He didn’t.
“No coupon, no date. Good to see you, Logan. Sorry about the hundred bucks.” I gave him a grin to let him know I wasn’t all that sorry and left him standing there, dejected, but with a growing smile on his face. Strike three.
Game over.
Deep down, past the prickly exterior of my current existence, lived a little girl who was delighted that her childhood crush was here for the summer. Somewhere, deep inside, that little girl was scampering through a field of wildflowers at the news. This was the stuff of dreams. Of romance novels. A summer with my long-unrequited crush.
But the heroine in my story had been broken, and the hero looked to be made of the same stuff as the last guy. If my year of expensive therapy had taught me anything, it was that I couldn’t throw my self-worth down the drain at the whim of some man. Even if that man was Logan. I remembered the way his eyes moved from my face to check out the women walking by and felt my heart go cold again.
Especiallyif that man was Logan.
4
Tessa
My feet made a soft, crunching sound on the gravel road as I ran. I kept my focus forward, my gait long, and my body felt strong and steady. The June air was crisp and smelled of fresh-cut hay and a touch of exhaust. The hair I kept high in a ponytail bounced against my shoulders in rhythm with my stride. The stiff cold in my muscles had warmed considerably while the numbness in my bones had spread, making the running feel automatic.
I was three miles into my five-mile run when I rounded the curve in the road that led onto the main street of Eugene—the only street in the whole town boasting a stoplight along with a hardware store, tractor parts store, a grocery store, and the post office.
As I hit the back road that would lead back to my house, I pulled out my phone to check the time. Perfect. 7 a.m. Kelsey had some answering to do. I meant to call last night to quiz her on her silence but needed to process what had happened at the restaurant. Kelsey would have wanted details, and I didn’t want her commentary on my interactions with Logan. Had she hinted at Logan coming this summer and I missed it? Was there a code somewhere? I scanned my phone for the last few messages Kelsey had sent me.
I was looking specifically for something that said,Hey, my idiot brother is going to be in Eugene this summer, same as you. Crazy world, huh?Or,Tess, my brother called and wanted your number. He said he’s changed his womanizing ways and can only think of you.
Except, I didn’t get any of those. I did get a few of these:
Kelsey: I have this new, weird mole in that crease between my butt cheek and thigh. The borders don’t look crazy yet, but I will definitely keep you posted.
Me: You know I love that.
Kelsey: I peed all over myself today because my beloved spouse plastic-wrapped the toilet seat. Any good ideas?
Me: Itching powder in his shaving cream?
Kelsey: Is there real, legit itching powder in the world?
Me: Not sure.
One week later.
Kelsey: FYI. Itching powder IS a thing and it works.
Kelsey: Cade just informed me that YOU helped him get my car onto cinder blocks. I gave you RIDES to school in that car.
Me: You’re breaking up. I can’t understand your last message.
Kelsey: UGHHHHH.
Me: On a super-unrelated note, what is Cade’s social security number?
She deserved this. I hit number 3 on my phone’s favorites list. In Kelsey’s world, 7 a.m. on a Saturday was still the middle of the night. My best friend grew up on a farm, but it was sometimes hard to tell. After about seven rings, a groggy voice answered.
“Why is this happening?”
“Good morning, traitor.” My voice was cheerful as I took a deep breath, the smell of the hayfield next to me entering my lungs. For the first time all morning, I slowed enough to take in the towering pine-filled mountains in the distance. I felt like doing a happy dance. How anybody could live where there were no mountains was beyond me.
Waking Kelsey up early with a chipper phone call was also a good time.
“I thought we had a no-calls-before-ten-a.m. rule?”
