Chapter 30

ChapterThirty

Jeanie peeled open the fresh pack of Oreos and inhaled their familiar scent. They smelled like childhood and home, and like she could totally survive this day if she just shoved about four of them in her mouth really quick before she had to get back to the café to cover the register for Joe’s break.

She checked her phone while she chewed. A new voicemail from her mom that she was sure was about Thanksgiving and that she would deal with later. A text from Jacob with the title of the next book club book. And a string of texts from Ben.

Still alive?

Haven’t heard from you in a few days.

Did the sexy farmer chop you up into bits and bury you in the pumpkin patch?!!

The last one was sent twenty minutes ago.

Jeanie, seriously. You okay?

Oops. Apparently, she hadn’t talked to Ben in a few days, but she’d been so busy interviewing people to replace Norman and working any hours that Crystal and Joe couldn’t fill in. Things had been so crazy that Hazel and Annie had each taken shifts, which was so nice and made Jeanie almost cry any time she thought about how she had real friends now.

She shot off a few quick texts to confirm she was in fact not chopped up in a field.

I’m alive.

Sorry!

Super busy.

Love you.

She waited for a response as she ate one more cookie, wiping the crumbs on her apron. Her phone pinged.

Phew! Call me later. I want updates on the thriving business.

Jeanie smiled. Thriving? Maybe. She certainly had enough customers. She’d solved the mystery of who was causing all the problems; or rather, the mystery had anticlimactically solved itself. Now if she could just find some responsible college students to hire, she’d be all set.

Oh, and she probably needed to find a new produce source for her smoothies because she had no desire to see Logan ever again.

He could stay on that damn farm and hide away forever for all she cared. He could just go—

‘Where’s Jeanie?’ A voice boomed from the café and Jeanie froze where she stood in the breakroom, her mouth still stuffed with cookies. Did she somehow summon him with her thoughts?!

‘She’s on her break.’ Good job, Joe, Jeanie thought, chewing frantically.

‘I need to see her.’ Logan’s voice was loud enough that the entire breakfast rush must be able to hear every word. Especially since the bustling café had gone quiet as soon as he came in. She hadn’t told anyone what had happened between them, but the fact that they’d traipsed around the festival together and then Logan had completely disappeared from town for a week, had been enough to crank out some very strange rumors from the mill.

Last Jeanie heard he was riding a llama and meditating.

‘She ... uh...’

Oh, no, Joe was faltering. Stay strong, Joe! Don’t let the giant farmer intimidate you!

‘Jeanie.’ Logan’s voice was louder, like he had bypassed talking to Joe and was now just calling her name and was going to keep doing it until she came out of the breakroom. She glanced up at the one, small window but didn’t think she could fit through. Damn it.

‘Jeanie, please. I need to talk to you and if you don’t come out here, I’m going to say everything I need to say in front of every one of these nosy people out here.’

There were a few murmurs from the crowd – some disagreement about being nosy – until the dissenters were shushed by everyone else trying to hear what would happen next.

She hesitated.

‘Okay, I guess that’s my answer,’ Logan went on. ‘Jeanie, I’ve been a real ass.’

Someone in the crowd let out a little cheer at that.

Oh, my God, what is he doing?

She couldn’t let him do this. Not in front of everyone. Not with everything she knew about him. She wasn’t a monster.

She burst out of the break room. ‘Don’t!’ Logan’s gaze locked on hers. Shit. She forgot the way those blue eyes sucked her right in, like a damn magnet. ‘Just come here, for God’s sake.’ She came around the counter, grabbed him by his soft, flannel sleeve and pulled him into the break room to the great dismay of the crowd.

There were actual ‘boos’ as they left the room. These people really needed to get a hobby.

Getting away from the prying eyes of what felt like the entire town had seemed like a good idea until Jeanie was alone with Logan in the tiny break room. Why was he so big? And why did he smell so damn good?

