Page 62 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
He could leave it there, but he still felt shitty about how he’d acted. ‘I am sorry about the other day.’
‘You don’t have to apologize for that. It’s what we agreed. It was my idea.’
‘I handled it poorly in the moment.’ He shifted toward her. ‘I gotta stop letting my past haunt me like that. I intend to, I mean.’
Jeanie gave a small nod, her body leaning toward his. He cupped her face in his hands again. ‘It’s really not about her anymore. It’s my own stupid pride that got hurt. I don’t want to screw things up with you, Jeanie.’
‘We can take it slow,’ she said, and he opened his mouth to argue, but she went on with a teasing smile. ‘Maybe just don’t throw me across the room next time.’
Logan huffed a laugh. ‘Sorry about that.’
‘Forgiven.’ The word ghosted across his lips right before Jeanie covered them with her own. The knot that had been coiled in his gut for a week slowly untangled with every flick of Jeanie’s tongue against his and every nibble of her teeth on his lower lip.
Logan lost track of time, lost track of everything until Jeanie pulled away and leaned her forehead against his.
‘The festival awaits,’ she said, her dark eyes glinting with excitement.
They had to go, but Logan had every intention of not getting interrupted the next time they were alone. A person could only take so many unfinished make-out sessions before they lost their damn mind.
ChapterTwenty-Four
True New Englanders love three things: the Red Sox, Dunkin’s, and fall. Jeanie knew this, of course. She’d been one for the past decade, after all. But Dream Harbor’s Fall Festival was a whole new level of autumnal worship.
The town square and surrounding streets were closed to traffic to accommodate the multitude of tents and tables and activities. There was pumpkin decorating, caramel apples, and cider donuts (that Jeanie could not stop eating, even though she’d already had three). Annie was selling pies and cookies, and anything made with apples or pumpkins, or cinnamon-spiced. There were tents selling all types of witchy wares: crystals and spell books and very authentic-looking witch brooms. Kids were lined up to get their faces painted, or for balloon animals, or to jump in the enormous bounce house set up on the lawn.
It was madness.
Delightful, apple-pie scented madness.
Jeanie couldn’t help grinning from ear to ear as she sold cider and pumpkin-spiced lattes to the seemingly endless line of visitors. The day had started out cold, with a light frost on the grass, but the late fall sun had warmed things significantly by midday. Jeanie had even unwound her giant scarf and tossed aside her fingerless mittens.
Logan had worked beside her all morning, occasionally brushing his arm against hers or giving her a slow secret smile. It wasn’t exactly a proclamation of his intentions in front of the whole town, but she didn’t want that anyway. The fact that he was here beside her was enough. More than enough. It was doing all sorts of warm, swoopy things to her stomach, making the whole morning feel like it was cast in a glow of happiness. She wanted to curl up in the feeling, like Casper in a patch of sun.
‘Happy Fall Festival!’ Isabel stepped up to the table wearing an eerily accurate baby Yoda on her chest.
‘Hi, Isabel! Hi, Mateo!’
Mateo-Yoda gurgled happily in return.
‘Enjoying your first festival, Jeanie?’ she asked, deftly sipping from her coffee while keeping the hot cup out of Mateo’s reach. ‘Hi, Logan.’
‘Isabel, hey.’
‘I am. This is really pretty incredible. I like your hair.’ Jeanie gestured toward Isabel’s classic Princess Leia buns.
‘Oh, thanks. It’s a whole theme. There’s a Mandalorian and a little stormtrooper walking around somewhere, but Mommy needs coffee if she’s going to survive this day. I woke up to said stormtrooper leaning over my bed fully costumed at four this morning.’
‘Yikes,’ said Jeanie, with a grin.
Isabel smiled back, her gaze flitting between Jeanie and Logan. Heat crept up Jeanie’s cheeks. Isabelknew. Somehow, with her secret mom and romance-reader powers, she knew exactly what was going on between Jeanie and Logan. Which was crazy because Jeanie wasn’t even totally clear on it herself.
In fact, she half expected Logan to put distance between them, to find cups to stack, or the next customer to serve, but instead, he shifted closer. His broad shoulder brushed hers again, the back of his hand skimming her fingers.
It felt like a declaration.
Isabel smiled wider.
Itwasa declaration.
