Page 81 of Mafioso's Muse

When they were done eating, Willow went to change, returning in her running gear.

‘Ready?’ Lili asked mid-stretch.

Willow nodded. ‘Ready.’

They set off at a slow pace, side by side, beneath a pink sky. The icy June air hit Willow hard. Her body felt clumsy, every step requiring twice the effort it normally did. Despite this, the rhythmic sound of their feet on the footpath was oddly soothing and brought reprieve from her thoughts.

‘I already have a stitch,’ Willow said, slowing a little.

‘Better than the other pain,’ Lili replied, slightly puffed. ‘Don’t you think?’

Willow allowed herself a smile. ‘True.’

As they rounded the corner onto Park Street, Willow glanced in the direction of the coffee shop across the road, and her feet stopped. As if her thoughts had somehow conjured him, there was Vaughn Gallo. He had a coffee in one hand and his phone in the other as he paced the length of his car in his navy suit. She stood there drinking him in like a true addict.

Realising Willow was no longer with her, Lili turned around, jogging on the spot. ‘What’s wrong? Your stitch get worse?’

So much worse. Now she could add a pounding heart, burning eyes, and paralysis to her list of symptoms.

Lili followed Willow’s line of sight to the black Mercedes parked across the street. Finn was now holding the car door open, waiting patiently for Vaughn to finish on the phone.

‘Argh.’ Lili jogged back to Willow. ‘Come on. Let’s go before he sees you.’

Too late. Vaughn looked in her direction, and their gazes locked. He still had the phone to his ear, but he was no longer talking. A breathless few seconds passed as they stared at each other, frozen in the moment. Memories stirred. Shared glances, words spoken, the faint scent of cigarettes left on her skin after he’d kissed every inch of her. The sudden urge to smell him one more time was a little much.

He was the first to look away. Ending the call, he ducked into the car without so much as another glance in her direction. Finn walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in, and then a moment later, the car joined the flow of traffic. Willow stood there like an idiot, staring after the car until it was gone from sight.

‘That was painful to watch,’ Lili said.

Drawing a breath, Willow looked at her. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t ready to see him.’

Lili held on to her hips and looked around. ‘Should we keep going, or do you want to head home?’ She was trying to gauge Willow’s emotional state.

If Vaughn was making an effort to move on, it was time for Willow to do the same. A proper effort this time.

She swallowed down the hurt lodged in her throat. ‘I’m fine. Let’s keep going.’

Lili’s eyebrows rose. ‘Really?’

Willow broke into a slow jog. ‘Really.’

Lili took a moment to process the shift, then jogged up beside her.

Willow concentrated on the steady rise and fall of her breaths and the rhythm of feet once again. Focusing on the physical was the only way she could escape the emotional.

When they reached the next corner, she glanced over her shoulder at the empty space where Vaughn’s Mercedes had been, then continued running.

26

June 2024

Awarm light enveloped Vaughn as he stepped inside his family home. The smell of rosemary and garlic grew stronger as he headed to the dining room for Friday dinner.

‘There he is,’ his father said, rising from his seat and hugging his son. ‘Sit, eat.’

Vaughn nodded a greeting at Antonio as he lowered himself into his seat, then looked around at the food on the table. A platter of antipasti sat alongside crusty bread. ‘Where’s Ma?’

‘I’m right here,’ Paula said, entering the room with a large baking dish in her hands. ‘We were about to start without you.’