Page 11 of Won't Back Down
“How come?”
Sucking in a breath, she turned to face me, and her eyes were utterly devastated. “I was the one who found him.”
Oh God.
I didn’t think, didn’t question. I just pulled her straight into my arms, wanting to do something—anything—to take away some of her pain. Unlike yesterday, when we’d had an audience, she burrowed in, pressing her cheek to my chest and wrapping her arms around my waist like I was the only thing keeping her from being lost at sea. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the vanilla and lavender scent of it as I held on. This was the first truly real hug with genuine connection that we’d shared since I’d left for basic training.
My hand found its way beneath the fall of her hair to gently massage at the tension in her nape. The muscles at the base of her neck were hard as iron. “Is it seeing where his body was? Remembering?”
“That. And I’m terrified this is going to be the last time I ever see this place.”
“What do you mean?”
Willa pressed so close, her voice muffled against my chest. “They only had one daughter. Everything’s going to my mother, and we all know my dad controls her. So they’ll probably end up selling everything to developers and ruining the island. Relocating the horses. I’m afraid they’re going to destroy everything I love about this place.”
Given who her parents were, those were legitimate fears. Jesus, no wonder she wasn’t sleeping. I didn’t want to blow smoke up her ass, but maybe I could mitigate some of this. “Are you aware of what was in your grandfather’s will? Did he say he’s leaving everything to your mom?”
“No. We didn’t talk about any of that. We only reconnected in the last couple of years, and that just didn’t feel necessary to discuss or really any of my business. I didn’t renew my relationship with them because of what I could get out of them.”
Of course she hadn’t. That wasn’t her way.
I eased back just far enough to tip her face up toward mine. God, her skin was soft. “Then you don’t actually know what’s going to happen, so let’s not borrow trouble. Let’s just deal with what’s in front of us right now.”
She sucked in another breath and nodded. “Okay.”
Some of the tension bled out of her before she pulled away and opened the kitchen door.
We stepped inside. The air was stale and still. I noted a pile of clean dishes in the rack beside the sink. The flat cap her grandfather had so frequently worn hung on a peg by the door, above an urn holding umbrellas and the carved wooden cane he used when walking the beach. A fine layer of dust seemed to have settled over everything—the only real sign no one had been here in a while.
I trailed Willa as she moved through the room, scanning everything.
“The kitchen needs to be cleaned. Really, everything needs to be aired out and cleaned.”
“Why?” When she just looked at me, I rushed to add, “No disrespect to your grandparents, but why does this need doing now instead of later?”
“I’m the last Sutter. Or, at least, the only one who’s here. Everybody’s going to want to come through and pay their respects. The expectation is that I’ll open the house to the community.” As she tensed up again, Roy whined and nudged her hand with his big head. She automatically stroked him.
Mindful of the dog, I cupped the slim shoulders she’d piled so much on. “The island has always held immense respect for your grandparents and everything they’ve done for Hatterwick. I know it’s going to be hard on you, dealing with all those people, dealing with your parents. But you’re not going to have to do it alone. I promise, all of us are going to be there for you. And maybe it’ll be a good thing to hear from the community how much they’ll both be missed.”
“Maybe. I won’t be able to keep Roy with me in the middle of all that. He’s exceptionally well trained, but I’m going to be so wound up, I can’t be absolutely certain he won’t try to defend me, and I won’t risk him getting in trouble for that.”
It was so absolutely Willa that she was focused on the consequences to the dog.
“Then I’ll be your guard dog.”
Her brows drew together.
Her long, swoopy bangs had fallen into her eyes, and I couldn’t stop myself from brushing them back. “Look, I don’t have to know what happened with your parents to know that this is going to be rough. If you don’t want them to get anywhere near you, I won’t let them. Period. End of story. Consider me your bodyguard for as long as you need me.”
“You’d really do that for me?”
Wren, I’ll do anything for you. The certainty of it hit me like a Mack truck, but I kept my tone matter-of-fact. “Of course.”
The sudden release of tension in her posture told me she believed me. “My parents and I have been fully estranged for years.”
I’d suspected as much, though we hadn’t talked about it. That confirmed what Mimi and Mama Flo had said at breakfast. “Okay. Then I’ll make sure it stays that way.”
Because we’d slid well past the realm of friendly comfort, I forced myself to release her. “Now let’s finish making a list of everything that needs to get done, and we’ll activate the island grapevine to get you the help to do it.”