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)
But then again…they did have those same blue eyes.
“You’re Theodore?” I remarked, stunned.
“Theo,” he grumbled. “Just Theo.”
“Only I get to call him Theodore. A grandma perk, I suppose. Theo, do you want to come in for coffee or just show Willow over to your place?” Molly asked.
“I’m…confused,” Theo said, his bushy brows lowered. “I thought you said your old friend was coming into town.”
“Yeah, I did. This is Willow,” Molly explained.
“But you said old. She’s not old,” he pointed out.
“Old as in the timeline of our friendship. Willow and I have known each other for a few years now. So…coffee?” Molly asked.
I couldn’t stop staring at Theo and his bewildered expression. If I hadn’t been so concerned about the fact that Just Theo was the one I’d be playing house with over the next few months, I would’ve found his bad attitude comical. Yet with our rough first meeting, I didn’t see the next few weeks going as smoothly as I’d hoped.
Theo didn’t respond to Molly’s coffee request. He kept his stare on me, eyes narrowed, arms crossed over that damn chest of his. I kept my gaze on him, too. If I was a professional at anything, it was a staring contest.
“Is…everything all right?” Molly’s sweet voice dripped with concern.
“It’s fine,” Theo and I said in unison.
Theo shook his head. “I’m good on the coffee. I’m gonna go say hi to PaPa, and then we can head over,” he remarked before heading into the house.
Molly moved in closer to me and smiled. “I know he can come off a little rough around the edges, but beneath that tough exterior is a gentle giant. I hope you get to witness that over these next few months.”
“It’s fine. Besides”—I pushed out a smile and placed an arm around Molly’s shoulders—“I’m here for you, not your grandson.”
She turned to me and placed her hands against my cheeks. “Thank you for coming, Willow. Things with Harry have been…”
The last letter I’d received from Molly was about how Harry’s health had declined over the past year, and she wasn’t certain how much time they’d have left with one another. Even though it was a written letter, I could feel her anguish through every cursive letter she’d crafted. Molly Langford was currently living through one of the most heartbreaking situations any human could go through. She was witnessing the decline of her other half, of her soulmate. I couldn’t imagine how hard that had to be. Sometimes love seemed so cruel. How could it come rushing in as a massive wave, only to evaporate over time?
Don’t get me wrong, I loved love. I thought it was the most incredible thing to ever exist.
I just didn’t need it for myself. I liked to keep real love at a distance after one too many heartbreaks. But puppy love? I ate that up like a hobbit ate their second breakfast.
Yet when I read Molly’s letter, I knew I needed to spend my summer up in Westin Lake, holding her hand as she held her husband’s. I’d be the quiet friend catching her whenever she needed to fall a little.
She even set me up with a job at their family restaurant, which would be helpful with my income. I’d been a wanderer since I was eighteen years old, and over those years, I’d become pretty good at finding ways to make a living. I liked to think I was a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. I was a quick study. When Molly asked if I was good at making sourdough bread, I told her sure.
How hard could it be?
I placed my hands on Molly’s shoulders. “How are you?”
Her eyes teared up as she shrugged and said no words.
I heard her loud and clear.
Sometimes words weren’t needed when the heartbreak could be read through one’s eyes.
I pulled her into a hug and held on tightly. “He’s still here.”
“Still here,” she repeated, holding me tightly. “He’s still here.”
That was something I wanted her to remember. It wasn’t about what was coming ahead or about the days behind it; it was about our present moment. Harry was still here. And right now, that was what mattered the most.
Before we could continue speaking, Theo came back out of the house.
He glanced toward Molly and me, then toward Big Bird. “Are you parking that beast on my property?”
“I was going to leave it here, actually. A little she-shed for Molly to do some of her artwork inside of,” I said. Not only did Molly bake and crochet, but she was also an amazing artist. When it came to creativity, Molly was beyond gifted and talented. I wouldn’t have been surprised if one day she told me she wrote a novel.
Theo grimaced, but that wasn’t surprising. If I saw him actually smile, I might’ve passed out from shock. But I had no concerns about growing faint, seeing how I had high doubts his lips knew how to turn upward.