“Complicated ... ” Aunt Betty turned down the street that led to her house. It was a quiet road with large Victorian houses on either side. Families strolled down the sidewalks together, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. She took a deep breath through her nose and put on a patient smile. “Well, all that matters is you’re here now. I’m glad you’re back.”
“I’m not staying,” Logan reminded her. With any luck, she’d be with him when he left for good this time.
“I know. I know.” Aunt Betty said. “Oh, by the way. I forgot to tell you that you’ll be sleeping in the guesthouse while you’re here helping me.”
Logan had been watching a little boy ride a scooter several yards in front of his mom and dad, and almost missed the words. His head snapped in Aunt Betty’s direction. “The guest house?” Why couldn’t he stay in his old bedroom?
“There’s a family living with me right now.”
“An entire family?” The fact that a family was living with Aunt Betty even as she prepared to sell sent up all kinds of red flags. Aunt Betty would never kick a family out of her home, not if she thought they needed her help. But Logan couldn’t think of any instance where a family would need to stay with her temporarily—unless they were looking to take advantage of her.
“They don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said. “Besides, it’s not just any family, it’s?—”
“You can’t take in every stray and wounded cat off the street. Remember what happened last time?” He sure did. They’d ended up stealing valuable antiques and at least half of her jewelry. He hadn’t been there to stop it, but he’d heard the pain in Aunt Betty’s voice when she told him. She’d filed a police report, but they’d never recovered the missing items. He didn’t want to see her go through that pain again.
“Stray cat? Oh, Logan. They are people made inGod’s image, just like you and me. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t help them in their time of need?” She peeked over at him. “Didn’t I help you—give you a home and love—when you needed it most?”
Logan swallowed hard. She was the only one willing to take a chance on the rebellious boy who’d just lost both of his parents. “That was different. I was a child. These are freeloaders who?—”
Aunt Betty pulled the car over, just a few blocks shy of her house. “Now you listen to me, Logan West. I asked you to come back to Frostford, and as much as I’d like your help, I can find other people to make the repairs. Who I do, and don’t, allow to stay with me is my business, and that includes you, by the way.” She closed her eyes and lifted a hand to her temple. “Why don’t you get out of the car and walk the rest of the way to clear your head? I’ll leave your bags in the back seat and the front door unlocked. Come inside when you’re ready to be nice.”
Logan nearly laughed. Instead, he complied. It was like he was a kid again. As much as he wanted to argue, Aunt Betty made a good point. He was used to her tough-love attitude. Even now, she knew what he needed. Logan had been here for less than a day, and this town was already getting to him. He got out of the vehicle.
He stood stuck in his spot as he watched the red convertible disappear down the road. Was it too late to turn around and walk back to the bus stop? Notexactly, but he had promised Aunt Betty he would help. He wasn’t going to back down. It was the least he could do after all she’d done for him.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the sidewalk that led to Aunt Betty’s. The shade of the giant oaks kept him protected from the hot summer sun. As he looked around, he saw that not much had changed. The lawns were all perfectly manicured, the laughter of children playing filled the air, and Mr. Humphrey still took pride in his rose bushes.
The older man had lived across the street from Aunt Betty for as long as Logan could remember and was currently fussing over his prized blooms. Logan quickly turned his face and bent his head down in hopes of walking by and up Aunt Betty’s porch steps unnoticed.
“Logan? Logan West?” a deep voice called out.
Logan released a long sigh as he looked up. Mr. Humphrey was walking over and there was no avoiding him now.
The older man had more gray at his temples than the last time Logan had seen him, but everything else about him seemed the same, including a slight narrowing of his eyes as he took Logan in. Mr. Humphrey had always been vocal about Logan’s rebellious past, and it seemed that even years after Logan had put all of those antics to rest, the older man was still suspicious.
Logan dipped his chin in greeting and filled hisvoice with as much enthusiasm as possible. “Mr. Humphrey.”
“Logan West,” Mr. Humphrey repeated. “I thought that was you, but it’s been what, seven or eight years since you left Frostford?”
Logan rubbed the back of his neck. “Ten.”
Mr. Humphrey shook his head. “Ten years. That’s a long time. What brings you back?”
Logan hitched a thumb at the two-story house behind him. “Aunt Betty asked me to come down and help make some repairs.”
“Why now?” Mr. Humphrey asked, “Is she finally going to sell?”
Logan wasn’t sure what Aunt Betty had shared with her neighbors and didn’t want to break news she wasn’t ready to break, so he shrugged. “Not sure.”
Mr. Humphrey hooked his thumbs through his belt loops as he leaned back on his heels. “I can’t imagine Betty ever leaving.”
“I can’t either,” Logan said. Aunt Betty had lived in this house longer than Logan had been alive. She was deeply rooted in Frostford. As much as Logan was looking forward to having her near, it was hard to imagine her leaving this town.
Mr. Humphrey opened his mouth like he wanted to say more on the subject, but Logan quickly said, “Well, I’d better go ahead and get in there. No time like the present, am I right?”
He turned on his heels and walked up to the oldhouse. Like everything else in Frostford, the house was exactly how he remembered—just a little older. The porch swing where he’d spent so many early mornings in the Word and just as many nights talking with his friends still hung from the ceiling. The urge to sit down and rock in it was overwhelming, but he resisted.
Logan didn’t bother knocking before he opened the front door. Even the inside was like some weird time capsule. The same rug graced the entryway, the same pictures of his high school graduation hung on the wall. He ran his hand along the faded wallpaper as he walked toward the noises in the kitchen.
