If Only (The Willowbrook Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

white. Yanking the hoodie off, she held it to her chest and closed her eyes. The breeze whispered over her bare arms. Definitely not below freezing. She opened her eyes and glanced at her arms. Yep, no goosebumps.
    Feeling a strange tingle on her forehead, she looked up. It was cliché, but time appeared to stop as Rhys eyed her from where he stood in front of Jo’s truck. What was it about the way his gaze shot up and down her body that had her heart beating out of control while her insides clenched with longing? Only he affected her like this.
    Deep down, she realized it was pointless to have this reaction to him when he’d never shown a similar interest in her. Sexy Rhys Miles falling for awkward and quiet Asa Chanthavay? Nah. Their hookup at that party was a fluke, a mistake. One night . A year ago, at a party she hadn’t wanted to attend, but did, she lost her virginity to Rhys. Unforgettable for her, but apparently to him, what she gave had meant nothing.
    The expression on his face right now must reflect hers—hurt, sadness, and regret. When they were friends, his eyes used to sparkle with mischief while a smile readily graced his handsome face. With Jo gone and their friendship torn, there was no reason for Rhys to return to Willowbrook.
    Yes, before he left town for good, she’d move forward and do the right thing. Ask for Rhys’s forgiveness, but not mention his comment at the party. Maybe then she could let go of her feelings for him. And when Eve returned, Asa would accept her offer to arrange a blind date.
     
     

Chapter Three
    They stared at each other like two angsty teenagers. Rhys kicked at the tire of the pickup truck before he turned his back on Asa and jammed the key in the door’s lock. In the truck, he started the engine, and not caring if gravel flew beneath the tires, he peeled out of town.
    If he wasn’t driving, he’d close his eyes and try to forget the hurt and sadness on Asa’s face. Yet, every time he saw her whenever he visited Willowbrook, Rhys was reminded of the day she had accused him of being at fault for her father’s death.
    In the rearview mirror, he watched her disappear into the café. Willowbrook . Shit, the last time he was here was three months ago. He’d stayed long enough to celebrate his grandmother’s seventy-first birthday but left town the following day for his home in San Diego, giving Jo the lame excuse he had more training to do.
    It wasn’t the training that had him hightailing it home. No, he wanted to avoid running into Asa. Yet, his avoidance of her had cost him more time with his grandmother. Even now he felt bad for leaving so soon.
    But back then, his grandmother was fine. Yeah, she had the occasional aches and pains in her joints. And yeah, she complained like hell about growing older, but her complaints were nothing new. Rhys had heard the same things for the last seven years, since he had come to live with her at the age of sixteen.
    In front of him, the sky was various shades of gray, upping his concerns regarding the weather report. While he had sipped his beer in the bar, the television screen had held his interest as the weatherman highlighted the trajectory of movement from the south that would later translate into a huge dumping of white crap on Willowbrook.
    Dammit! They had to be wrong. It couldn’t snow. He wanted the hell out of town, away from this boring shithole, and back to his crazy life in the warmth of southern Cali. Most of all, he wanted to keep on avoiding Asa Chanthavay for a final time.
    It didn’t used to be like this. After he graduated from high school and left Willowbrook, they had remained friends. Their phone calls and texting occurred so often, it was as though they didn’t live in separate states. However a year ago, two significant events in their lives had fractured their friendship.
    He told himself if Asa ever asked for his forgiveness for blaming him in her father’s death, he’d give it. But if he forgave