His blue gaze roved over her like he was drinking her in after the drought of not seeing her for a week. She hated that she felt the same way, taking in every detail – from his trimmed beard to the dark smudges under his eyes. Maybe he hadn’t been sleeping well. Maybe he’d been thinking about her as much as she’d been thinking about him.

No, Jeanie. No. You will not fall prey to the sexy farmer again.He’d been a complete jerk. He’d slept with her and then had the audacity to tell her what she wanted, that she’d be better off leaving altogether! And then ... and then! He’d disappeared for a week while she was left here to solve mysteries and run a café by herself!

If there was one thing Jeanie had figured out over the last week, it was that she belonged here in Dream Harbor. She liked being here and she liked herself here. She still hadn’t figured out exactly who New Jeanie was, but she knew she didn’t allow men, not even the sexy-farmer variety, to toss her aside like that.

Having gotten herself sufficiently keyed up inside her own head, Jeanie opened her mouth to let Logan have it. But he was already talking. Apologizing.

‘I’m sorry. I should have talked to you sooner.’

Jeanie crossed her arms over her chest. Well, that was true.

‘And I never should have left like that.’ He ran a shaking hand down his beard. ‘I’ve got shit to work through, I know that. The stuff with Lucy affected me more than I wanted to admit, and I was scared to repeat it.’

Lucy. Right, one more reason this thing with Logan wouldn’t work.

‘Look, Logan. I can’t be what you want.’

He flinched.

‘I tried. I thought I wanted to be this new person, that I could be this new person. And I am a little bit, but I’m also still the old me. I’m kind of a mess, and it’ll probably take me several months to unpack; and I overreact and overthink. I tried to be a sunshine-y ball of quirky calmness, some archetype of the perfect small-town café owner. I tried to be like Dot. But I’m not. I’m just me, and I like running this café. My café. I don’t know what Lucy was like, but I’m not her. I’m—’

‘I don’t want her.’ His answer was sharp, fierce.

‘Then what do you want, Logan? Because I sure as hell can’t figure it out.’

‘You. I want you.’

Jeanie sighed, her emotions ricocheting between anger and hurt and hope. ‘I can’t—’

‘I want you exactly as you are.’ He stepped toward her, surrounding her with his outdoorsy scent and she almost caved. She almost buried her face in his sun-warmed flannel shirt and gave into his words.

He kept going, further weakening her resolve. ‘I want the Jeanie that almost decapitated me, I want the one who believes in ghosts, the one who talks to my chickens and runs through the rain to chase a farmers’ market tent. I meant it the other night, I like you messy, Jeanie.’ He stepped closer. ‘I like you every way. I like you in your buttoned-up blouses talking at town meetings. I like you when your hair is spilling down around you and you’re wearing that ratty old cardigan. I like wiping away your tears; and your laugh is my favorite sound.’

Jeanie swallowed the burn of emotions in her throat. ‘But you don’t trust me to stay.’

He blew out a ragged breath. ‘I’m working on that. But I trust you to tell me the truth and I’m ready to listen. If you love it here, then I want you to stay.’ He glanced away, giving Jeanie the chance to breathe away from the intensity of his stare.

Her heart was racing. Did she want Logan as a part of her new life here?

He brought his gaze back to hers and her breath caught. Of course, she wanted him, but she wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.

‘Well, I’m staying.’

He nodded, his eyes wary like he didn’t want to assume her staying meant anything about them being together.

‘I solved the mystery without you.’

‘I heard.’

‘Norman wanted to buy the café.’

Logan’s eyebrows rose at that tidbit. ‘Really?’

‘He was upset that Dot didn’t sell it to him. That’s why he was trying to scare me away.’

Logan huffed, shaking his head. ‘I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with that alone.’

Jeanie shrugged. ‘Annie and Hazel have been helping out. I’m in the process of hiring some new people.’

‘I’m glad. Did you tell Dot?’

