Girl Get Rid Of That Jerk (Williams and Shawn)

Allison gave a quick, "Okay."

Willow's husband was crouched by the stove, feeding the fire. Brooklyn, meanwhile, was off to the side, entertaining Willow's two-year-old son, Harry.

After finishing up with the veggies, Allison glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of Brooklyn and Harry playing together. She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Wow, Brooklyn, I never pictured you as someone who actually likes kids."

Brooklyn always had that icy vibe about her-sharp, distant, not exactly the warm and fuzzy type. Liking kids just didn't seem like her thing.noveldrama

With a completely straight face, Brooklyn dangled a superhero toy in front of Harry. "He's kind of entertaining," she said flatly.

Allison: "..."

Willow and her husband: "..."

The whole room seemed to freeze.

Silence.

The kind of silence that makes you want to crawl under the table.

A few seconds ticked by before Allison let out an awkward laugh and turned to Willow. "Sorry about her. Seriously, don't mind Brooklyn-she's just not great with words. She meant Harry is cute, I promise."

Willow's mouth twitched, half amused, half confused. "Your friend's definitely... something."

Allison shrugged, smiling. "She hardly ever hangs out with kids. It's new for her."

When dinner was ready, everyone gathered around the round table. Just as they were about to dig in, Willow's phone rang.

She glanced at the screen. "It's a number from Oak Lake. Is that someone for you?"

Allison shrugged. "No idea. Maybe. Just answer it and see."

Willow picked up. "Hello? Can I help you?"

There was a brief exchange. Willow looked up at Allison. "Yep, she's here with me." She handed over the phone. "It's for you-says it's your friend."

Allison took the phone. "Hello?"

The second she spoke, she heard a relieved sigh on the other end.

A familiar, deep voice filled her ear-warm, a little rough around the edges. "Allie,

are you okay? I've been trying to reach you all day."

Before she could say anything,

Joshua kept going, his words tumbling out. "I called you over a hundred times today. Nothing went through, and you didn't answer any of my texts. I was going crazy. I even called Olivia and Sabrina, but they didn't know where you were swung by your office, and they told me you went to Havenbrook to see someone named Willow."

He sounded genuinely worried. "I saw the news about the floods in Havenbrook. I've been freaking out. Allie, why couldn't I get ahold of you? Is something wrong?"

Allison hesitated, chewing on her lip. "I'm fine. My phone just... fell in the water by accident."

For a second, Joshua didn't say anything. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and a little hurt. "You couldn't borrow someone's phone to call me? I've been worried sick over here."

Allison blurted out, "My phone only fell in last night. It hasn't even been a full day -not even twenty-four hours! How was I supposed to know you'd be blowing up my phone? Plus, I—"

She stopped, then mumbled, embarrassed, "I don't... actually know your number by heart."

Another long pause.

Great. Just great.

She couldn't even remember his phone number.

Joshua let out a slow breath, clearly trying to keep it together.

This wasn't the time to argue.

His voice came out rough. "Every flight to Havenbrook is delayed, the trains are shut down, so after I left the office, just drove out here. I'm in Linden City now should get to Havenbrook around one in the morning."

"You drove all the way here?" Allison was stunned.

Joshua just replied with a tired "Mm."

She couldn't believe it. "Oak Lake is, what, over nine hundred kilometers from here? You drove all that way by yourself. It's been pouring for days the roads are a mess! W would you come to Hevenbrook? Just go back, seriously!"