The pumpkin spice cafe

Jeanie nudged him with her shoulder. ‘It’ll be fun, right?’ she reiterated in a whisper.

He nodded because he couldn’t bear to tell her how inevitably not fun it would be, and because he was honestly terrified that if he said another word to her, Pete would have him signed up to inflate the bounce house with his mouth.

Instead, he settled in, trying to pay attention to the insanely long, meeting agenda and not think about the warmth of Jeanie’s arm against his or the way she nodded along with what Pete was saying to show she was paying attention, or the fact that about halfway through the meeting, she pulled out her notebook and started taking notes accompanied by little pumpkins doodled in the margins.

How was a man supposed to concentrate on the pros and cons of a pie-eating contest when the woman next to him insisted on being so adorable?

It was inconvenient really.

By the time the meeting was over Logan was nearly twitching with impatience. He needed to talk to Jeanie without becoming the next topic on the agenda. Mercifully, A

‘Want a ride home?’ he asked as Jeanie pulled on her coat.

‘I’d love one.’

They made their way toward the door, and they were nearly free when Kaori and Jacob sprung from the shadows like freaking book-wielding ninjas.

‘Jeanie, there you are!’ Kaori greeted her with a big hug, acting as though she’d just been reunited with a long-lost relative.

‘Hi!’ Jeanie gri

‘That was hours ago,’ Kaori said with a wave of her hand. Jacob rolled his eyes and shoved a book in Jeanie’s hands.

‘Next week’s read. It’s a super steamy one so I hope we don’t traumatize you too much.’

Jeanie laughed. ‘I think I can handle it.’

Logan stared at his feet, trying very hard not to think about what Jeanie could handle. He could feel Jacob’s gaze on him.

‘How did you like that other book I gave you, Jeanie?’ Jacob asked. His tone implied some inside joke that Logan did not want any part of.

‘I liked it. It was ... very inspiring.’

Jacob cackled in delight. ‘Oh, good.’ His gaze flicked from Jeanie to Logan. ‘Is life imitating art?’ He raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

Jeanie blushed to her hairline.

‘What are you two talking about?’ Kaori asked, but Logan had a very strong feeling he didn’t want to know.

‘Never mind,’ Jacob sang, grabbing Kaori’s hand. ‘Let’s go grab a drink before you turn into a pumpkin.’

‘See you at the next meeting!’ Kaori called with a wave as Jacob dragged her away.

Logan cleared his throat and Jeanie shifted uncomfortably, offering him an awkward smile. ‘That was just ... you know ... book talk.’

‘Sure.’

‘Great, okay. Let’s go.’

He followed Jeanie out the big double doors of the meeting room into the foyer of the town hall. It was drafty out here, the old wheezing radiators doing their best and failing miserably in the face of the October wind, which swirled in through the door as people filed out.

They were stopped by at least five other small groups of neighbors on their way out, all wanting to tell Jeanie what a great job she was doing with the café. By the time they hit the sidewalk, she was gri

They walked to his truck in amicable quiet, Jeanie humming a little tune under her breath as she waved to several more neighbors.

‘Thanks for the ride,’ she said hopping up into the cab. ‘It’s a lot colder than when I walked here.’

‘Of course, anytime.’

‘I guess I’ll need to get a car. I never really needed one in Boston,’ she said, smiling at him from the passenger seat.

‘Do you miss it?’ The question popped out of his mouth before he could think better of it.

‘Miss what? Public transportation? A little.’

‘No, Boston. I mean, I know it’s really different here.’

Jeanie shrugged. ‘I like it here.’

So simple. That one little sentence. But, God, did he want to believe it. She looked like she belonged here, tonight especially. She officially knew more people in this town than he did. He wanted her to belong here.

He wanted her ‘I like it here’ to mean: ‘I like you and your smelly old farm and your slightly nutty grandparents. I like you and I’m sticking around.’ He wanted her ‘I like it here’ to give him some kind of guarantee that of course, no one could really give him.

It was possible Lucy had messed him up more than he liked to admit. It was also possible that his grandfather was right, but Logan would never admit that.

He shook his head. ‘Good. That’s good.’ Draping his arm over the back of Jeanie’s seat, he backed out of the parking space and maneuvered slowly through the lot. There were plenty of people still hanging out and talking despite the chill of the night.

The drive was short; the town hall was only about a mile down Main Street from the café. The car hadn’t even had time to warm up yet and the vent still blew cool air in his face. He pulled up in front of the café, under the yellow glow of a streetlamp. The wind was crisp and cold, shaking the colorful leaves from the trees. The sun had set hours ago, making it feel later than it was.

‘Thanks again for the ride.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me about the broken window?’ he asked again, still hating that she hadn’t called him last night when it happened.

‘I told you; it wasn’t a big deal.’

‘Jeanie.’

She sighed. ‘I just... I didn’t want to overcomplicate this.’

‘This?’

‘This.’ She gestured between them. ‘Us. I didn’t want you to feel ... I don’t know ... responsible for me or something.’

‘But I want to...’ Don’t say you want to be responsible for her, for God’s sake. ‘I want to help.’

She studied him, her brown eyes assessing him. Her lips twisted to the side as she thought. ‘Okay, well how about this, I promise to let you know if I need help.’

‘Promise?’ he grunted.

‘Yes. If I need anything, I will let you know.’

He didn’t like that one bit, but he probably didn’t have a choice. ‘I think maybe you were right.’

‘Oh?’

‘Someone is messing with you.’

Jeanie’s eyes went wide at his admission. ‘You think so?’

‘It’s starting to seem like it.’

Jeanie opened her mouth and then slammed it shut again. What the hell was she keeping from him?

‘What is it?’ he asked, gruffly.

‘Nothing.’

‘Jeanie.’

She huffed. ‘Nothing! I promise I’ll tell you if there are any more developments in the case.’

‘The case?’

‘Yeah,’ she said with a smile. ‘The case of the Pumpkin Spice Mysteries.’

‘Okay, Nancy Drew.’

She gri

‘Yeah?’

‘Are you going to kiss me?’ She leaned closer as she asked it and suddenly Logan didn’t give a shit about broken windows.

‘Do you want me to kiss you, Jeanie?’ His voice was a low rumble and Jeanie’s eyes fluttered closed.

‘I think it would be very helpful if you did.’

He watched her lips tip into a teasing smile before he leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers. She sighed and wrapped her hands in his shirt, pulling him toward her.

She belonged here, too, tucked against him, her lips on his, her little breathy sighs on his skin.