In both cases, Carla’s Place was having the impact Natalie and Chris had hoped it might in the seniors’ lives—giving them a warm place to socialize, and a destination where everyone felt welcome. It was the same way their grandmother’s home had always been when she was alive, but it was official now for her old friends. And Willow couldn’t think of a better way for them to honor her memory.
“Good morning,” Willow said to them both. “I haven’t slept like that in forever.”
“Well, you deserve it, sweetheart,” Mrs. Lennox said firmly. “Come have a cup of coffee and some of that nice hazelnut creamer you brought us.”
“How did you know?” Willow asked.
“We get standing donations from the businesses in town,” Reggie explained. “So when we saw something new in the fridge, we figured it was from you.”
“The coffee stuff is always the same, but the pastries are different,” Mrs. Lennox amended rapturously. “That Mallory likes to try new things.”
Mal owned the bakery just up the block on Park. Willow smiled at the idea that she donated to Carla’s Place. After spending years away, it was easy to forget the way the people of this community supported each other.
Like Jensen giving me a ride yesterday…
She tried to stop the thought in its tracks, but that was easier said than done. The man was somehow even more crush-worthy now than he had been back when she was a teenager. And that was saying something.
But she was working on things with Ransom right now, and the last thing she needed was to be driven to distraction by his former best friend. Again.
Sam at the new veterans center in town had set her up with a volunteer gig at the Open-Air Market that started this afternoon. Hopefully, it would keep her busy enough that there would be no time to think about Jensen. She’d also joined a group chat with some of the other vets, and it was just now occurring to her that Jensen might be in that as well.
But there’s nothing wrong with that, is there?
Reggie poured her a mug of coffee and topped it with a bit of the fancy creamer she’d splurged on before holding it out to her.
“Thank you,” she told him, taking it.
She had just had her first sip when her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her think of that group text and the possibility that it was Jensen, like she might have summoned a text from him just by thinking about it. Then it buzzed again and again—a call, not a text. No one called her these days. She slipped the phone out of her pocket with her free hand. At least if it was a call, it wasn’t going to be…
Jensen Webb
Her heart skipped a beat and she warned herself again not to be silly as she swiped the screen to take the call.
“Hi, Jensen,” she said.
“Hey,” he replied. “How are you?”
Jensen’s deep, rich voice was practically hypnotic. Willow had always loved hearing him talk, and on the phone it was even more compelling since his good looks couldn’t distract.
“Fine, thanks,” she said. “How are you?”
“Great,” he told her. “Listen, Ryan called me to let us know that your car is ready. He didn’t have your number. It was the alternator, like we thought. I’m headed into town anyway, can I give you a lift to the shop?”
That sounded so good, but…
“I… went to see my brother yesterday,” she said, heading out of the kitchen and into the little hallway.
“Oh, yeah?” Jensen said with interest. “How did that go?”
“It actually went okay,” she told him, grateful to have someone to tell. “Things aren’t exactly back to normal yet. But I think they might be soon.”
“That’s great, Willow,” Jensen said. “I’m really happy for you. For both of you.”
His voice was so sincere, but there was sadness in it too. Willow wasn’t sure what to say and for a moment there was only silence on the line.
“I think it will be okay again for you too,” she said finally. “He just needs to get his head around it in his own time.”
“Sure,” he said, not sounding as hopeful as she’d wanted.
