The Butterfly Effect (Boggy Creek Valley 1)

“About?”

I let my head fall forward again, and my eyes caught hers.

She smiled and nodded. “I see. Aiden.”

“Yes, Aiden.”

“What are you confused about?”

I tossed my hands up in the air and let them fall dramatically. “Everything! I mean, two days ago I was not even thinking of a relationship with anyone—it was the furthest thing from my mind. Today, I’m acting like a jealous teenage girl. And I don’t even know if Aiden wants a relationship. All I know is my body comes alive when he’s around. Like, alive.”

She cleared her throat. “Horny, I believe is the word you’re looking for. Alive is the prim and proper version.”

I let out a frustrated moan. “No. Yes. I don’t know what it is. It’s more than that. I feel this…this…something inside here.” I patted my chest over my heart. “But I don’t want to feel it. Whatever it is. It needs to go away.”

“Why does it need to go away, Willa? Why can’t you have a relationship with him?”

I shook my head. “Because it’s the one thing I want so desperately. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. I’m scared, Bree.”

Her head jerked back. “Okay, you went to story time. Help me fill in the pieces here, because you aren’t making any sense. You want something with Aiden, but you don’t. Which one is it, Willa? And you look like…” Her mouth fell open as something dawned on her. “Greer Larson.”

I shifted in my seat. “What about her?”

Bree slowly shook her head and then pointed at me. “Listen, I may not live in Boggy Creek anymore, but I have a memory. Aiden and Greer were super close in high school.”

I nodded. “Yes, he said they were really good friends. Nothing more.”

One of her brows rose. “Really? When did he clarify this bit of information? If my memory serves me right, he asked her to prom and you cried for about a week because he hadn’t asked you.”

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Whatever.”

She sighed. “What happened, Willa?”

I buried my hands in my face again and let out a frustrated cry. “Oh God, Bree, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I acted like a jealous woman today.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “How?”

“Well,” I said on a long sigh. “It started with Aiden getting to the bookstore before me. I walked in and saw him with Greer. Actually, she threw herself at him in the middle of the store with everyone watching.”

Bree smirked. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

“Shut up. Anyway, I don’t know what came over me. She had her hands on him and was touching his arm in a weird way.”

Her smirk turned to a frown. “In a weird way?”

“I don’t know! Gah! All I know is in my mind, I imagined her…you know.”

She shook her head in confusion. “No, I don’t know. All I know is we’re both saying the word know a hell of a lot.”

“Like she was feeling his muscles or something. Whatever! It’s beside the point. I heard her say she couldn’t believe he had come to see her. Then this crazy thought went through my head that he’d only agreed to go to the bookstore to see Greer.”

Brighton’s shoulders sagged, and she dropped back in her chair. “Willa, I don’t think he would use you and Ben like that. If he wanted to see Greer, he’d go see her.”

I nodded. “Right. That sounds logical…I know it does. But in that moment, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I walked up and made it seem like Aiden was with me and Ben.”

“He was with you and Ben. According to Lacy, he asked you to go.”

“Yes, but the way I made it appear was like he was with…me…and Ben.”

She lifted her chin, her mouth fell open, and she said, “Ohh. Like you guys were a couple.”

I nodded. “And when Greer asked if we came together, I quickly said yes before Aiden could answer. It was obvious she thought I meant something else, and I let her think it.”

Bree laughed. “So what if you let her think it?”

“Why did I let her think it though? I’m a strong, independent woman and have never been jealous of another woman a day in my life. And why do I keep wondering what they’re doing together?”

“Wait, what do you mean? You left him there?”

“No, we stayed and then the place cleared out and damn Melinda Jackson was asking me about the fall festival and if we’d get a booth to sell apple pies again this year. While I was talking to her, Aiden started talking to Greer. I couldn’t even focus on Melinda because I kept stealing glances at Greer and Aiden like a jealous, crazy woman. I’m telling you, I was losing my shit! That’s not like me. When Melinda finally stopped talking, I made my way over to Aiden and asked if he was going to have lunch with me and Ben. I thought for sure he would since, you know, he was the one who’d asked to go to the stupid event.”