Erin hated the comfort those words gave her. Logan wasn’t offering anything more than help with a toilet that wouldn’t flush, but to have someone tell her they were in it together, that he was going to help her, gave her hope—even if it was only for one afternoon.
Erin pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. They’d made it the entire way to the hardware store without fighting. They’d even managed to have a cordial conversation. She was thankful for small mercies.
Logan opened the car door and started to step out. With one leg out, he paused and looked at her. “I’ll grab the snake. I’ll be right back.”
Erin nodded. “Sounds good.”
Logan going into the store alone would give her a chance to sit alone. It wasn’t a bubble bath, but at least she had a few minutes to herself without anything else to do.
Erin watched as Logan disappeared inside the store. Being alone in the car would also give her theopportunity to sort through her feelings about Logan. As hard as it was to admit, she was really glad he was here and willing to help. She didn’t want to do this alone, and it was hard to be angry with him since he’d agreed to help her without any hesitation.
Her feelings were difficult to sort through. But she wasn’t given much time to ponder it because Logan reappeared within minutes with a box tucked under his arm. He opened one of the back doors of the station wagon and put it on the back seat.
“Thank you,” she said as he sat in the passenger seat.
“Don’t thank me yet,” he answered with a chuckle. “I haven’t fixed it yet.”
“Still.” She turned the car back on. “I don’t know what to do with a snake.” There were so many things she didn’t know about home improvements. It hadn’t been a problem when Jake was alive. Now, she was playing catch up on things like basic plumbing.
“You think I do?” Logan asked.
“Y-you don’t?” She’d just assumed with the confidence he’d spoken. She was relieved that she wasn’t as clueless as she’d originally thought.
“I’ve only used one once.” He paused. “When I was living with Aunt Betty, back in high school.”
“Really?”
Logan hesitated. “Someone gave me a pack of cigarettes.”
She gasped. “Logan.”
“I didn’t smoke them,” he said quickly. “After I’d already snuck them in the house, I realized that I didn’t actually want to do it. I just didn’t want anyone to think I was chicken.”
She pulled out of the parking lot. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Because you’ve seen me do worse.”
Wasn’t that the truth. She couldn’t count the number of times she had to bail him out of a tricky situation because he hadn’t thought before he acted. She snuck a glance in his direction. “So what does this have to do with a snake?”
“Right. So, I was too scared to throw them away. Aunt Betty would find them in the trash, so I flushed them.” He ducked his head. “Or, at least, I tried to.”
She put a hand to her mouth. “The toilet backed up.”
“I didn’t dare ask Aunt Betty to help me, and I didn’t ask to borrow her car. I rode my bike to the store and had to ask the old guy behind the counter what to do. I was so embarrassed.”
Erin stopped at a red light and turned to face Logan. She thought she knew about all of his high school hijinks. This story was completely new to her, and she hated to admit how interested she was in it. This all felt too friendly for her liking, but she had to know what happened. “Did it work?”
“Yeah. I used the snake, cleared the clog, and buried the cigarettes in the backyard.”
“Did Aunt Betty ever find out?”
Logan leaned back in his seat. “What do you think?”
This time, Erin laughed. Somehow, Aunt Betty always knew everything that happened in Frostford. Even now, in her seventies, the woman had the uncanny ability to find anything out. “What did she do?”
He shrugged. “Surprisingly, nothing. I think she figured I learned my lesson after going through all that.”
Erin lifted her brows. “Did you?”
“I never started smoking, you know that.” He paused. “And I learned never to hide things from Aunt Betty.”
Erin imagined young Logan and all the trouble he put Aunt Betty through. He’d caused trouble for half the population of Frostford with his antics, never apologizing to the people he left hurting. There was a time when Erin didn’t mind. She’d found his rebellion as a puzzle she wanted to solve, and rejoiced when he seemed to make big strides in becoming more considerate of people.
Then he left, leaving her in his wake, and she knew what it was like to be destroyed by Logan West and his carelessness. She was thankful that he was willing to help her with the toilet. That would mean one less thing for Aunt Betty to have to deal with, but it wouldbe foolish for Erin to let any of this cause her to forget how much he’d hurther.
When Logan left, he’d left a void that never was filled. He wasn’t standing next to Jake on their wedding day—there was no best man toast. He wasn’t there to celebrate the birth of their children—no Uncle Logan. He wasn’t there when Jake’s health had deteriorated.
But it wasn’t just the fact that he was gone for these big events. It was that he was just another person she loved who left. First, her parents when she’d graduated because they wanted to travel the world now that they weren’t “burdened” with raising a child. And then, Logan when she was taking the next giant step of her life. His sudden absence had ripped open wounds that she thought had healed. His return poured salt into them.
This was what she reminded herself of as she watched Logan on his knees in front of the toilet, fighting with the snake he’d just bought to unclog the toilet for her. Something she reminded herself of when he looked back at her with a smile when it actually worked, and the toilet wasn’t overflowing anymore. And something she reminded herself of when he left the house.
