Will: It was for you. Best energy shot, remember? Thought you’d need it.
This man. Did he really remember every detail about me?
On day two, I found a flyer from the Griffith Observatory on my bed. There were two tickets and a card next to it.
No meteor shower this time, but they do have a special viewing next week. I’d love to take you.
You don’t have to answer right away.
(Take your time until the answer is yes.)
I smiled from ear to ear. I was still frustrated with him, but that frustration receded a bit every day. I couldn’t lie, the little thoughtful gifts helped. On the third day, I realized this was probably his exact intent. He had an agenda. Yeah... I was slow to catch up, but hey, I had a lot on my mind. Also, realizing he had an agenda absolutely did not stop me from enjoying the gifts. The current one was a DVD of a movie I’d told him I want to see.
I hadn’t texted him yesterday, but couldn’t help myself today.
Paige: Just found your DVD. Wondering with whom I should watch it...
Will: With me, of course.
I imagined the growly sound he would have made if he’d said this in person and laughed. When was he even doing these things? I hadn’t stopped to think about that, but surprising me required a lot of planning and some stealth maneuvers.
Oh, this lovely and infuriating man. Why had he upset me? I’d calmed down enough to see things from his perspective, though, and I could sort of understand it, considering everything I’d told him about growing up as the kid of an Army man.
On day four, I searched in vain for my gift. Instead, I received an impromptu visit from Luna, who informed me Will was treating us to a dinner out
.
I’d actually thought it meant Will was joining us, but I was quick to hide my disappointment when it became clear that he’d just treated me and Luna.
“Tell the truth, did Will charm you?”
Luna made a sign as if to indicate her lips were sealed. “All I know is, he said this is a hectic week and you could need a distraction. So... ta-da, here is your distraction. He’s quite thoughtful, isn’t he?”
Hmmm, Luna had avoided my question, but by the way she was singing Will’s praises—instead of considering which shoes would do more damage if she threw them at him, as she’d done during our dinner at the inn—I had my answer.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of a door closing. I was in the only room of the inn that still had bedroom furniture. I patted the floor in search of my smartphone. I groaned. It was eight thirty. The workers would arrive in a few minutes, and I felt as if my bones weighed a thousand pounds. Luna and I had talked until the early hours of the morning. I’d had about four hours of sleep. But wait... who’d closed the door? I tried to remember if I’d set the alarm last night. Probably not. Will would have a thing or ten to say about that. Before I could panic, I noticed the tray of food on the empty half of the bed. All of my breakfast favorites were there. Fresh orange juice, cheese omelet, and blueberry pancakes.
How...?
I startled when I heard voices outside and scrambled to my feet, looking out the window. The workers were there. And a few seconds later, so was Will, coming out of the house. As if feeling my gaze on him, he looked up, straight at me, and gave me a devastating smile. I’d never eaten and gone through my morning routine so fast in my life.
When I made it downstairs, Will was already in action, ordering the workers around. Those jeans clung to his ass like their sole purpose was to tempt me. And that shirt, huh? It showed off his muscles—all of them. Even what the fabric covered was still visible—the shape at least.
“Good morning,” I said.
The workers greeted me, and Will turned around slowly, watching me with a bemused expression. It was the first time we were seeing each other in days.
“I thought you’d sleep longer.”
“I woke up when you closed the door. Thank you for breakfast.”
“Welcome.”
“You’ll be here the whole day?”
Will flashed me a smile full of mischief. “And tomorrow, and the day after that. I still have two weeks free.”
“I sense you’re going to take advantage of this.”