“That’s ridiculous. He’s here to help save Gram’s store, nothing more.”
“I saw him touching you.”
“He was touching myarm. Offering consolation because I’ve just lost my grandmother, and I’m in danger of losing her store as well.”
“I’m sorry for your troubles. Truly. But you could’ve askedmefor help.”
“I don’t need a bank loan, Logan. I need to turn this business around, and quick. And if that means accepting Gray’s help, that’s what I’ll do. It’s my shop, my decision. I’m sorry I neglected to inform you and sorry I missed our meeting, but I was—”
“Date.”
“—in the middle of some—” She gave her head a shake. “What?”
“You missed ourdate.Not meeting.”
He was quibbling over semantics? “Yes, fine. I missed our date. And again, I’m sorry. I’ve been pretty distracted and anxious as you might imagine.”
“I accept your apology.” He glanced back toward the staircase. “But I can’t say I’m too thrilled about your ex-boyfriend skulking around for the next two months.”
He was jealous. Which was absurd because Gray was the last man she’d trust with her heart. However, she wasn’t exactly feeling warm toward Logan now either. He didn’t seem to grasp the gravity of her situation. “It’s business, Logan. That’s all.”
He regarded her for a long moment. “All right. If you say so.”
“I do.”
“Okay, good.” He checked his watch. “Sorry to dash off, but I have a meeting in fifteen minutes. I’ll call you later.”
“All right.”
He gave her a peck on the cheek, then turned and strode from the store, his loafers silent on the wood floor.
Their first argument, if you could call it that, had ended with an apology and forgiveness. But somehow it had left her feeling... what? She couldn’t put her finger on it.
She shook away the thought. Didn’t matter. She had much bigger problems to solve and they had nothing to do with Logan.
Gray hadn’t expected to be heading home before noon. But his neighbor Mrs. Lyons called shortly after Logan Shackleford left the store to inform him that Dog hadn’t ceased barking since Gray left this morning.
As he exited his SUV he could hear the animal barking like a maniac. When he opened the front door, Dog fell on him like he’d been gone for months, all waggy tail and floppy tongue. “All right, all right. Yes, hello,I’m home. Was it really so bad—the air-conditioning, comfy couch, bowls of food and fresh water?”
Dog clambered in a happy mess all over Gray’s feet.
His gaze sharpened on the wood floor—or more specifically the hundreds of scratches the dog had clawed into the threshold. He gave the dog a withering look. “Really? You ruined the floor?”
Ruinedmight be a bit hyperbolic. He could fix it, but geez. Last thing he needed right now. The joyful gleam in the dog’s eyes tamped down his frustration. Yeah, all right. He knew a thing or two about loneliness. Still. He gave the floor one last frown.
He couldn’t exactly leave him home all day to damage his floor and God knew what else. There were dog crates, but it seemed cruel to lock the creature up all day. Shelby had given him permission to bring the dog back to the store, but Gray wasn’t happy about the inconvenience. Or the distraction. They had a lot of work ahead of them.
Now he was arranging his life around the mangy mutt. “Don’t get used to it.” He grabbed the rope-leash from the hook on the wall. “Come on.”
The dog trotted at his side, then hopped into the vehicle and sat on the passenger seat like he was human. Except for the tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. The dog was grinning at him, he’d swear it.
He turned onto the road that led to the store, his mind going back to Shelby and her confrontation—if you could call it that—with her boyfriend. He didn’t remember Logan from his years in Grandville, but Gray recalled the Shackleford family. His mom and dad owned the local supermarket. Hadn’t Logan’s dad run for town council a time or two? He couldn’t remember if the man had won, but probably. The Shacklefords were well respected in the community. They lived in one of the McMansions on the lake. They no doubt adored Shelby. Who wouldn’t?
It had been obvious Logan wasn’t too keen on Gray’s continued presence in Grandville.
Welcome to the club, pal.
Logan was a professional, judging by his crisp white shirt, red tie, and pressed pants. He hailed from a fine, upstanding family. Pillar of the community. The guy couldn’t be more Gray’s opposite. Maybe Shelby had finally figured out what she was looking for.
