Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
I didn’t mind either.
After one night on the water, I found an emotional Willow banging on my bedroom door at three in the morning. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as I yawned, confused at her standing there. “Willow, what are you—”
She held the book I loaned her against her chest as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Chapter forty-two,” she whispered before she broke into sobs.
Oh right. That chapter.
I couldn’t blame her for the emotional breakdown.
Chapter forty-two did me in, too.
“He didn’t stay,” she said before covering her mouth as she gasped for air.
I leaned against my doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “I know.”
“He promised he’d stay.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“It’s not fair,” she sobbed. “They were happy. They finally found each other and were happy, and now he’s left her. It’s so sad.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Sometimes it’s even sadder when people stay. At least that’s what I tell myself.”
Her heartbroken eyes found mine, and for some odd reason, my own eyes flooded with emotions. In an attempt to avoid her seeing me get emotional, too, I cleared my throat and pulled her into a hug. “There, there,” I said, patting her on the back. She fell against my chest as if she’d always belonged there, and I tried my best to avoid her feeling my increased heartbeat pounding rapidly against my chest. “You’ll be fine, Weeping Willow.”
“How do you know?” she cried.
“Well, for starters, you’re only three-fourths through the story. You still have a whole one-fourth to reach a happily ever after. Besides…the plot is just getting good.”
She looked up at me, sniffling, and then fell back to my chest.
I held her tighter and rested my chin on top of her head. “Besides…even if you aren’t okay tonight, you’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because we’re going to go fishing.”
CHAPTER 16
Willow
Iwas officially a fisherwoman.
Well, minus the actual catching of said fish.
Theo and I had been fishing buddies for the past few weeks, and before we knew it, the third weekend of July was a few days away. Which meant it was almost time to celebrate Harry and Molly’s anniversary. The more days that passed by, the more we leaned into the Alice in Wonderland theme when it came to the decorations, with bright colors and intense patterns. Theo’s property was looking less and less like his and more like a wild art exhibit. Which was exactly what the older couple wanted.
Well, Molly wanted that, and Harry wanted whatever it was that made Molly happy.
We even picked up a neon sign that read, “We’re all madly in love here.”
I stopped by Molly’s house to help her pick out a dress for the renewal of their vows. Their anniversary party was the talk of the town, it seemed. Pretty much everyone RSVP’d, which showed how much love that small town had for the Langfords. Nearly one hundred and fifty people would be on Theo’s property, and I already knew that my antisocial roommate was dreading hosting the event. Still, he was doing it because of his love for his grandparents.
Molly came out in a vibrant purple gown that looked remarkable on her. That was the fifth one she’d tried on that morning, and it was as if it were made for her body. I loved that each dress she tried on was colorful and out there. This one was dripping in ruffles, and it was beyond dramatic. Just like Molly.
“I think this is the dress,” she said, twirling around in it. For a moment, she looked like a high school girl getting ready for prom. The youthfulness of the woman in front of me was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“This is the dress. The only dress that is now allowed for your vow renewal.”
She clapped her hands together before she collapsed on the couch beside me. “Good, because I’m sick of trying on different things.” She patted my leg. “Oh. I’ve been meaning to ask you. I need someone to stand beside me during the ceremony. Would you be interested?”
My eyes widened as my hands flew to my chest. “I’d be honored. Yes, of course.”
“Wonderful. Theo is Harry’s best man. Peter is standing up as a groomsman, too. Hopefully, the boys don’t bicker too much. Speaking of…how have things been with Theo? Last I heard, he didn’t accept your apology.”
“You’d be surprised to know they are going quite well. We’ve been fishing together and whatnot.”
“So he apologized for being rude?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?”
“Well…he let me read his books.”
Molly narrowed her eyes toward me and moved in closer. She placed her hands on my shoulders. “Sweetheart. I love my grandson, but at the end of the day, he is still a man who makes silly man mistakes. And we forgive those mistakes when apologies are made. So if he has yet to formally apologize for how he treated you, then you have to inform him that your growing friendship cannot grow any more until he offers you his sincerest apologies.”