Page 24 of Beary In Love

"Maybe he's got allergies we don't know about."

She swatted his arm. "This is serious. I need to fix the potion."

"In a minute." He caught her hand, enjoying how small it felt in his. "First, admit it's at least a little funny."

Serena bit her lip, looking at the flower-covered fence. A giggle escaped. "Okay, maybe a little."

A few minutes later, Logan watched as Serena muttered under her breath, mixing another batch of potion. Her glasseshad slipped down her nose again, and she pushed them up, leaving a smudge of purple powder across her cheek.

"This one will work," she insisted, marching to a fresh section of fence.

The liquid splashed against the wood. Instead of hardening, the fence posts started dancing, swaying back and forth like they were at a party.

Logan doubled over laughing. His bear roared with laughter inside him. "Oh yeah, that'll stop Silas. He'll be too busy dancing to break in."

"Stop laughing!" Serena's face turned red as she rushed back to her workbench. "I just need to adjust the ratio of moonstone to..."

The next attempt turned the fence into rubber. It bounced when Logan poked it, sending ripples down the entire line.

"At least it's flexible?" he offered, wiping tears from his eyes.

Serena's lower lip trembled. "This is mortifying. I used to be good at this."

"Hey." Logan's bear stirred protectively. He stepped closer, still chuckling. "You are good at this. Remember that time in high school when you tried to make a healing potion and turned Mrs. Peterson's cat purple instead?"

"That was different! I was learning then." But her lips twitched.

The next attempt created a musical fence that played "Old MacDonald" whenever the wind blew.

Logan lost it completely, sliding down to sit in the grass, his whole body shaking with laughter. "E-I-E-I-Oh my god."

"This isn't funny!" But Serena's shoulders started shaking too. "I'm trying to..." A giggle escaped. "To be professional here and..." She snorted, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

That snort did him in. Logan fell backwards, gasping for air between laughs. "Your face when the daisies..."

"Shut up!" Serena collapsed next to him, giggling uncontrollably. "The dancing fence was worse!"

"The rubber one..." Logan could barely get the words out. "It just... bounced..."

They lay in the grass, both crying with laughter, while the fence continued its cheerful farm-themed serenade behind them. Every time one of them started to calm down, they'd catch the other's eye and start up again.

Logan's bear hummed contentedly as he lay in the grass next to Serena, both of them taking exaggerated breaths between lingering giggles. The breeze carried the scent of her vanilla perfume, mixing with the musical notes still drifting from the enchanted fence.

"Deep breaths," Serena gasped, pressing her hand to her stomach. "Oh god, deep breaths."

"That was your fault," Logan chuckled, turning his head to watch her. A strand of hair had fallen across her face, and his fingers itched to brush it away.

"I haven't..." Serena wiped tears from under her glasses. "I haven't laughed like that in... I can't even remember how long."

Something in her voice made Logan's bear stir protectively. The shadows that had lingered behind her eyes since she'd returned to town seemed lighter now, but knowing she'd been unhappy enough to forget laughter made his chest ache.

They sat up slowly, grass clinging to their clothes. Serena's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Oh! That's it!" She jumped to her feet. "Iron shavings! That's what I was missing!"

Logan watched as she darted back to the workbench. His bear prided itself at having helped lift her spirits, even if it was through failed potions and dancing fences.

"You sure this one won't turn my fence into a jazz band?" He followed her inside and leaned against his usual spot in the doorframe.

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