Page 114 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

“Oh.” He hung his head. “I get it. You guys are breaking up, aren’t you? I saw Willa crying the other morning in the kitchen. I don’t think she saw me, but I saw her. And then she hasn’t been back.”

Fuck. That must have been the morning after I’d gotten drunk at the bar. The same night I’d gotten a phone call I never shou

ld have answered.

“Is it because of me?” Ryder asked.

“No.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “It has nothing to do with you.”

It is all on me.

“I don’t want you to worry about it, okay? Just have fun today. And eat a lot of turkey.”

He smiled. “I can do that. I’m hungry.”

“We just had breakfast an hour ago.”

“Yeah, but I only ate two bowls of cereal because I didn’t want to get too full before lunch. I normally have three.”

I grinned. “I’m sure Betty won’t let you starve.”

The sliding door opened again and we turned to see Willa. She folded her arms over her chest as she stepped out into the cold air.

“Mom has a snack for you,” she told Ryder.

He immediately bolted for the door, leaving Willa and me alone.

“Good timing,” I said. “He just told me he was hungry.”

“I think he’s grown an inch since he moved here.” She watched Ryder as he disappeared inside.

“I think you’re right.” Now that he was getting all the food he could eat, Ryder had sprouted. There was no question he would be tall like me. And if my hunch was right, he’d fill out and have the frame of a linebacker. He just needed groceries.

“Are you going to stay out here?” Willa dropped her eyes, looking anywhere but at me as she spoke. Meanwhile, I stared at her, soaking her in while I still could.

“For a while.”

She pursed her lips, then went back to the door. But before she opened it, she paused and turned around. “Do you even want to be here?”

Tell her the truth. “Not really.”

Pain flashed across her face as she stood there, staring at her feet. After a few seconds, she squared her shoulders, and when she looked up, her beautiful blue eyes were filled with angry tears.

“Are you ever going to tell me why? Or are you just waiting until I’ve finally had enough and end this for you?”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Isn’t it? Then why? I might be new to this, but I’m not stupid. You don’t want to be together, so tell me why.”

The pleading in her voice was killing me. “Let’s talk about it later, okay?”

She shook her head. “Let’s talk about it now.”

“I don’t want to wreck your Thanksgiving.”

“Too late,” she whispered. “Why? I want to know why.”

My shoulders fell. The last thing I wanted was to do this today, or any day, but she deserved an explanation. At least today, she’d be here with her family. So I took a deep breath, met her gaze and dove headfirst into a conversation I’d been dreading for weeks.