Page 44 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
‘Why didn’t you tell me about it?’ he whispered, letting himself get close enough to brush his nose in her hair. She smelled like French roast today.
‘I didn’t want to bother you,’ she whispered back. ‘Hazel’s making it sound worse than it was. It really isn’t a big deal.’
‘Yeah, but last night you were trying to tell me—’
‘Logan.’ The sound of his name, too loud in the quiet room, was an instant flashback to any time he’d gotten in trouble in class. Never for chatting with his neighbor, though; usually for staring out the window. ‘You and Jeanie must be talking about how much you want to judge the costume contest, since that’s what we’re discussing right now.’ Pete’s cheerful tone covered up the sheer evil of his words.
‘I ... we ... that’s not...’
‘Sounds fun.’ Jeanie, sweet innocent Jeanie, did not know what she was saying. The costume contest was not fun. It was a cut-throat competition filled with die-hard Halloween fans and no one was ever happy with the outcome. Logan had seen fist fights break out over the results. He usually gave the costume contest a very wide berth, preferring to drop off the pumpkins to the decorating tables early, and then get suckered into trying fall-themed beers with Noah (they were always disgusting, but anything was better than breaking up a fight between Big Bird and Luke Skywalker).
‘Wonderful!’ Mayor Kelly beamed, and Logan felt his soul wither inside him. This was bound to be a disaster. ‘Okay, next matter of business, bobbing for apples: good, clean fun, or ground zero for disease? Let’s discuss.’
Jeanie nudged him with her shoulder. ‘It’ll be fun, right?’ she reiterated in a whisper.
He nodded because he couldn’t bear to tell her how inevitably not fun it would be, and because he was honestly terrified that if he said another word to her, Pete would have him signed up to inflate the bounce house with his mouth.
Instead, he settled in, trying to pay attention to the insanely long, meeting agenda and not think about the warmth of Jeanie’s arm against his or the way she nodded along with what Pete was saying to show she was paying attention, or the fact that about halfway through the meeting, she pulled out her notebook and started taking notes accompanied by little pumpkins doodled in the margins.
How was a man supposed to concentrate on the pros and cons of a pie-eating contest when the woman next to him insisted on being so adorable?
It was inconvenient really.
By the time the meeting was over Logan was nearly twitching with impatience. He needed to talk to Jeanie without becoming the next topic on the agenda. Mercifully, Annie rushed off to attack Mac for parking in her spot or something, and Hazel went with her, either as back-up or to make sure Annie didn’t slug him. Logan wasn’t sure which, but he really didn’t care if a brawl broke out, as long as he was long gone with Jeanie by his side.
‘Want a ride home?’ he asked as Jeanie pulled on her coat.
‘I’d love one.’
They made their way toward the door, and they were nearly free when Kaori and Jacob sprung from the shadows like freaking book-wielding ninjas.
‘Jeanie, there you are!’ Kaori greeted her with a big hug, acting as though she’d just been reunited with a long-lost relative.
‘Hi!’ Jeanie grinned at the woman. ‘I just saw you this afternoon for your coffee break,’ she said with a laugh.
‘That was hours ago,’ Kaori said with a wave of her hand. Jacob rolled his eyes and shoved a book in Jeanie’s hands.
‘Next week’s read. It’s a super steamy one so I hope we don’t traumatize you too much.’
Jeanie laughed. ‘I think I can handle it.’
Logan stared at his feet, trying very hard not to think about what Jeanie could handle. He could feel Jacob’s gaze on him.
‘How did you like that other book I gave you, Jeanie?’ Jacob asked. His tone implied some inside joke that Logan did not want any part of.
‘I liked it. It was ... very inspiring.’
Jacob cackled in delight. ‘Oh, good.’ His gaze flicked from Jeanie to Logan. ‘Is life imitating art?’ He raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
Jeanie blushed to her hairline.
‘What are you two talking about?’ Kaori asked, but Logan had a very strong feeling he didn’t want to know.
‘Never mind,’ Jacob sang, grabbing Kaori’s hand. ‘Let’s go grab a drink before you turn into a pumpkin.’
‘See you at the next meeting!’ Kaori called with a wave as Jacob dragged her away.
Logan cleared his throat and Jeanie shifted uncomfortably, offering him an awkward smile. ‘That was just ... you know ... book talk.’
