The Butterfly Effect (Boggy Creek Valley 1)

“I can stay and help,” I offered.

Greer looked up at me and smiled before glancing back over at Willa. “Willa won’t mind?”

I looked over at Willa and noticed she appeared to be wrapping things up with the other mom. “I don’t think so. We didn’t talk about any plans after this. I’m sure she’ll understand I’m staying to help you clean up.”

When I focused back on Greer, she had an odd expression on her face. “Well, then, I won’t say no to help.”

Willa walked up. “Looks like we closed the place down.”

Greer laughed. “It sure does. Did you have fun, Ben?” she asked as she tickled his stomach. He giggled, then buried his face into Willa’s chest.

“Aw, he knows a pretty girl when he sees one,” I said with a laugh. The comment earned me a strange look from Willa and a wide smile from Greer.

“Ben is needing some lunch. Are you able to join us?” Willa asked me with a hopeful smile on her face.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I looked at Greer, and she waved her hand. “Please, don’t even worry about it. Go. I’ve got this.”

“No, I told you I would help.” Facing Willa again, I explained, “I told Greer I would help her clean up, so…”

Willa glanced between me and Greer, her earlier smile now gone. She lifted Ben up in her arms and stood a bit straighter. “No, no, that’s fine. I know you’re busy and all.”

I shook my head. “It’s not that I’m busy—”

“Honestly, it’s okay, Aiden,” she said, cutting me off. “This was all a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing anyway.” She smiled at me and then turned to face Greer. “Thanks so much, Greer. Ben had a blast. We’ll see you around.” She started to head out the door.

“Did you need—”

“Enjoy your afternoon, Aiden,” Willa called out, cutting me off again before I could finish asking if she needed any help.

I brought my hand to the back of my neck as I replied, “Yeah, you, too, Willa. Bye, Ben!”

Ben waved his little hand at me as Willa whisked him out of the bookstore. I stared at the door even after she’d walked through it. I got the feeling that I had somehow just upset or maybe disappointed Willa, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Turning, I saw Greer standing there, watching me.

“Are you sure about staying?” she asked.

With a smile, I replied, “Yeah. Everything is fine. Show me what you need me to do.”

Willa

Once I got Ben down for his nap, I walked through the house, out the back door, and drew in a deep breath.

I had been out of sorts since I walked out of Turning Pages. The look on Greer’s face when Aiden chose to stay and help her clean nearly had me reaching over and smacking her. Had she been smug…or had she been taken aback by his offer? By the way she gushed over him I was going with smug. Greer! I actually wanted to hit her, and that was so not like me.

“No. No. No. I didn’t want to smack her. You didn’t want to smack her, Willamina Turner, because there is nothing—let me repeat, nothing between you and Aiden. At least not yet. Ugh. Why am I letting this bother me? He stayed to help a friend. He said they were only friends.”

Pacing, I laughed and continued talking to myself. “So why did you let Greer think you were with Aiden then?”

I paced some more and then laughed again. “Oh God. What in the hell is wrong with me?”

“Well, for starters, you’re talking to yourself.”

Screaming, I slammed my hand over my mouth and spun around. Bree stood there, leaning against the back door like a creeper. Again.

“Okay, do you know how to ring the doorbell?”

“I knew Ben was asleep, and you have a giant-ass sign on your door that specifically says ‘Don’t ring the doorbell.’ And a note over the doorbell that says ‘Do not ring.’”

“Fine, you made your point,” I huffed as I dropped down onto my favorite piece of furniture on the back porch—an oversized chair that had been my first big purchase. The chair was large enough for me to curl up in a ball and read while drinking a glass of wine and enjoying the crisp fall air.

Bree sat across from me in a hammock chair. “You really should keep your door locked.”

“It’s Boggy Creek, not Boston.”

She raised a single brow. “Still. Anyway…so?”

I stared at her. “So…what?”

She laughed. “What were you going on about?”

Groaning, I slapped my hands against my face and then dragged them down as I let out a long, pathetic sound.

“That bad, huh?” Bree asked. “Should I go get a bottle of wine even though it’s only two in the afternoon?”

I dropped my hands to my side and then threw my head back against the pillow of the chair. “I’m so confused.”