Page 90 of A Summer Mismatch
“It’s funny how these things work out,” Grandma said.
Julia shot a warning glance at her Grandma. I’m onto you,she mouthed, but Grandma smiled innocently back. If her grandma was going to attempt to bring her and Logan together, she could have at least warned her to brush her hair or teeth first.
Cameron distracted Logan for a moment by turning his hug into an attempted tackle, giving Julia just enough time to undo her bun and pull it into a low ponytail.
“Hi,” Logan said, coming up close to her with a light-weight canoe under one arm, and a couple sets of oars under the other. “I loved your book. Really loved it.”
“Thanks,” she said, feeling shy suddenly. She was used to people reading her books, but with Logan, she hadn’t even allowed herself to realize how much she needed him to love it until he said that.
“You two need to get out there,” Grandma said. “Before Grandpa gets burned. I don’t know if he wore any sunscreen.” She twisted her hands as she looked at where he laid back in the canoe, his hands behind his head, staring at the sky. Julia frowned. She’d never seen her grandpa so relaxed. Maybe he wasn’t okay.
She was still hurt that he’d tried to ruin her relationship with Logan, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t rush to him when he needed her.
“Thanks for the canoe,” she told Logan as he settled it onto the shore. “Can you give me a push?”
“No, you’d better go with her,” Grandma Winnie said quickly. “Just in case.”
“Just in case of what?”
“Alligators.”
Logan frowned. “Are these aggressive alligators?”
“Aren’t they all?” Grandma Winnie said. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, but I’d feel a lot less worried with the two of you out there.”
“I can beat them off with the oars while you get us to your grandpa. Or vice versa.” Logan said very seriously to Julia, but the twinkle in his eye belied his teasing.
“Okay.” Julia wouldn’t mind a canoe ride with Logan. He’d texted that he wanted to talk, and now seemed like as good a time as any.
“Get in first, and I’ll give us a running start.”
She climbed in, holding both sets of oars on her lap as he ran and jumped inside. The canoe wobbled quite a bit, and she gripped the edges.
“Uh, Samantha warned me that this canoe wasn’t super stable when she grabbed it for me from the supply closet. At least your grandpa got the more stable one?”
“I guess.” She turned to face Logan as he rowed them away from shore with long, leisurely strokes. It wouldn’t take long before they reached Grandpa.
“About Timothy—”
“I’m sorry I—”
They both paused. “You go first,” he said.
She swallowed. “I never wanted to kiss Timothy. Grandpa set him up to try to ruin our relationship. I promise I don’t have any feelings for him—”
“Julia,” Logan said. “I believe you. You don’t have to convince me. I’m sorry I ran off before we could talk. I’d received the call about Adia, and I saw you kissing someone else, and other than bright, flashing-red buttons of panic, every other part of my brain shut down.”
Julia recalled their talk on the pier, about how he was afraid of losing the people he loved. Adia might not be a person, but she could tell from the first time she’d met him, from the way he talked about his elephants, that he loved them.
“How is Adia?”
“It looks like she’s going to make a full recovery.”
On an impulse, Julia reached forward to touch his knee, and her sudden movement made the canoe rock again. They both held on to the edges.
“I’m so glad to hear that,” she said, relief rolling through her, both at Adia’s improved health and at the fact that they’d managed not to fall in. This canoe needed to be retired. She couldn’t believe The Palms couldn’t afford better equipment. But maybe not many people used it because they were worried about ending up like her grandpa, lost at sea.
Or at least, lost in an alligator-infested pond. As she looked around, she could see the pebbled backs of at least four alligators, and shuddered. These weren’t muzzled like Sweetie.
