4
Eric
I sat behind my oversized desk in the office building that Luke and I rented for some of our staff members in Boston. We had various employees across the country, but as owners, we settled in Boston.
But I was looking for a change. The city kept me restless and weary. I was so fucking tired that not even sleeping pills could knock me out at night. I spent so many nights awake in my oversized bed, reliving the night with Willow. They weren’t nightmares, but they haunted my dreams just the same. And every time, Willow left without a backward glance.
Surprising her at the graduation ceremony wasn’t my finest moment, and Luke had tried to warn me that I was going to scare the daylights out of her. Like a ghost from her past. But now that she was no longer a student under my mother’s watchful eye, I knew that I could move onto the next step.
The fact that she was in need of an internship was just the icing on the cake. It was a way that I could keep her close if only she would accept my offer of help. Willow struck me as a self-reliant person, a fact that I discovered during our night together.
It was more than just sex with her, so much more. We connected on a level that I hadn’t found in my twenty-eight years. And I had looked. Boy, had I looked.
Bachelor playboy wasn’t a title I was proud of, but my friends and mother insisted that I had a revolving door of women. But that all ended the night Willow walked into Covert. She had stolen my attention as I walked the floor and I couldn’t pull away. She was an oasis in the desert and I craved her more than any droplet of water.
“What’s up with you, man?” Luke called out from his office across the way. Sure, it was a Sunday and we were both at work, but we had so much to do before we could open the winery in Carson that we were putting in extra hours. I suspected Luke was sleeping in his office as he continued to crunch numbers. Life of an accountant.
“Sorry. Got a lot on my mind,” I replied as I flipped open my planner to verify my travels to North Carolina for the unforeseeable future. I hadn’t disclosed to Willow that I had plans to move to the town temporarily as the winery and venue opened. We had staff and management on site already, but as the owner, I liked to be close to the newest properties to troubleshoot any issues that arose.
I knew that I had spooked her already with my confession and a surprise appearance at her graduation that I didn’t want to make it worse by telling her I’d also be on-site if she accepted the internship.
I could hear her hesitancy on the other end of our call and I couldn’t say that I blamed her. Coming on too strong was something that had hindered my relationships in the past. It was a trait that I tried my hardest to keep a tight leash on that domineering part of me, but sometimes it was too powerful to control. Willow would find out soon enough if she took me up on the offer Luke and I had hashed out. I really hoped she accepted it.
My friends didn’t seem to understand my need for Willow. I changed overnight after that remarkable night in bed with her. They could sense the change in me immediately, the need to formulate a plan to make her mine, despite our age difference. That seemed to be my friends’ hold up. Willow and I had a seven-year age difference, but it was no more than a number to me. Willow was mature beyond her years.
Despite the age difference, my friends, especially Luke, were supportive of my decision to bring Willow onto our team however that I could. And we did actually need the help with the opening of the new winery and event venue. With Willow’s degree, she would be a perfect fit.
But I wasn’t so sure she would be willing to move to the small town of Carson. It was charming and quaint, but definitely not for everyone, especially a city girl.
“Is Willow on board? I can go ahead and send Maggie her paperwork and information to file with the university,” Luke explained as he stepped into my office. He knew how much I wanted Willow to join us after putting the bug in his ear after leaving her apartment yesterday, which was the only reason I left the way that I had.
“I’m not sure, honestly. She seemed hesitant on the phone call and I think she had every intention of turning it down, but she at least seemed to entertain the option of taking the Carson role.”
“Wow. Never thought I’d see the day where Eric Davenport couldn’t seal the deal,” he said with a chuckle, which only seemed to pluck every last inch of my nerves.
“I never said she turned it down either. She’s considering her options and making a decision. Willow is smart. I’m sure she’s already got a list a mile long of opportunities in her field to make up for the internship that she lost. I can’t help it if I’m selfish and want her to take ours.”
“So, what are you planning on doing to convince her?”
“Nothing. I went ahead and had Sam book her flight the day after mine. He’ll drop off her boarding pass at her apartment and I’ll just wait on pins and needles to see if she shows up.”
“Man, you have it bad. I’m not sure I can stand the suspense and it’s not even my girl.”
“I’m not sure she will end up being my girl,” I told him, my biggest fear coming to light. “I think I spooked her when I confessed that I loved her.”
“You what?” Shock showed on my friend's face. Not just because I so casually tossed out the L-word, but that I would use it so immediately.
“I couldn’t help it. I saw her for the first time in almost a year and my chest felt like it was about to explode if I didn’t tell her.”
“Do you, though? Love her, I mean. You two barely spent any time together.”
“I know it’s crazy, but I do. I have never felt this way about any other woman.”
“Well, man, I’m happy for you and I hope that everything works out. But make sure you keep your head above water. We still have businesses to run and those are going to need your full attention.”
“I hear ya.” Closing out the spreadsheet, I was revising the list of inventory for the venue. I shut my laptop and stood from my desk. “I guess I’ll head home for the day and start packing. Do you still plan on heading down to Carson in two weeks?”
“That’s the plan.”
Luke was notorious for changing his plans last minute, so he laughed as I coked an eyebrow in his direction.
“I promise I’ll show up this time. No chance for some hottie to sweep me off to her private island. . .again. Plus, I need to meet your lady.”
We said goodbye and I headed back to my apartment located down the road on an upper-level high rise. One thing I missed about Boston when I traveled was my apartment. The modern industrial feel left some of my visitors cold, but the clean lines gave me a sense of peace for me.
Stepping into the foyer, I wondered, not for the first time, what Willow would think of my space. I wasn’t living in this apartment the last time we were together, instead sharing a brownstone walkup with Luke at the time. I liked to think that she would be impressed, but I managed to learn one thing during our time together – Willow was unpredictable.
That’s why I had no idea what she would do.
During the week, I had done my best to keep my thoughts away from Willow and whether she planned to join me in Carson or not. There had been many moments where I held my phone in my palm and considered calling her, but I refrained – somehow. It wasn’t just to hear her decision, though the longer the days went on, the more I was sure she wasn’t going to show up at the airport in Asheville. I needed to hear her voice. Something about her soft-spoken tone soothed me in a way that no amount of therapy or meds could. And I had tried both growing up. Having a mother that was the dean of a prestigious university and a father that spent just as much, if not more, time meddling in the lives of his clients than paying attention to his only son took their toll on a person.