Page 61 of Somewhere Without You
He shiftedawkwardly,thennodded.
I jammed the key into the lock, the metal scraping against the bolt as Logan hovered behind me like a shadow.
“I bought a replacement,”he offered, likethatsomehow made up for everything.“I’ve got it in my truck, I can switch it out today.”
“Sure,”I agreed, pretendingI’dforgottenall about it.“Thatwould begreat.”
The door creaked open and Winston shot through it,nearlytoppling us both. I dropped the keys on the table and headed straight for the kitchen, searching for a glass of water.
“What’s with the window?”Logan asked, eyeing the duct tape stretched across the broken pane.
I downed half the water in one go.“Someone threw a rock through it,”I shrugged, as if itwereanother Tuesday.
He turned to me, eyeswide.“What? Who?”
I shrugged.“Take your pick. My family doesn’texactlytop the popularity charts around here.”
He studied the taped glass, jaw tightening.“Why didn’t you—”
“Call you?”I cut in.
Logan flinched.“I’m sorry.”
I crossed my arms, lifting my chin with false confidence. “I didn’t need your helpanyway. The duct tape works fine.AndDaniwashere to—”
“Dani?”he interrupted.“Who the hell is Dani?”
I paused, catching the edge in his voice.Wasthatjealousy? The audacity made my blood rise. What fucking right did he have to be jealous of anything?He’dvanishedfor almost a week without a word, and no real excuse.Besides, it’s not like wewereanything more than friendsanyway.Andeventhatfeltlike a stretch.
“Danielle,”I corrected.“She runs the county shelter. That’s where I adopted Winston.”I nodded toward the fury menace now snoring on the rug, his earlier chaos forgotten.“She stopped bythatnight and helped me clean up the mess.”
Logan’s eyes narrowed, but the tension in his shoulders eased at the realizationthatDaniwas, in fact, a Danielle.Still, suspicion lingered on his face as he turned back to the window.
“Duct tape’s not a real fix,”he said, running his fingers along the peeling edge.“Honestly, it’s notevena decent temporary one. They’re calling for heavy storms next week—this’ll peel right off.”He paused,thenadded,“I have to head into Clarksburg this afternoon. I can pick up some plastic sheeting while I’mthere. It’ll hold up better until I cangeta replacement.”
I chewed on my bottom lip.
“Why?” I asked, studying him like Iwasseeing him for the first time.
Logan tilted his head. “Why what?”
I set the glass down on the table and crossed my arms over my chest.“Why are you offering to help me?Anddon’t say it’s for Gran because I don’t buythat. Is it guilt?Oris it pity?Becauseif youfeelsorry for me, let me save you the trouble. I don’t need your sympathy.”
“It’s because I want to,”he replied.“Look, IknowI screwed up. I should’ve called. I should’ve said something.Butyouknowhow I am—”
“Used to,”I blurted out before Icouldstop myself.“Iusedtoknowhow youwere.Butwe’re not those people anymore. We’ve both changed—shaped by thingsclearlyneither of us are ready to talk about.”
Logan rocked back on his heels, face tightening. He didn’t argue, nor did he deny it either.Andthattold me everything. HeknewIwasright.
“So let’sgettoknoweach other again,”he said after a moment.“Come with me to Clarksburg. Spend the afternoon with me. I promisedI’dhelp you restore Gran’s garden, we can grab the supplies while we’re out.Maybegrab dinner after?”
I hesitated, wondering if thiswassuch agoodidea.
“Please,”he insisted.“Let me make it up to you.”
I glanced over at Winston, still sprawled in the exact spothe’dcollapsedin earlier.“Okay. . .”I said, shifting slightly. “Butcan you give me a minute to clean up first?”
Logan smiled, the tension in his face easing. “Take all the time you need.”
