Page 73 of The Library of Second Chances
He looked serious now, afraid.
Did this meanLoganwas Gatsby’s Ghost? She replayed every book, every letter, the night on the bench when Gatsby’s Ghost stood her up and Logan appeared. Had it really been him all along?
She could barely get the words out. “Y-You’re Gatsby’s Ghost?”
He pressed his lips together, looking more unsure of himself than she’d ever seen him, and slowly nodded.
There were so many questions running through her head, she wasn’t sure which one to ask first.
“And you knew it was me? That I was Island Girl all along?” She remembered how he’d found her that day on the bench and immediately shifted from confusion to anger. “That day on the benches—you let me think I’d been stood up rather than tell me the truth?”
He reached out now, touching her arm gently.
“No. I swear to you I didn’t know then. I didn’t get your letter until later. Someone took it by mistake and returned it with an apology note. I swear I would never do that to you.”
She was calculating days in her head as she took a small step back.
“But that still means you’ve known for nearly two weeks.” Dinner with his sister flashed through Lucy’s mind. “And you let me tell you and your sister all about my book idea.” She rubbed at her temple, her mind racing to grasp the timeline. “I feel so foolish.”
“I’m sorry, Lucy. If I could go back, I would have told you as soon as I found the letter. But I thought I was leaving as soon as the job here was complete. After you told me about your fiancé, I didn’t want to be one more person who left you.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “But then I realized I couldn’t leave you.” His green eyes pleaded with her. “Lucy, I never want to leave you again. Or this place.” He gestured around, indicating the island.
She looked back down at the letters. She thought of all the advice he’d given her all summer long, both as Logan and as Gatsby’s Ghost. She thought about how much her life had changed in the course of a couple of months.
She’d gotten the call this morning that she had been preliminarily approved for the loan on the building. This week, Leona was auctioning off her book to the highest bidder. They’d won the battle for the waterfront, and even the library was coming back. And she wasn’t sure any of it would have happened without Logan—the real version of him, the pen-pal version, the guy who fought to preserve the middens and historic houses.
Everywhere she looked, she saw Logan.
He’d taken a step closer, and as the wind shifted, she caught a whiff of his familiar cologne. She hadn’t even realized shewas crying until his hand cradled her head, his thumb sweeping across her cheekbone to wipe away a tear.
“Don’t cry, Island Girl. I never want to make you cry.”
A tiny voice in her head told her she should feel betrayed. That she should be angry. He’d known she was Island Girl for weeks and hadn’t said. But Annie had always told her that actions spoke louder than words.
Carter had said all sorts of wonderful words, but what had he done in the end? He’d chosen a job over her.
But Logan? He’d saved the waterfront, Hill House, and the library. All for her. And it had been him—as Gatsby’s Ghost—who taught her to believe in herself again and to take chances.
She let herself smile through her tears.
“They’re happy tears.” She nodded. “I’m so happy it’s you.”
Logan smiled before placing his other hand on the opposite side of her head and tilting her face up toward his. He leaned closer and gently kissed a tear falling down her cheek, his warm lips igniting something deep within her.
When his lips finally met hers, she could have sworn she heard fireworks over the water. His lips were soft at first, his hand stroking her hair, but then the kiss deepened, and he pulled her body firmly against his.
Like magnets locking together, she couldn’t imagine being able to pull away as she savored every second of his mouth on hers and the tender way he held her.
Later, as they held up their glasses to toast the waterfront, her book deal, the new library, and a brand-new beginning, Lucy realized she had everything she’d ever wanted and that for the first time in her life she wasn’t afraid of losing any of it.
Epilogue
Lucy
One Year Later
When Lucy opened the door and walked into the Little Free Library, she found an envelope addressed toIsland Girlin Logan’s now familiar handwriting. Shaking her head, she couldn’t help but smile. They still enjoyed leaving books for each other with little notes in the Little Free Library. Lucy felt the same fluttering in her chest each time she opened the library as she had when it all began a year ago.
Logan had hinted that she should visit the library today after work, and the curiosity nagged at her all day through the children’s reading hour and a handful of afternoon customers. Summer was just beginning, and the store was busier with each passing day. Even though she now had a fully operating online store that brought in as much revenue as the physical store, she was still excited each time the bells on the front door jingled and a potential customer walked inside. She loved helping peoplefind the exact book they wanted, and sometimes she even helped them find the book they didn’t know they needed.
