Logan shrugged. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“You can’t?” Erin asked. The words were out before she could think twice about it.
He fidgeted in his seat. “No, I don’t think so.”
Erin was surprised when her stomach dropped, especially since she was certain it was for more than just the house. She didn’t like the idea of Logan leaving even though it didn’t make sense for her to react this way. She was sad just because Logan talked to Parker about Rock Man? Or fixed the toilet? Or changed dynamics at dinner?
Erin wasn’t sure how it had happened so quickly, or why it was Logan, of all people, but she’d grown comfortable with his presence. The realization made it difficult to catch her breath. She placed her palm against the bottom of her diaphragm, hoping it was low enough to be hidden by the dining room table and wouldn’t draw attention from anyone.
When Logan glanced over, she quickly rubbed her hand against her shirt so it would look like she was brushing away crumbs. Not very flattering for her, but better than the truth. Better than Logan knowing she’d somehow grown attached to him again.
“Well,” Ellis said, oblivious to Erin’s inner turmoil. “Let me know if you change your mind. We’ve been trying to find the right person for the position for a while now. Lots of applicants, but none of them have felt right. I’m wondering if that’s because the Lord had you in mind.”
Logan chuckled bitterly as he looked down at hisplate. “I don’t know that the Lord has me in mind for anything.”
His voice was low and Erin wasn’t sure if anyone other than her had heard them. If they did, they didn’t feel inclined to say anything about it. Ellis and Anne Marie started into a new topic of conversation as they ate, and the children continued to chat happily at the other end of the table.
Meanwhile, Erin couldn’t stop thinking about Logan. It made her nervous to think that he’d so easily found a way back into her life when she’d been so careful not to give him a way in. She needed to figure out what she was going to do about this new revelation. She needed to find a way not to let herself get any closer to Logan before he left again. Because Erin wouldn’t have anyone to blame but herself when the pain of his absence returned.
