Page 109 of Meet Me in the Valley

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Have fun.

A second later, his reply comes in.

Logan

My breath catches. I open the photo and nearly choke on a laugh. It’s Logan grinning like an idiot, an arm draped around a golden retriever wearing a sparkly pink tutu and a crooked plastic crown.

Chloe. The dog.

Not a girl.

Relief crashes into me like a wave, followed by a kind of embarrassed laugh that shakes out of my chest without warning.

Tia

What a pretty girl.

Logan

She’s a close second.

A blush spreads across my cheeks, full and warm, pulling my mouth into a wide smile I haven’t worn in weeks.

For a beat, I just sit with it. The photo. His face. His words. The weight of all that’s unspoken between us.

Tia

Is she yours?

Logan

No. She’s Roy’s new rescue. He’s out of town for a project at the same time his wife is on a girl’s trip. So I volunteered.

Tia

You look like a natural dog dad.

Logan

Yeah? Well, Roy’s gonna have to fight me to get her back.

Tia

Careful now. Roy wouldn’t hesitate to fire you ;)

Logan

Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Tia

What? Why do you say that?

Logan

Things aren’t the same.

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