Page 73 of An Unexpected Home

“Hey,” she put her hands up, “I was just asking. Don't be pissed at me.”

“I’m not pissed at anyone,” she said a little more defensively than she had wanted.

“Yeah, it seems that way.”

There was a knock on the door. “Hey let me in,” Mel said from the other side.

“Oh my God, are we having a party or something,” Leah said and pulled the door open.

“I need to get away from Logan before I strangle him.”

“So basically we are all in here hiding out from guys,” Carly said leaning against the sink.

“I am not hiding from Brandon. I just needed a few minutes alone.”

“Well, I am definitely hiding from Logan,” Mel said.

“I thought you liked him?” Carly said. “Why are you hiding?”

“I do like him but this constant attention is weird and I think he is only doing it because he found me hurt.”

“Ahh, Florence Nightingale syndrome,” Leah said.

“That’s not a real thing,” Mel insisted.

“Yes it is.”

“Do you really think that’s what it is?” Carly said. “Because I don’t see that from Logan.”

“It would explain things,” Mel said.

“I don’t know,” Carly said. “Maybe he just really likes you?”

“There is no way,” Mel said. “All these years and now, all of a sudden, he likes me?”

“Isn’t that what happened to you?” Leah asked.

“Why is she so logical?” Mel looked at Carly.

“I keep wondering that same thing. It’s totally annoying.”

“With that, I am leaving,” Leah said and opened the door. “For what it’s worth,” she looked at Mel one last time, “I think you should open your eyes and really pay attention to what is going on with Logan.”

She found Brandon talking to his dad and instead of joining him, she stood back and watched. He was so handsome with his brown hair that never seemed to look bad. Today he sported a small amount of facial hair from two days of not shaving and even though she loved him clean-shaven, when his face had scruff, she was a hot mess.

“I remember those days,” a voice said from beside her. She looked to find Brandon’s mom, Alice standing next to her.

“What days?”

“The days where just looking at Charlie made me happy. He was so handsome, like Brandon and he made my heart flutter, especially when he would catch me looking at him and give me a wink.”

“How long have you been married?” Leah asked.

“It’ll be thirty-six years this summer.”

“How did you know that he was the one?”

“I remember asking my mom that same question.”

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