‘Not yet.’

Logan nodded again and shifted uncomfortably on his feet in front of her. She could see his patience cracking. She could see himcracking wide open for her. ‘Jeanie.’ His voice was sandpaper, gravel under truck tires.

The sound of her name in that tone dragged the words from her lips. She couldn’t help it. ‘I want you too,’ she said, unable to hold it in anymore.

His lips tipped in the corner as he stepped toward her, crowding her in the small space. ‘You do?’

She nodded, suddenly unable to form words. He took her face in his hands and tilted it up. ‘I’m in love with you, Jeanie.’ The words coasted over her skin, warm and sweet.

‘You are?’

‘Yeah. Have been for a while.’

‘Since when?’ she asked, with a teasing smile. Logan traced her cheek with his thumb.

‘Probably since I saw your hedgehog pajama pants.’

‘Oh, no,’ she groaned.

His smile tipped higher. ‘Or it could have been since you enlightened me about the best snack foods.’

She laughed. ‘Well, I’ve loved you since I saw how many tiny pumpkins you could carry at once.’

He blew out a long sigh, relief and happiness dancing in his eyes. ‘Does pumpkin carrying rank high on a man’s attributes for you?’

‘Apparently,’ Jeanie said with a grin, and he kissed her smile. ‘It’s good training for this––’ She launched herself into his arms and Logan caught her with an ‘oof’ escaping his lips. His back hit the lockers, rattling them, and Jeanie laughed against his neck.

He squeezed her waist and held her close. ‘Warn me next time.’

She kissed him. ‘Deal.’

Logan kissed her back, his tongue found hers, his relieved groan vibrating through her.

‘I heard a crash. Everything okay—’ Joe’s words died as soon as he saw the scene in the break room. ‘Uh ... sorry.’

Jeanie gave him a thumbs up from her perch in Logan’s arms. He buried his face in her hair, hiding or breathing her in, she wasn’t sure which.

‘All good,’ she told Joe as he scurried back out to the café.

Logan grumbled against her neck. ‘Missed you,’ he said, before trailing kisses down her skin. Jeanie was about to tell him the same when a cheer broke out in the café.

‘Joe is not known for his discretion,’ Jeanie said, hoping this wouldn’t send Logan running again.

‘Good.’ Logan kissed her again; and then, still holding her, he walked back out to the café.

‘What are you doing?’ she squeaked.

He held her thighs tight as every head in the café turned toward them. Jeanie spotted the entire book club in the corner. Kaori’s eyes were wide as she nudged Isabel. Jacob gave Jeanie an enthusiastic thumbs up. Hazel had popped in for her usual latte, Tim and Tammy were here in their athletic wear on the way to the gym; and even Mayor Kelly stood frozen by the door, Noah just in front of him.

Good lord, what was Logan doing?

‘I love this woman,’ he announced gruffly, like he was expecting someone to fight him on it.

The café went silent.

Here it comes. The heart attack that I’d been running from, Jeanie thought. At least she would die in a beautiful man’s arms instead of alone at her desk. That was something.

‘We already knew that!’ Linda yelled from the back, breaking the silence. Laughter and cheers and a few whistles rose up in the café.

‘Not everything is about you, man,’ Noah told him, coming up to the counter. He slapped Logan on the back. ‘But congrats.’

Logan blew out a frustrated sigh. ‘This damn town,’ he muttered, and Jeanie giggled. ‘Noah, can you cover Jeanie for the afternoon?’

The fisherman grinned. ‘Of course.’ He hopped over the counter and landed beside a surprised Joe.

‘You’re taking the afternoon off,’ Logan whispered in Jeanie’s ear.

‘Sounds good to me.’

Jeanie waved over Logan’s shoulder to The Pumpkin Spice Café customers, who had already gone back to sipping their drinks and chatting about the weather, as though declarations of love happened in the middle of their morning coffee every day.