me and grinned. “You like her.”

I scoffed and pushed my hand through my hair. “I don’t like her.”

Maddie pursed her lips. “Yeah, mm-hmm.” She shook her head. “Don’t wait. If you like her, tell her.”

My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears as I watched Maddie walk toward her car.

Part of me wanted to call her back and convince her that I didn’t really like Willow, just to keep face.

But the part of me that was tired of denying my feelings won out, and I resigned myself to letting Maddie walk away.

When she was in her car with the door shut, I turned and made my way back inside. I shut the door behind me and then glanced around, hoping that Willow had stayed.

For some asinine reason, Maddie’s words had left me feeling hope.

Hope that, perhaps, the reason for Willow’s attitude change toward me had been because she thought I was dating Maddie.

We’d had such a close moment while drinking wine in my kitchen, but the next morning she had been so distant.

The morning that Maddie joined us for breakfast.

Did I want to hope that was the reason?

I rounded the corner from the foyer to the hallway, and my entire body lightened at the sight of Willow standing right where I’d left her. She was studying the ground, bags still in both hands, oblivious to the fact that I was watching her.

I paused, taking in her beauty before I cleared my throat and approached her.

Willow’s gaze snapped up to meet mine as she straightened.

I didn’t stop my smile from spreading across my lips.

As soon as I got to her, I realized that I was going to need to speak, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

So I went with the first thing that entered my mind.

“You okay?” I asked as I moved to catch her gaze. I didn’t pull back. I wanted to be close to her.

Her eyes widen as she studied me. “I’m okay,” she whispered.

Her words were soft and soothed a part of me that I didn’t know was aching. There was so much about Willow that I liked, and I was beginning to see that there was so much about Willow that I didn’t know—but I wanted to.

God, I wanted to.

“Can I take those for you?” I asked, nodding toward the bags in her hands.

She paused and then lifted them up for me. “Okay,” she whispered.

I took them from her, and the feeling of her skin against my fingers sent electrical shockwaves throughout my body.

I could feel her stare as I walked toward my bedroom.

My entire body was acutely aware of where she was.

When I got to my room, I shifted the bags into one hand so I could turn the door handle.

I was a few steps into my room when I noticed that Willow hadn’t followed me. When I turned, I saw her standing in the doorway with an unsure expression. Not wanting to force her to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with, I set the bags down against the nearest wall and turned to face her.

“They’ll be here for you in the morning,” I said as I offered her a soft smile.

She glanced down at the bags and then back up at me. “Sounds good,” she said.

Silence filled the air between us. I wanted to speak, but I didn’t know what to say. At the same time, I didn’t want her to declare that the night was over and slip away. I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.

“I should—” she started.

“I’m going—” I started.

We both stopped talking. She pinched her lips closed as her gaze met mine. Her cheeks were pink, accenting the paleness of her skin and the splash of freckles across the bridge of her nose.

Not wanting her to finish her statement, which I had a sinking suspicion was going to end with, “…get going to bed,” I hurried to offer my alternative.

“I’m going to head to the hot tub, wanna join?”

I didn’t expect the deafening silence that followed my question. It felt like an eternity, waiting for Willow to answer.

One Mississippi.

Two Mississippi.

Three Mississippi.

Shit. I’d made a mistake. I’d been so wrapped up in my own desires that I’d allowed myself to get carried away with thoughts of Willow and me being something more. I didn’t expect that she would react this way.

I needed to fix this. “I’m so?—”

“I don’t have a swimsuit.”

I was halfway through when her words finally registered in my mind. I glanced down to see her staring up at me, chewing on her bottom lip.

“You don’t have a swimsuit?” I repeated.

She shook her head.

I glanced into my room. I had swim trunks, but that probably wasn’t going to work. And the thought of seeing Willow in said trunks was causing my body to react in ways it shouldn’t be. I cleared my throat in an effort to get my head on straight and glanced back to Willow.

“I don’t have a swimsuit for you,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

She glanced around before slowly bringing her gaze back to me. “I guess I could just wear my bra and underwear.”

If thinking about Willow in my swim trunks sent my body into hyperdrive, the thought of her sitting next to me, wet, in her bra and underwear almost eviscerated me. But I was a weak man, and I wasn’t ready for this night to end.

“Um, okay,” I said, my voice low and deep.

She paused and then nodded. “I can do that,” she said before she turned and headed toward the hallway bathroom. Her hand was on the doorknob when she turned around. “I’ll meet you at the hot tub?” she asked.

I feared what I would say if I opened my mouth, so I just nodded. She held my gaze for a moment before turning the handle and slipping inside.

Now alone, I dropped my gaze to the ground. Was this real life? Was Willow actually going to join me in the hot tub? I wanted this. God, I wanted her.

I just hoped that she wanted me too.