Page 64 of The Library of Second Chances
In the end, he’d been too scared. What if she was angry that he hadn’t told her sooner? What if that was how they left things when it was time for him to go? He didn’t think he could bear it. Those big brown eyes would haunt him no matter how far he went.
Logan had nearly made it back to his car when he saw Fuller’s name lighting up his phone. Clearing his throat, he answered and tried to sound more chipper than he was feeling.
“Hey, man.”
“Hey, who’s got the best friend a guy could ever hope for?”
Logan forced a chuckle. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Trust me when I say it’s you. I got the skinny from a friend of mine who works in the planning board office. They’ve narrowed it down to three candidates, and you made the list.”
Logan should have been excited. He should have been pumping his fist in the air and promising Fuller a big steak dinner when he got up to Boston, but he felt it was happening too fast. He wasn’t ready to wash his hands of Heron Isle and skip town. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Lucy.
“Wow, that’s great. Thanks, man.” Boston. It was the entire reason he’d come to Heron Isle, to set himself up for the Boston job. He tried to psych himself up, to push thoughts of Lucy and Heron Isle aside.
“Gee, I thought you’d be a little more excited than that.”
Fuller was right. He should be thanking him. “Sorry, I am. It’s great news. Thank you. Are they going to bring all three candidates up?”
“I’m not sure. There was talk of only bringing up the final two, but I don’t have a good handle on how they’re going to whittle it down. I’ve got some feelers out.”
Timing was everything. Logan needed to sell himself to the board in Boston before one of the other candidates beat him to the punch. He couldn’t just stay on Heron Isle and soak up the rays after the city terminated his contract. Boston was always the goal. He had to stay focused. If he didn’t get it, he didn’t have a backup plan. He’d have to wait for another opening somewhere else, which could be months.
“I need a meeting with whoever is leading the committee up there, and I need it fast.”
“What’s happening down there? I thought you had another month or so to go.”
Logan raked a hand through his hair. “Nothing, it’s fine. One of the council members made the city an offer tonight they can’t refuse, so they’re going to sell the land and the marina and get out of the property business. They’ll make more than I could have found for them piecing together a bunch of little stuff. They can take it from here, so now I can focus on what’s next. And that’s Boston. I want that job, Fuller.”
“Man, it would be great to have you up here. I told you I’d go to bat for you. Let me make a few calls, okay?”
“Thanks, Fuller. I owe you one.”
His best friend promised to be back in touch soon and they hung up.
Logan was still parked in his spot downtown. Everything was closed up for the night, and his car was one of the only ones along the town square. From where he was parked, he could just make out the Little Free Library in the distance under a streetlight. He couldn’t stop one question from repeating in his brain, and it wasn’t about Boston.
What was he going to do about Lucy?
What was bound to happen with the waterfront was enough of a blow for her. She didn’t need to be hit with more. She’d had enough people disappoint her. He couldn’t be another to add to the list. It was time to get out of Heron Isle before he hurt her even more than he maybe already had.
As he pulled into the driveway of crushed shells in front of his beach cottage, his phone lit up in the cup holder. It was Fuller again.
“That was fast.”
“Hey, it’s all about who you know, right?” Fuller sounded like he had good news.
“And I take it it’s a good thing I know you?”
“It is indeed.” He could hear Fuller smiling through the phone. “It’s possible the director of the planning board has an assistant who can’t resist the old Fuller charm.”
“I bet she can’t.” Logan smiled, remembering how Fuller had talked their way onto a bus full of women celebrating a bachelorette party the last time he’d visited him. The ladies loved Fuller, and he loved the ladies.
“9:00 a.m. Friday. You’re on his calendar. Can you get here that fast?”
That was only a day away.
“I’ll be there. Fuller, you are still the man.”
