standing in one spot turning into a human popsicle while you fall apart because people might think I traveled all the way from Atlanta to Good Riddance because I couldn’t stay away from you.” He made it sound totally preposterous.
He started walking and she had a choice. She could either walk or stand there staring at his back. She walked because she wasn’t done with him. “I swear. I thought you were supposed to be smart.” He was the one who was preposterous. “It would be fine if you’d done that.”
“It would’ve?” This time he stopped, looking at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“Of course. The problem is, it’ll already be all over town. By now everyone thinks you came for me. But you didn’t.”
“So, the embarrassing part is that I’m not a hometown stalker?”
Humph. Didn’t the man possess a romantic bone in his body? Apparently not. “FYI, that wouldn’t make you a stalker.”
“Oh, really? Then what would it make me, considering we never exchanged more than a couple of words in high school?”
How well she remembered those words. “Misguided, for sure, since you turned down the opportunity to escort me to Homecoming.” It felt good to say that. The wind gusted down the street and she resumed walking, this time in the opposite direction. She was cold and she had on suitable clothing, but still, the wind cut through her coat. He must be freezing. Even annoyed with him, she couldn’t help but feel concerned. They needed to get inside soon. “Oh…just never mind. But we’re going to do some damage control right now.”
“How’s that?”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the street, toward the bed and breakfast. “Before I introduce you to anyone, we’re going to find Merrilee and set the record straight. It’s already too late but the sooner we nip this in the bud, the better.”
“By all means, if that’ll make you happy.” Snow frosted his hair and she wanted to reach up and sweep it off. She shoved her hand in her pocket instead.
Ridiculously, what would make her happy was if he said he’d come all this stinking way to see her, but that wasn’t happening. “Happy’s a stretch, but it’ll do for now.”
They walked in the front door of the bed and breakfast, Jenna closing the door behind them. Merrilee and Bull, in the airstrip office that was the back half of the building, looked up.
“Hey, Jenna,” Bull said, enveloping her in a quick bear hug. Ever since she’d made the decision to stay last year, Bull and Merrilee had kind of adopted her. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have plenty of parents but it was nice to have a pair that weren’t marrying and divorcing almost as frequently as they changed their underwear. “So, this is your friend, Logan? Nice to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you, as well.”
While Bull shook his hand, Jenna shot Logan an I-told-you-so look. “Logan needs to talk to you guys,” Jenna said.
Bull and Merrilee exchanged their own look. “Sure thing,” Merrilee said. She peered closer at Jenna, “Are you upset, honey? In the year I’ve known you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you angry. Not even when you found out what a bottom-feeder Tad was.”
Jenna forced a smile. “No. Logan just needs to set the record straight.” She might’ve dragged him over here but she’d let him tell Merrilee—that was, after all, why he was here.
That earned her another questioning look from both Bull and Merrilee.
“Okeydokey, then. Why don’t we sit over here?” Merrilee said moving to the sitting area in front of the television. Dwight had apparently left for the day, since both rockers near the woodstove sat empty.
Jenna peeled out of her coat, gloves, hat and scarf. The pot bellied stove kept the room nice and toasty.
“How about a cup of coffee first?” Jenna asked Logan. “You could probably use something to warm you up.”
“Sure, but I’ll get it.” Logan moved toward the coffeepot. He was obviously a
He started walking and she had a choice. She could either walk or stand there staring at his back. She walked because she wasn’t done with him. “I swear. I thought you were supposed to be smart.” He was the one who was preposterous. “It would be fine if you’d done that.”
“It would’ve?” This time he stopped, looking at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“Of course. The problem is, it’ll already be all over town. By now everyone thinks you came for me. But you didn’t.”
“So, the embarrassing part is that I’m not a hometown stalker?”
Humph. Didn’t the man possess a romantic bone in his body? Apparently not. “FYI, that wouldn’t make you a stalker.”
“Oh, really? Then what would it make me, considering we never exchanged more than a couple of words in high school?”
How well she remembered those words. “Misguided, for sure, since you turned down the opportunity to escort me to Homecoming.” It felt good to say that. The wind gusted down the street and she resumed walking, this time in the opposite direction. She was cold and she had on suitable clothing, but still, the wind cut through her coat. He must be freezing. Even annoyed with him, she couldn’t help but feel concerned. They needed to get inside soon. “Oh…just never mind. But we’re going to do some damage control right now.”
“How’s that?”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him out into the street, toward the bed and breakfast. “Before I introduce you to anyone, we’re going to find Merrilee and set the record straight. It’s already too late but the sooner we nip this in the bud, the better.”
“By all means, if that’ll make you happy.” Snow frosted his hair and she wanted to reach up and sweep it off. She shoved her hand in her pocket instead.
Ridiculously, what would make her happy was if he said he’d come all this stinking way to see her, but that wasn’t happening. “Happy’s a stretch, but it’ll do for now.”
They walked in the front door of the bed and breakfast, Jenna closing the door behind them. Merrilee and Bull, in the airstrip office that was the back half of the building, looked up.
“Hey, Jenna,” Bull said, enveloping her in a quick bear hug. Ever since she’d made the decision to stay last year, Bull and Merrilee had kind of adopted her. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have plenty of parents but it was nice to have a pair that weren’t marrying and divorcing almost as frequently as they changed their underwear. “So, this is your friend, Logan? Nice to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you, as well.”
While Bull shook his hand, Jenna shot Logan an I-told-you-so look. “Logan needs to talk to you guys,” Jenna said.
Bull and Merrilee exchanged their own look. “Sure thing,” Merrilee said. She peered closer at Jenna, “Are you upset, honey? In the year I’ve known you, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you angry. Not even when you found out what a bottom-feeder Tad was.”
Jenna forced a smile. “No. Logan just needs to set the record straight.” She might’ve dragged him over here but she’d let him tell Merrilee—that was, after all, why he was here.
That earned her another questioning look from both Bull and Merrilee.
“Okeydokey, then. Why don’t we sit over here?” Merrilee said moving to the sitting area in front of the television. Dwight had apparently left for the day, since both rockers near the woodstove sat empty.
Jenna peeled out of her coat, gloves, hat and scarf. The pot bellied stove kept the room nice and toasty.
“How about a cup of coffee first?” Jenna asked Logan. “You could probably use something to warm you up.”
“Sure, but I’ll get it.” Logan moved toward the coffeepot. He was obviously a
Similar Books
