Page 70 of A Summer Mismatch
It seemed she wasn’t the only person keeping secrets around here.
“Where are you going, Horace?” She stood between him and the door, her hands held up in front of her. Enough was enough.
He put his phone in his pocket but wouldn’t meet her gaze, a tell-tale sign that he wanted to avoid this conversation. “The Watermelon Gala.”
“With Smitty?”
Then, it clicked. Only one thing could possibly bring Smitty and Horace together again. Somehow they must have found out Julia and Logan were going to be there. “You are not going there to disrupt Julia’s date, Horace.”
His mouth pulled into a straight line. “I don’t want them together.”
Tears of frustration sprang to her eyes. She hated that she cried whenever she felt strong emotion. “This is ridiculous. Let her be happy. Let her be in love.”
“Not with a Byrd. She’ll only end up hurt in the end. I’m trying to save her from that.”
“From where I’m standing, your saving looks a lot like hurting her.”
His mouth tightened, and he shook his head. “I’m right about this Winnie. I’m sorry, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to break them apart.”
Winnie pulled her shoulders back and looked him straight in the eye. “And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to bring them together.”
They stared at one another for a beat, caught in a stalemate. “I’ve got to go,” Horace finally said, circumventing her stance and storming from the house.
Winnie rushed to the bedroom to change into something nicer, getting Lydia on speaker-phone as she did. In the meantime, though, she sent out a text to the Secret Seven.
Winnie:The bird has flown the coop. I repeat, the bird has flown the coop.
Polly:The bird is Horace, right?
Winnie:Yes. He’s heading to the Watermelon Gala.
Winnie dressed even faster as she called Lydia to see if she could pick her up.
Their husbands were working together again, but this wasn’t how she wanted to see this happening. Once Horace put his mind to something, he always got what he wanted. And that’s what worried her most.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Logan
Loganpulledintoabeachside parking spot. A cluster of trees blocked the beach from the parking lot, but he could hear the faint sounds of talking and music over the ever-present sound of waves crashing on the beach.
Willow was on the phone, telling him about how their week had gone. The kids were doing better, and Jordan had finally stopped by to take them to dinner one night, giving Willow the evening to study.
Logan’s anticipatory nerves turned to excitement as he saw a few couples walk over the bridge, nestled in the trees, that led to the beach.
He adjusted his suit and brushed a few of Gatsby’s hairs off of the fabric. He was still finding the dog’s light hairs everywhere.
“Are you still good coming by next Saturday?” Willow asked.
“I’m planning on it,” he told her. He was coming to watch the kids while she took an entire day to study before she took her nursing certification test a week from Monday.
“Are you at the gala?” she asked. Leo and Amelia had told Willow all about Julia, and Willow had been pressing him for more information ever since.
“I’m here, so I’d better go. Love you.”
“Love you too. Don’t think about Raza or Adia, or me and the kids. Just be in the moment, okay?”
His sister knew him so well. “That’s my plan.” He smiled wryly. “We’ll see how I do.”
