“You’re really leaving,” I say.
“I’m really leaving.” Logan hoists the bag over his shoulder. “Tell Kai I said goodbye. Or don’t. I doubt he’ll care.”
He pushes past me and disappears down the hallway.
I stand there for a moment, listening to his footsteps fade. Then I head downstairs.
The dining room is empty when I arrive at seven. I pour coffee and settle into my usual chair with my tablet, scrolling through overnight emails while I wait for breakfast.
Dad walks in ten minutes later, looking tired. There’s bruising on his knuckles.
“Logan’s gone,” I say without preamble.
“Good.” He pours himself coffee and sits across from me. “He needed to go.”
“What happened?”
Dad gives me the abbreviated version. Logan cheated. Samantha walked in on it. Then she fell into the tunnel system and ended up in his wing. The confrontation between Dad and Logan ended with Logan’s split lip and departure.
“She’s staying?” I ask when he finishes.
“She’s staying.” He meets my eyes. “The blizzard’s coming in. She has nowhere else to go. And Logan doesn’t deserve her.”
I want to ask what makes him think we do, but Kai walks in before I can.
“Morning.” He drops into his chair and immediately starts loading his plate from the breakfast spread. “Where’s the entertainment?”
“If you mean Logan, he left.” I take a sip of coffee. “With Chelsea.”
Kai pauses mid-reach for the bacon. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Huh.” He resumes filling his plate. “Guess that means more bacon for us.”
Only Kai could reduce family drama to breakfast portions.
“Samantha’s staying,” Dad adds.
Kai grins. “Even better. She’s way more fun than Logan anyway.”
The door opens again, and Samantha walks in.
She enters the dining room slowly, and I notice the limp immediately. She’s trying to hide it, putting weight on her left leg carefully, but every third step makes her wince. There’s a bandage visible on her palm, and when she moves, she does it gingerly, as if her ribs are bruised.
“Morning,” she says, her voice steady.
“Morning.” Dad stands and pulls out the chair beside him. “Sit. Eat.”
She sits, and I watch her scan the table, taking in the food, the coffee, and the three of us watching her.
“Logan left,” Dad tells her gently. “Early this morning.”
“I know.” She reaches for the coffee pot. “I heard him packing.”
Kai passes her a plate. “His loss.”
She smiles at that, small but genuine. “Thanks.”
