Chapter 6

Only a few seconds passed since that sentence was uttered that my phone started to ring.

"It's him," I whispered to Lory, looking down at the cellphone screen to find Mr. Rowe’s name flashing on it. My heart was about to pound out of my ribcage as my finger hovered over the accept button. I sucked in a deep breath before pressing it. “Hello?” I answered after a moment of complete silence.

"Willow." His breathing was heavy. He sounded anxious and relieved at the same time to hear my voice. “Are you well?”

"Um... yeah," I said tentatively. I had no idea why he was calling. Moreover, I still hadn’t wrapped my head around what had happened earlier.

"He didn't hurt you?" He bit out.

I hesitated to respond as my mind became completely blank. I had zero ideas what he was referring to. It took me a moment to consider that Virgil had already called and told him about the incident. Why would Virgil do that, though?

“Are you speaking of what just happened with Chris?”

“Is that what his name is? Did he hurt you? Tell me his last name. Why were you all alone?”

I recoiled and stared at my cellphone, perplexed by his barrage of questions. Part of me was flattered and honestly excited about his obvious concern for my wellbeing. Another part was disturbed by his probing into my private business from across the country.

“He didn’t hurt me. I’m fine,” I assured. “Mr. Grant happens to be the winner of your illustrious scholarship. Mr. Grant received the grant because of his exemplary conduct and achievements, did he not?” I was rather proud of the pun I had come up with on the fly.

He grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "little son of a bitch." I had to bite my lip to keep from giggling out loud. Lory just stared at me with her brow raised. I shrugged at her in response.

"I won’t keep you, then. Your flight is early in the morning. I wanted to make sure you were okay." He sounded so sincere in his worry that it warmed my heart.

"Thank you for checking on me. I am sorry I disrupted your night, Mr. Rowe. I promise that I am perfectly fine and my best friend is here with me." 

"Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything at all. Or call Virgil. Sweet dreams, Willow. I will see you tomorrow." 

"Goodnight, Mr. Rowe," I said slowly, not wanting the call to end.

No sooner had the call ended than I gaped at Lory. We erupted into a fit of squeals. I was thankful Virgil was not close by. What would he have thought otherwise?

.

Lory and I awoke at the crack of dawn. It was better to say neither of us got much sleep to begin with. But I was happy to dress up for once. I was a ball of nerves and wanted to look and feel the best when I met the man who held my future in his hands. After showering, shaving, and exfoliating to military satisfaction, I sat there patiently as Lory guided me through the steps. My hair was down, soft and slightly curled at the ends to make my hair look thicker.

I dressed in a white flowing summer dress Lory told me I looked nice in. And I had to admit she was correct when I stood in front of the mirror. It definitely highlighted my long legs and nice butt. I only wished I could fill out the bodice a little more.

“Perfect. Perfect. Perfect,” she clapped as she circled around me and checked for anything else I needed to do. I could have missed a spot while shaving. It was better being safe than sorry.

The clock read 8 sharp and my heart pounded wildly knowing that I would soon be on my way.

“How I wish you could come with me,” I told her.

"I will see you soon. Whether it is directly at Quentin in two weeks or if you come back to Atkins again to leave together… it doesn’t matter."

I sighed. “I don’t have a place to stay in Quentin right now. I will be back in a few days at most.”

She only responded with a hum, telling me she knew something I was missing.

"You need to call me every day. Make sure you update me on every small detail." 

I nodded. "Of course. I'm going to need your analysis," I teased.

We had stayed up for most of the night, going back and forth about what had happened and what could happen. Lory was fixed on the idea that Mr. Rowe was interested in more than paying my tuition after his call inquiring if I was alright. While I was nervous about his intense interest, I was mostly intrigued by how caring he was. I wondered what Virgil told him about Chris and his actions to act that way.

When the doorbell finally rang, I sucked in a breath and looked around my room. Everything I owned was packed and ready to go. There was nothing but emptiness left in the house apart from that. Lory grabbed my luggage while I did a final check on the things in my carry-on bag. I followed her down the stairs, snickering at her visible excitement. She flung the front door open. Virgil stood on the other side with a polite smile.

"Good morning, ladies." He gave us a curt nod.

Lory stretched her hand out to him. He took it in greeting. “I apologize for what happened last night. It was my fault for taking Willow there.”

He shook his head. “Miss Adams, please don’t blame yourself for the actions of a drunken moron.”

Lory kept her eyes on him. “Willow is my best friend. I consider her my sister. Please promise me that nothing improper will happen when she meets Mr. Rowe. I do not care how rich and powerful he is. If he so much as offends her, I will find a way to pay him back ten times over. He may be richer, but I sure as hell am smarter.”

My mouth dropped open at her words. The last thing I expected was for Lory to bare her fangs and leave nothing unsaid. However, this amused Virgil rather than offend him.

“I assure you that Mr. Rowe only has the best intentions towards Miss Taylor.”

"I sure hope he does. It is reasonable to think he has ill intentions toward my friend, though." 

"Okay. That is enough." I tugged on her sleeve to pull her away from Virgil, my face on fire from blushing. "Lory, I am going to be alright. I will call you as soon as I can, okay?"

She pulled me into her arms and I hugged her back tightly. Going from seeing her every day to not seeing her for a few at the least… would be difficult.

"I love you," she said, a sob making her voice shake.

"I'm going to see you soon. Our dreams are coming true, silly girl." I kept my tears at bay.

Lory nodded and pulled away, wiping her tears away. Virgil took my bags and made his way towards his car. 

"I love you more than anything." I gave her one last hug and followed Virgil. 

"I'll lock up," she called out.

I waved at her before getting in the car. Virgil closed my door and he turned to say something to Lory. She nodded at him and stayed on the porch as we drove away. I took one last look at the house I had lived in for years, a small voice in my head sure that it would be the last time I would see it.

Virgil drove in silence, leaving me to my thoughts as we sped down the highway. I finally turned to him, curious about the ‘protection’ he thought I needed.

"You told Mr. Rowe what happened last night, didn’t you?" 

He didn’t shy away from the answer. His eyes remained on the road as he responded, “Yes.”

"Why?" I asked.

"You should ask Mr. Rowe that." 

I sighed, knowing he would not crack and give me the information I needed. I tried a different approach. “How long have you worked for him?”

"Four years." 

"Have you ever followed any of his other charitable projects?" 

He glanced at me. "Is that how you see yourself? A charitable project?" 

I looked out of the window. "It doesn’t really matter. I am grateful he is funding my education."

When he didn't reply, I turned to him again. I noticed the light shake of his head and the indistinguishable muttering. I was sure he called me naive.

It didn't take long to reach the airport. Virgil flashed a card at the security checkpoint before we pulled up beside a jet with the initials RHI on the side. I was led up the stairs and onboard the plane by Virgil without a hitch.

It was my first flight and I was nervous. After I was direct to a plush seat and secured in, Virgil started to walk to the back of the jet.

"Wait!" I tried to get his attention. "Where are you going?" 

"I'm going to sit back here." He seemed confused at my question. 

My eyes were already watering and I was overwhelmed. "Do you have to sit back there?" 

After a long pause, he shook his head. "No."

"Can you sit somewhere closer?" I didn’t want to be all alone and vulnerable. “I've never flown before." 

He must have understood because he moved to the seat across the aisle from me. He gave me a reassuring smile as he spoke, “Don’t be scared. Statistically, it is safer to fly than drive.” 

Right. Statistically, I shouldn’t be scared. If only I could make the anxiety in my heart die down.