A Kiss to Build a Dream On Read Online Free PDF Page B

of her own grief.
    Willa trembled at the memories she’d locked away for so long. Their bodies pressed together in the back of Burk’s old Chevy. Willa’s bed at night, when he’d climb the trellis and sneak in. Later, after her mom fled the house, he came in the front door. They’d spent whole nights together, and she could remember his fingers trailing down her skin, both of them shivering with excitement and maybe a little bit of fear.
    You never forget your first time. And sometimes those memories get you all hot and bothered while you walk across a field , Willa thought.
    She shook her head, wanting to tuck her memories away. After all, it wasn’t exactly an ideal time. Her dad had passed, her mom had taken off, and her story with Burk hadn’t ended happily ever after. She wasn’t exactly brimming with warm feelings for that period.
    Instead, she focused on the other side of the track. Her high school classmate Audrey Tanner was standing near a cluster of aluminum bleachers. It had been twelve years since they’d seen each other, but they’d recently gotten back in touch on Facebook. Out of all the friend requests Willa had sent to her old classmates when she knew she’d be coming back to White Pine, Audrey’s had been one of the few that had been accepted.
    “You made it!” Audrey said as Willa approached. Audrey’s white teeth flashed, and her thick brown ponytail bounced. Willa relaxed slightly when the note of sarcasm she’d half expected to hear in Audrey’s voice wasn’t there.
    “It’s so good to see you,” Willa replied as the two women embraced. Willa couldn’t remember them ever hugging in high school, but here they were, clutching each other as if they’d been best friends. Willa was so used to the brief, showy hugs of her friends in New York that she was surprised to find herself squeezing Audrey for real. She told herself it was because she was trying to show Audrey she wasn’t an ice queen anymore, but part of her wondered if she was actually, genuinely desperate for a few crumbs of affection.
    It didn’t help that the close hug meant Willa could feel Audrey’s lean, muscled figure underneath her workout clothes. She pushed down a stab of envy. Audrey was the high school girls’ track coach now, and had almost the same body as she did when she and Willa had run together all those years ago. As the two women separated, Willa pulled her jacket more tightly around her torso. Her figure was decidedly not the same.
    “It’s so insane that you’re here,” Audrey said, her molasses brown eyes fixed on Willa’s. “I can’t believe you actually moved back. How are you settling in?”
    Willa hedged, suddenly wondering how to answer. The coffee here is swill and I’d kill for real espresso. Burk Olmstead is my contractor and it took my breath away to see him again. Sometimes at night I think it’s too quiet and I can hear my own pulse. Instead, she gave Audrey her biggest Miss Dairy Pageant smile. If she was going to build a new life in White Pine, she needed to convince everyone that she—the former prom queen, track star, and pageant winner—not only belonged here, but loved it.
    “It’s wonderful. I am beyond excited to get my B and B up and running. It’s going to be just like having one of those romantic East Coast establishments right here in White Pine.”
    She hated the tinny sound of her own voice, how high-pitched it seemed as she worked to cover up her fear of being here. Of failing again. Of being in White Pine only because she had no other choice.
    Audrey’s smile didn’t falter. “If you need anything, be sure to let me know. And of course, you’ll have to come to Knots and Bolts. Everyone will want to see you.”
    “Knots and what?” Willa asked, wondering if Audrey was setting her up for something involving ropes. Just then, a swarm of girls came pouring out of the high school. They gathered around Audrey, who gave Willa a hold-on-a-minute