Willow by Donna Lynn Hope Read Free Book Online Page A

between us was palpable.
    “I don’t know…” That was my brilliant reply.
    “You know and I know that you want to go.” He was challenging me.
    After a long silence I gave him directions to Anne’s house but he wasn’t writing them down. We settled on a time and before I left his side I touched him on the arm. “What did you whisper in my ear earlier?”
    He bent down enough that I could smell his scent, and I found it as appealing as he was.
    “I knew even then,” he grinned. “I told you I was looking forward to tomorrow.”
    He looked at me for a moment longer and walked away. Confused, I walked over to Reece, who was still conferring with Amber.  Lacey walked by and as she did, she reached up and stroked the back of Amber’s hair. Amber looked over her shoulder and acknowledged her politely. Before I had a chance to say anything, Tavia swooped over and ushered me to the ladies room.
    “Details! What happened?” She demanded to know. She and everyone else had noticed Haven and “the new girl” dancing together.
    “It was nothing, just a dance.”
    “Nu-uh! Haven has never been seen with anyone other than his inner circle.”
    What did she expect me to say? I was just as confused as anyone else. “I don’t know Tavia. We didn’t even talk, not really.”
    “Well, you’re lucky. I don’t think you know how much.” She paused before giggling.  “I mean, look what I had to dance with…” She peeked around the corner and pointed to a gangly young man with glasses--the one who very nearly tripped in the cafeteria. He happened to notice us looking in his direction and waved with too much enthusiasm. She drew me back in the restroom, still giggling. “That’s Adam. He’s liked me since I moved here during grade school!”
    I looked into the mirror and gave my hands something to do by smoothing out my hair. “I think that’s really nice. Maybe you should give him a chance.”
    She rolled her eyes but looked flattered. It was obvious something was there, but Tavia didn’t want to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else.
    By midnight the dance had dwindled and it was time to go home. Reece and I exited the lodge after saying goodnight to Amber and his other friends. I laughed as I felt a snowflake land on my face.
    “First snow of the year!” He exclaimed.
    People hurried out, some moaning, others exuberant and happy. I looked into the dark sky and held my hands out, letting the accumulation of snowflakes fall and melt into the palms of my hands.
    “Don’t get too excited, it will be gone by morning,” Reece warned.
    “Don’t ruin my fun,” I rebuked playfully. “The first snowfall of the season is magical.”
    For several minutes we stood there laughing, talking, and absorbing the wintry ambiance. It was more fun than the dance had been. I looked to my left and saw Haven standing near his car. He was looking in our direction and his expression was unreadable. Reece prodded me to follow him and before the heater in his truck had a chance to warm up, he had me home. I thanked him and hurried inside, but not before he gave me a hug and whispered under his breath, “Catch you later Snow White.”
    Anne was already home. She was curled up on the couch under a red micro plush throw. She had a partially filled bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and an empty mug in her hands. She was immersed in an Alfred Hitchcock movie and didn’t see me in the doorway.
    “Hi,” I whispered.
    Anne practically jumped off the couch and I covered my hand with my mouth to stifle my laughter.
    “Willow! You scared the daylights out of me!” She was surprised but there was no anger in her rebuke. “So, how was it?”
    “Fun, and guess what? It’s snowing!”
    Anne paused her movie and turned around to look out the window. Together, we admired the lightly falling snow. She turned to me, “Want some tea? It will warm you up.”
    “That sounds really good. I’m going to change and I’ll be down in a