He smiled, descending the ladder and disappeared. I stared at the flawless sketch hanging proudly on the wooden walls, unable to control the grin creeping over my face.

Chapter Seventeen

All Bets Are Off

By the end of September, Logan and I were in a good place. He and Oliver showed up the weekend following our tree house visit requesting my assistance in teaching Oliver how to fly a kite. Not something that took much of a lesson, but I was honored they asked. We spent the day in the town park where Oliver gave me a beautiful laser-cut butterfly kite. He explained how his daddy told him I’d love it, and I did. The day went off without a hitch; even the flirtiest of the single women at the park couldn’t hold Logan’s attention for more than a polite second. It was peaceful, and even included a picnic that Logan called in from Haven. Caleb personally delivered it.

After that, Logan was kept busy reinventing the newspaper while school became my main focus. On occasions, I would find him lurking outside my class when he picked up Oliver. The brief conversations or friendly nods were always followed with a swoon worthy smirk that left me breathless at times.

To my surprise and slight disappointment, he never again joined me for any of my morning jogs. I considered asking why, but figured his mornings were full with more important things. The town had been rallying around with support for the changes to the newspaper and for once, I actually enjoyed reading it. It was delivered every morning like clockwork. I never bought a subscription, but I wasn’t all that surprised to find it on my stoop the first time. Logan of course would want to brag about the paper’s turn around or perhaps just share in the success. I had to admit, Logan was doing an impeccable job making it appealing for all ages.

The first Saturday of October, Logan was at my door by ten in the morning ready to take me to a see a house I thought might be worth checking out. After both looking at a few houses in person and viewing dozens through texts and emails that Logan sent over the last few weeks, one place finally caught my eye. I was hopeful it would be perfect for Julia, less than two miles from campus and it overlooked the river that ran through the back of town.

“Explain to me again, sweetheart, why you believe this house would be perfect for my baby sister?” Logan stood in the center of the master bedroom, unimpressed.

The two-story brick home had been completely renovated from top to bottom. It was fit for any female with its modern but classic allure, including a pale-grey hue coloring the walls throughout and bright-white molding surrounding it. Nearly every room was drenched in crystal chandeliers and plush creamy-white carpet. It was fresh, clean, and sparkly. What girl wouldn’t like it?

“First of all, it’s gorgeous!” I squealed, skipping toward the mirrored double doors on the far wall. I sucked in a deep excited breath, my hands grasping each doorknob, and pulled them open. My jaw fell open. I was in heaven. The massive walk-in closet featured a luxurious center island for accessories with enough shelves around the room to fit an entire boutique. Jealous was an understatement.

“Forgive me, but gorgeous is not the word I would use to describe this place,” Logan said, standing behind me. “Over the top comes to mind, ridiculously excessive perhaps, but by no means gorgeous.”

“Ugh, and your house isn’t,” I scoffed. My fingers danced across the marble top of the island. “Looks like you’re just going to have to trust me then.” I smiled and glanced over at him, ignoring his scrunched brow. “I promise if you buy this house, Julia will love it.”

“And if she doesn’t, then what?” Logan walked out of the room. What a buzz kill.

With an eye roll and irritated sigh, I said a quick good-bye to the closet, blowing it a woeful kiss and followed. I’d always been a modest girl and living in a place like this had never been something I thought about, but I could still appreciate it for what it was. Breathtaking!

Logan was speaking with Paula, the realtor, in the foyer and as I stepped off the bottom stair, I suddenly began to worry. What if Julia did hate it? No, I shook my head refusing to believe any woman could not love a place like this. It was a dream house for anyone that appreciated the finer things in life. Based on the way Julia presented herself I knew this place was made for her.

Logan looked up at me, surprised when I grabbed his hand and led him into the living room. His hand was warm and soft, and the thrill of dragging him away added to my playful mood. The room was enormous of course, with a glass fireplace in the center creating the illusion of two rooms.

“How about we make a deal?” I gave his hand a squeeze; my body resisting the idea of releasing him, but I forced myself to pull my hand away. The gleam in his eye and bemused smile left me giddy. I grinned, certain my plan would play in my favor. “You buy this house for Julia and if she hates it, which she won’t, I’ll be at your beck and call for an entire weekend. Two whole days.”

Logan’s eyes lit up at my proposal, his eyebrows rising. I had a feeling he was the type of man that enjoyed a good wager.

“And if she loves it?” he asked.

“Then looks like you’ll be my little whipping boy for a couple days. I’ve been meaning to have my house painted. Not to mention, you’re a pretty amazing cook.” I brought my forefinger to my lips. “Hmmm, all the possibilities,” I giggled, playfully.

The thought of Logan shirtless, holding a paint roller in his hand, up on a ladder outside my house, was something I wanted to see…outside of my dreams.

“Yes, plenty of possibilities,” he added with his trademark smirk.

I rolled my eyes, and knocked him in the shoulder. “Don’t be a pervert!” I whispered, unable to hide my smile.

“You insult me, sweetheart.” Logan feigned a pout. “It’s your mind that appears to be the dirty one.”

After a sharp glare pointed toward him, he chuckled and we walked back out into the foyer where Paula waited, her feet shifting impatiently.

“It appears I’ll be making a purchase today,” he told her.

Paula’s face lit up. “Great, let’s head back to my office and start talking numbers to make an offer.” She held the door open for us.

“I’ll stop by later this afternoon. Miss Clarke and I have lunch plans.” His hand rested on the small of my back, leading me through the threshold, heating the skin through my navy cardigan. My stomach fluttered to life.

I raised my shoulders, chastising my body for betraying me. “Actually, Hilary sent me a text earlier. She needs to meet me in an hour,” I explained. My sole focus was on his hand and how good it felt, how natural. But I willed him to remove it. As right as it felt, I knew it was so wrong. We were two very different people. I needed more than he could offer me.

We stood in the circle drive looking up at the house once more.

“A quick bite, at least,” he insisted.

“Sorry, I need you to drop me off at my house soon. No time for lunch, but maybe next weekend.” I stepped back and his hand fell away. With a quick good-bye to Paula, I smiled and offered him a slight shrug.

The few other times we went out with the realtor, after walking through different houses that would never work for Julia, we always ended up at the diner or Haven for lunch. It had become our thing, but today I made plans. Hilary had been complaining I rarely saw her outside of school lately so a girl’s day was severely overdue. It was to start with an afternoon of lunch and pampering.