“It’s good with me.”
I breathe a little easier hearing that. I look around for the waitress, ready to get out of here.
“I’m going to go to the ladies’ room before we leave.”
She stands up, and I stand up too. She laughs and pats me on the chest. “I’m okay. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
I watch her walk to the back of the restaurant. When I can no longer see her, I continue looking around the restaurant for the server with my credit card.
Chapter 12
Willa
I’m washing my hands in the bathroom when Dylan’s girlfriend, Michelle, comes in. I smile at her in the mirror as she stands next to me, reapplying her lipstick.
She was somewhat nice to me in the restaurant, but now I’m not getting nice from her. I’m getting something completely different. “Dylan told me about you.”
I meet her gaze and try to act like I’m not intimidated by her. “Oh yeah? I just met him for the first time tonight, so I’m not sure what he knows about me.”
She turns to me so instead of looking at me in the mirror, she’s now looking straight at me. I finish drying my hands and turn to her. The look on her face tells me that she thinks she’s better than me, but I refuse to let her intimidate me. “Was there something else?”
“I’m just happy to see you with JD.
She says it, but she doesn’t look like she’s happy. If anything, she looks the opposite.
“Thank you,” I reply and walk past her.
I have my hand on the door, about to leave, when she starts talking again. “Yeah, maybe now he can get you out of his system and move on. Give the women that are a little more worthy a chance.”
I don’t look at her. I can’t because I know she’ll see how her words affect me. I push through the door without responding and get a few steps down the hallway when JD meets me. I do my best to smile at him. “Ready?”
He nods, grabbing my hand. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I tell him.
He walks us outside and helps me into his car. The drive to his house doesn’t take long at all. The whole way, he holds my hand on the console between us. The internal debate continues in my mind. I wish I could forget everything Michelle said, but I can’t. She could be right. Being here with JD, well it’s been everything to me, but maybe he does just need to get me out of his system. Does that mean I need to give up?
We’ve arrived at his house and walked into his front door, and I’m still weighing all my options, deep in thought.
“All right. What is it? What’s weighing so heavily on your mind, Willa?”
In that moment, with him looking at me with so much concern, I know what I’m going to do. “JD, I don’t care if I’m like some kind of conquest for you. Like you thought I didn’t like you in high school, so now you need to prove you can get me.”
“Willa, I don’t—"
I hold my hand up to stop him. “Please, let me get this out. I mean, of course I care. I don’t want this to be just that. But I can’t walk away from you. I know that I can’t just leave and not show you how much you mean to me... how much you’ve meant to me since high school.”
He grabs me by the shoulders. “Where is this coming from?”
I shrug. “Michelle said you needed to get me out of your system, and I don’t know if that’s the case... but I—”
He leans in and kisses my forehead. “Oh, honey.”
I try to hold back the tears, but I can’t. They spill down my cheeks as I confess. “I need you, JD.”
He whispers against my head. “I need you too.” Then he grabs my hand. “Come with me.”
He takes me up the stairs, down the long hallway, and into what I’m guessing is his bedroom. On the tour the other day, he didn’t bring me in here. We stop in the middle of the room, but I’m not looking around; I’m looking at him.
“Willa, look at my nightstand.”
I look toward the big massive bed and then at the nightstand. There’s a framed picture, and I walk closer and pick it up. Dumbly, I say, “That’s me!”
He laughs. “Yeah, the day we graduated high school.”
I’m still staring at the picture in amazement when JD clears his throat. I look up at him, and he nods his head toward the dresser behind him. He moves, and I look in that direction. There are at least ten pictures along the top, and they’re all of me. There’s even a recent one stuck on the dresser mirror. I look at each one, and the questions grow. I turn just as JD comes out of his closet carrying a box. He sets it on the bed and takes the lid off. One by one, he takes out scrap books. “I have every story you’ve ever published. They’re all here.”