Page 55 of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
‘Check on me?’
‘Yeah, of course. Check on you. Haven’t seen you since trivia night when you bailed before the big dance contest, and I haven’t heard from you since.’
‘Been busy.’
‘Sure, harvest and all. You could answer my texts, though. Kinda thought you might be dead.’
‘Not dead.’ Just not in the mood to talk to anyone. Not while his head was filled with thoughts of Jeanie and what the hell to do about her.
‘How’s Jeanie?’ Noah asked as though reading Logan’s mind. Sneaky bastard.
‘How would I know?’
Noah gave him a knowing smile. ‘I thought you were friends, that’s all.’
Friends.Why did that word feel like a kick to the junk right now? ‘Friends, right. Speaking of friends, I caught the way you were looking at Hazel.’
The redhead’s cheeks blazed to match his hair. ‘Don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Logan crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the fence post. ‘She’s not like the girls you usually date.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Hazel’s smart.’
Noah scoffed. ‘I date smart girls.’
Logan raised an eyebrow. ‘What’s the last book you read?’
‘I don’t know! Is reading a prerequisite for dating Hazel?’
‘She runs a bookstore. Reading is her life. And I knew you wanted to date her.’
‘Maybe I could show her other ways to have fun.’ Noah waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Logan had the sudden urge to punch his overly handsome face.
He narrowed his eyes, something fierce and protective welling up in him.
‘Hazel doesn’t like that sort of fun.’
‘Oh, really?’
‘Stay away from her, Noah. She’ll only end up getting hurt.’ Logan knew how Noah went through women. He hadn’t had a relationship last longer than the length of a summer vacation. The idea of sweet, shy Hazel getting mixed up with Noah had all sorts of brotherly instincts flaring up in him. Not that Hazel was his sister, but when you’re friends with someone long enough it certainly starts to feel like it.
‘Who saysIwon’t be the one to get hurt?’ The sun glinted off Noah’s copper hair. The freckles dusted across his cheeks made him look younger, almost innocent, but then he flexed his forearm on the railing, and the half-naked mermaid he had tattooed there danced.
Logan huffed, kicking at the dirt in front of him. What the hell was he doing?
The absurdity of the whole conversation hit him smack in the face. He was worried about both his friends, not wanting them to get into something and then have it blow up in their faces. And it was turning him into a busybody like the rest of this town. He might as well join the book club at this point.
Suddenly, everyone’s concern over him and Lucy felt a little less judgey. Like maybe they didn’t see it as a failure, like maybe they just cared about him.
And maybe he was being a prickly recluse for the past year for no reason except his own damaged pride, and now he was going to risk a great thing with Jeanie because he was a damn coward.
Shit. That was inconvenient. Much messier than just being pissed at everyone including himself.
Logan shrugged, wishing he could shake off his revelation. ‘Yeah, sorry. Do what you want.’
‘So, I have your blessing then?’ Noah said with an impish grin.
