Page 28 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

She tried a little of each only to come to two conclusions: one, the assured way in which she’d handled herself in the kitchen revealed that she could definitely cook. And two: her favorite eggs were actually the first ones she’d made. She liked them scrambled with butter, on a low, low heat until they were only just done and still creamy.

Having made far too many eggs, she couldn’t finish any of them. Not ready to face the clean-up, she left them and wandered into the bedroom to find an oasis of white and calm.

The pretty King-size bed was covered with white French linen. Feeling suddenly tired, she kicked off her Crocs, took off the clothes that still had that hospital smell attached, and went into the walk-in closet.

The shelves were filled with beautiful satins and silk. Dresses in a variety of colors and lengths were suspended on the rail. There were Merino sweaters and cardigans, and leather jackets for those colder moments. A rack of shoes of all types, from flip flops to stilettos, covered the length of one wall, while another contained different bags and purses.

Jane gasped at the sheer volume on display, stunned that anyone would have gone to all this trouble for her.

Unless, of course, Logan always had these clothes available for his female visitors. That seemed a more likely explanation.

Picking a simple white cotton nightdress, she changed into it. It fit her so perfectly it could have been made for her.

She left and climbed into the bed and was instantly hit by how much more comfortable this bed was compared to the hospital one.

A whine sounded from the floor.

She looked over the edge of the bed to find Loki staring up at her, his tail wagging from side to side, back to carrying that shoe again. His hopeful expression tugged at her heart until she found herself lifting him onto the bed with her.

“Just this once, then, OK? But that shoe is staying on the floor.”

She wrestled it from him and dropped it on the floor. He looked at the shoe, wanting to retrieve it, but when Jane laid down, he yipped in excitement and dove under the covers. He investigated this new world for a while before finally settling down. His warm body pressed against her thigh as Jane allowed her eyes to close.

Thirty minutes later, she was still wide awake despite how weary her body felt. A sigh hissed out of her. Knowing that she couldn’t just lie there, she brought the laptop onto the bed and went back on the missing persons’ site.

She read story after distressing story until she was dizzy. Needing a change of pace, something light and inconsequential, she found her way to a gossip site and typed in Logan’s name.

She clicked on the most recent article.

Logan was being interviewed on his breakup with Ellie Godwin. Pictures of the two accompanied the article. They were two of the most beautiful people in the world and their coming together seemed like a fairytale.

Even the manner they had met was like something out of a movie: it was at a mutual friend’s wedding and by all accounts, the two couldn’t keep their eyes off each other so when the split had come, there were rumors of Logan’s cheating, and even hints that he suffered from an abuse problem.

Logan was quizzed about Ellie’s revelation that she’d tried to save him from himself, but he sidestepped the question, leaving the reporter to make up their own story.

Ellie had found love again now with a sports star, a football player, while Logan had been single since their breakup.

Jane poured over the photographs.

When she finally fell into a deep sleep, it was with Logan and his beautiful ex-girlfriend on her mind.

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