areas where I’d be working were remote, and any chance of finding an Internet connection was unlikely. With an assignment this lengthy, there would be opportunities to travel into town for supplies. Depending on the location, we might be fortunate enough to find an Internet café. When it came to guarantees, I couldn’t give her any.
“Your silence says it all.”
Willa continued working. Neither of us spoke as she rolled out the dough and spread the sugar, butter, and cinnamon over the top before securing it. She cut each roll into one-inch slices with surprising accuracy, never needing to measure before she placed them on the sheet to rise next to the first sheet.
Earlier Willa said it had taken her time to understand what Harper had been trying to tell her for weeks. She needed space from the sister who had been more mother than sibling. It hurt her to let go of Harper.
Willa used the back of her hand to wipe the moisture from her face.
Turning her around so I could look at her, I saw that tears had filled her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks.
“It’s too much,” she whispered. “First Harper wants to leave me, and now you.”
“Baby,” I whispered, drawing her close. I kissed the top of her head. “Harper’s not leaving you any more than I am. We’ll both be right here.”
“You’ll be half a world away,” she argued.
“My heart won’t be. That will be with you.”
She chuckled and slammed her palm against my shoulder. “Do you think a few pretty words are going to make me feel better?”
“I can hope, can’t I?” Drawing in a deep breath, I felt I had to ask even when I wasn’t sure of her answer. “Do you want me to turn down this assignment?”
She pulled away and looked me in the eyes as if to gauge the sincerity of my question. “Are you serious? Would you actually turn it down if I asked you to?”
I was serious and nodded, holding in my breath, fearing that was what she wanted. If she did, I wasn’t sure how I’d respond. Years ago, I heard a television attorney mention how important it was to never ask the witness a question when they didn’t know the answer. Perhaps I should have taken a lesson from that.
If Willa asked me to give up this assignment, I wasn’t sure I could do it, no matter how strong my feelings were for her. It would possibly be the beginning of the end of our relationship.
“No,” she said after the longest moment of my life, “I would never ask that of you.”
Relief flooded through me and I released a long pent-up breath. “Thank you, Willa.”
To have her hit my shoulder with far more force than she had before came as a surprise.
“Don’t you dare get sick. I swear, if you return again with some tropical disease, I will never forgive you.”
It wasn’t like I intended to shop around for some deadly fever. “I’ll do my best to stay safe and healthy.”
“And I expect to hear from you as often as you can manage it.”
“Done.”
“You better miss me.”
“Every hour of every day.”
The beginning of a smile touched her lips, making her irresistible. Before she could make any further demands, I bent down and kissed her, letting her know how important she was to me.
Yes, this was an assignment of a lifetime and I was fortunate to get it. Nevertheless, that paled against what I’d found with Willa.
CHAPTER 18
Willa
I didn’t hear from Harper following her practice climb. That wasn’t a shock, although I’d hoped she’d at least call. She’d mentioned that she’d be staying at a cabin near Mount Rainier that night with her friends. No worries. There was sure to be a big party after the climb, and checking in with my sister wasn’t high on my priority list, given the busy day I had and my lack of sleep the night before. When she didn’t show Sunday afternoon, I decided she was flexing her independence and didn’t feel the need to connect with me.
Since she’d made a point of letting me know she didn’t appreciate my mothering her, I didn’t text or phone her, either. I worried plenty, but no way was I going to hunt her down to be sure she was okay. Harper would hate that. At any other time, I would’ve been on the phone so fast it would burn up the line.
Sunday afternoon Sean stopped by the apartment with Bandit.