“Helping her take care of Parker,” he said quickly.
Aunt Betty’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “I see.”
Logan shook his head. “No, not like that. He was sick. He asked for me and ... ” His words trailed off as he realized how his ramblings must sound.
Aunt Betty pointed to the dining room table. “Wanna sit with me for a minute?”
Logan nodded and followed her to the table. He took a seat across from her and took a deep breath. This was his opportunity to talk to Aunt Betty abouthis plans. He needed her to help him think clearly again.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “What’s going on? You look more distraught than usual.”
Logan snorted. “There’s just a lot on my mind.”
“Your new job?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“And the house?”
He nodded again. “Uh huh.”
There was a brief pause before Aunt Betty added, “And Erin?”
Logan slumped in his seat and rubbed a hand over his face. “Yep.”
Logan pressed his lips together and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure how to explain to Aunt Betty that he was questioning his entire plan—a plan she had a huge hand in forming.
He’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t considering staying in Frostford. But if he did that, he’d be messing everything up—and not just for himself. He had to consider what such a huge change in plans would mean for Aunt Betty and his new employer.
If he decided to stay in Frostford, it would break Aunt Betty’s heart. She’d been the one to ask him to come and help sell the house. She’d been excited about the idea of moving to Florida with Logan and living out her golden years near the beach—something she deserved after years of serving others. If he backed out, he worried that Aunt Betty would thinkthat he didn’t want to take care of her, which wasn’t true at all.
Logan worried about Aunt Betty, but he also worried about his employer. His start date was just around the corner. If he didn’t show up, he would be letting his boss down. They’d put time and money into Logan getting him ready for this new position. He’d not only waste their time, but they would be in a time crunch to find a replacement. That wasn’t fair to them.
Not to mention, Logan wasn’t entirely sure that Erin wanted him here. They’d grown closer to one another over the last few weeks, and she’d forgiven him, but Logan wasn’t sure if it was right for him to want to have a romantic relationship with his best friend’s widow—or if she was interested. She hadn’t said she loved him after his confession, not that he’d expected her to, but it would be a really bad idea to break all of these other commitments for someone who didn’t want him here.
“You going to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours? Or are you going to make me guess?”
Logan shook his head and looked up at Aunt Betty, who was watching him expectantly.
She leaned over and pressed her wrinkled hand to his forehead. “You always get this crease in the middle of your brows when you’re concentrating hard on something. So, why don’t you spit it out already?”
Where did he start? Did he begin by telling Aunt Betty that he was thinking about backing out of hiscommitment to her or his boss? No matter how he approached it, he felt like there wasn’t a solution that was good for everyone. He let out a slow breath and simply said, “Erin.”
Aunt Betty didn’t look surprised. She only nodded in acknowledgment. “Things seem to be going well between you two. It feels like there’s a lot less tension than there was that first day.”
He snorted. “Well, that kind of thing happens when you’re forced to attend dinner together every night.”
“Or when you’re teaching Samantha how to ride a bike, or helping bake a cake, or taking care of Parker when he’s sick ... ”
Logan didn’t like the twinkle in Aunt Betty’s eyes, like she was privy to something he wasn’t. “What was I supposed to do, walk away and do nothing?”
“Of course not.” She smiled at him. “You’re not that kind of man, Logan.”
She said it with such conviction. If only she knew the thoughts swirling around in his mind right now. She wouldn’t think him a man of honor. But that was Aunt Betty, always seeing the best in people. “What kind of man am I?”
“You’re a man in love.”
Logan opened his mouth to argue, but there was no point. It was true. He still loved Erin. Loving her was the reason he was questioning everything else. He tapped his fingers gently against the wooden table. “Iwas a man in love when I left ten years ago, hurting everyone in the process. I don’t think that’s a compliment.”
