Page 25 of A Summer Mismatch
“I read your books this weekend,” he said impulsively.
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
“Yeah.” His face turned warm, and he hoped she’d think it was from the sun. “I stopped by that indie bookstore on the pier, and they had them all in stock.”
“My grandpa makes sure they keep my books on the shelves,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t believe you read my books.”
“They’re not that long,” he said. “It took me about thirty minutes to read all three.”
“Yeah, but not even my ex-boyfriend read them. Just my family and a handful of strangers, really.”
Her ex hadn’t read her books? He resisted the urge to respond to that, and instead focused on the books. “They were full of heart. I’m surprised they’re not huge bestsellers.”
“The picture book market is large, and I’m a newish writer.” She shrugged. “I’m not in it to make it big. I just like telling stories.”
“My favorite one is about the costume-wearing alligator named Sweetie. I never thought I’d like an alligator, but I loved Sweetie.”
It was a clever story. Sweetie loved dressing up in costumes, but one day, her costumes went missing, and when she went searching for them, she met a golden lab along the way. It was a story of unlikely friendship and discovery and overcoming difficulties. It made him reflect on the unexpected turns in his own life, and the people he’d met because of them.
She bit back a smile and turned to stare out at Lulu, who had linked trunks with her mother. After a moment, her eyes almost seemed to glaze over, as if her mind had gotten lost somewhere else, and as she furiously typed into her phone, he hoped it was lost to her new story.
Logan, in a very concerted effort to give her space and not risk chasing her off, went over to Cameron. His speaking device hung from the shoulder strap on his arm as he stared contentedly at the elephants.
Logan pointed. “Do you see how they’re holding trunks? That’s because they love each other.”
He paused to give Cameron time to respond. When he didn’t, Logan pointed out the grass they were eating. “They love to eat grass, which would give us a stomachache, but it’s good for them.”
Cameron’s mom had mentioned that although Cameron didn’t always respond, he could understand a lot and loved interacting with people.
“Any advice for me on how to woo your sister?” Logan leaned on the railing beside Cameron as Lulu broke free of her mom to romp around a log. Julia watched Lulu intently and spoke into her phone intermittently. A dictation app maybe.
“What does Julia like?” Logan mused aloud, wishing it could be as easy as a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates, but they had a huge bridge to cross with their grandparents’ tense relationship. And it felt like he was in a rickety boatunderthe bridge at this point.
“Joos. Hugs,” Cameron said. He walked over to Julia, giving her a huge hug. Julia kept talking into her phone, not missing a beat as she wrapped her arms around her brother. Cameron snuggled in and seemed to forget about Logan as Julia scratched his back.
Hugs. Logan liked hugs too.
He’d never felt anything like this for someone before, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Julia had clearly put up a barrier, and he wanted to respect that. They’d only just met, and yet, he couldn’t get enough of her.
And she wanted distance.
He reluctantly waved goodbye and then pulled out his phone to text his sister as he walked back to the office, hoping to get his mind off of a certain enticing children’s book author.
Logan:How are you?
Willow:*GIF of a dumpster fire*
Logan:Yikes. That bad?
Willow:*picture of both kids crying at the kitchen table*
Willow:I’m about to lose my mind.
Logan:What can I do to help?
Willow:Adopt my kids?
Logan:*gif of someone signing a legal form*
