Erin’s voice shook when she said, “Okay.”
Logan watchedErin’s knee bounce, her gaze fixed out the passenger window, as they left Aunt Betty’s for dinner. He knew she’d been hesitant to come out with him, and he still wasn’t sure how much she’d heard of the conversation between him and Aunt Betty. Hopefully, it wasn’t too much. Aunt Betty was right when she’d said Erin had been through a lot. He didn’t want to overwhelm her.
What he wouldn’t give to know what she was thinking right now. It would make it so much easier forhim to know where to begin with all the things he wanted, needed, to say to her. He’d spent the last few days praying for wisdom while consulting with different people he trusted. Logan had finally decided what to do, but he wasn’t sure how Erin would react.
“Is Italian okay?” he asked.
She was still wearing nice clothing from her job search, and Logan wanted to take her someplace nicer than Good Eats. He never wanted her to have to step foot in that diner ever again, and that left very few places in Frostford worth going to on a date.
Was this a date? Did it count if your date went under duress?
Logan was sure he was already mucking everything up, but he was determined to give it his best shot to make sure Erin was happy.
“That’s fine,” she said quietly.
“Are you sure?”
“Mmhmm.”
While her response wasn’t as enthusiastic as Logan would have liked, he couldn’t blame Erin. She had to be exhausted. He only hoped his plans would take away some of that burden and not add to them.
He drove the rest of the way in silence, and soon they were pulling into the parking lot of Antonio’s. Erin’s knee started moving more quickly. Logan reached out and put his hand on it to stop the motion. “Would you rather go back to the house?”
She looked at where his hand rested for a momentbefore she finally turned to look him in the eyes. He was struck anew by how beautiful she was. She’d always been beautiful, but the full-force of it hit him hard with the way she looked at him now. Holding his breath, he waited for her to answer.
“No. I want to be here. With you.”
Logan’s heart swelled with her response. He smacked his hand against his thigh. “Okay. Then let’s go.”
They walked together through the parking lot, and Logan sped ahead to hold the front door open for her. The inside was dimly lit and there was soft classical music playing in the background. Everything about the atmosphere was meant to be romantic. Logan regretted not picking someplace more neutral. At least the food would be good.
Logan placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked toward the hostess stand. With his touch, Erin’s entire body stiffened. He immediately dropped his hand. It was obvious his touch was upsetting her, when he’d only meant to comfort. He so badly wanted things to be how they once were, when there was an easy familiarity between them and a friendly touch wasn’t something they stopped to think about, but too much had happened between the two of them. It would take time to get there again, and Logan really hoped he would get the opportunity to have that again. He just needed more time, and to convince her that he was worth taking a shot on.
The hostess led them to a small table in the back, they sat down, and opened their menus. Logan already knew what he wanted. He hardly ever strayed from his favorite dish, chicken parmesan. He placed the menu down and looked at Erin, whose face was pinched in concentration as she looked at her own menu.
“Having a hard time deciding?” he asked.
Her eyes met his. “No, I know what I’m getting.”
He wondered if it was shrimp Alfredo. It had been her favorite in high school, but he also knew they weren’t the same kids from then. He placed his hands on the menu in front of him. “Then what’s going on?”
Erin bit her bottom lip, the look of concentration still on her face. She eventually released a defeated sigh. “I’m just so overwhelmed by life. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“About what?” Logan asked. There were so many things happening at once, he wasn’t sure he knew which specific thing was weighing on her at this moment.
Her eyes met his and her voice was ragged when she said, “Everything.”
His breath hitched at her response. It was heartbreaking. Logan couldn’t handle it anymore. He pulled the folded paper from his pocket. The plan was to wait until after they’d eaten, but he couldn’t wait anymore. He twisted it in his hands and opened his mouth to speak when the server appeared.
She dropped a plate of breadsticks in the center ofthe table and poured water into glass wine glasses that were already on the table. Since they were both ready, the server also took their order before she disappeared.
“What’s that?” Erin asked, pointing to his hands.
He took a long inhale as he unfolded the paper. “It’s a fundraiser I thought you might be interested in.”
Erin snorted as she grabbed a breadstick from the basket in front of them. “You know as well as I do that I’m in no position to give away money—no matter how great the cause is.”
Logan held the paper out. “I think this one might be different.”
