The pumpkin spice cafe

Jeanie brought a hand to where his gaze had stalled right above the enticing V the shirt made. He was staring. He was staring and not getting her food like he was supposed to be doing.

He shook his head and strode over to the kitchenette. He did most of his eating in the big house, but he kept some stuff here for occasional late-night snacking, or for when he was hiding from his nana. Which this past week had been kind of a lot.

Jeanie joined him and was rooting through his cabinets like she lived here.

God, did he love that idea.

Not yet, but someday. He could picture it so clearly.

Jeanie caught him staring at her again. A delicious blush crept up her cheeks. ‘What?’

He cleared his throat. ‘Nothing.’ Just picturing you being here forever.

‘Ooh, Cup a Noodle! I haven’t had these in a million years.’ She pulled down two of the styrofoam cups filled with dried noodles and seasonings. ‘I want these.’

‘Okay.’ You can have whatever you want.

She gri

He boiled the water while she made herself comfortable at his little table. Outside the weather was gray and cold. Logan wouldn’t be surprised if there was a layer of wet snow on the ground tomorrow morning. But today it was warm and cozy inside his little apartment and suddenly it seemed like plenty. Like more than enough, like the only thing his life had been missing before was this woman at his table, wearing his shirt.

The kettle whistled and he poured the water into the plastic cups, watching as the noodles magically plumped up and the broth turned golden. He carried them to the table.

‘Yay!’ Jeanie clapped. ‘I love these things. We used to eat them during late nights at the office. So bad for you, but so good.’ She sighed as she breathed in the salty scent of the noodles. And for the first time since he met her, the mention of her old life didn’t send Logan into a panic about her leaving.

He believed Jeanie. He trusted her. And he knew this thing between them was more real than anything he’d felt before.

She happily slurped her noodles, her legs tucked up under her. The rain ran in streams down the window behind her.

‘How do you think Noah did at the café?’ she asked after a few minutes of slurping and chewing. It was after four, so the café was now closed for the day.

‘Fine, I’m sure. He tends the bar for Mac. He knows what he’s doing.’

Jeanie nodded. ‘It was nice of him to help out.’

‘He’s a good guy.’

‘I think he has a thing for Hazel,’ Jeanie added, with a secret smile.

Logan choked a little on his noodles. ‘Oh, he definitely does.’

She giggled. ‘They’d be good together.’

Logan shrugged. He still didn’t feel the need to weigh in on town gossip, even if it was out of good intentions for his friends. If Noah and Hazel wanted to be together, that was their business. He loved this town, but he still wasn’t about to join the book club anytime soon.

‘I think you should tell Dot about Norman,’ he said instead.

Jeanie wrinkled her nose like the idea did not appeal to her in the least. ‘I don’t know. I don’t want to cause more drama.’

‘Jeanie, that was really shitty what he did to you. He was tormenting you.’

She shifted in her seat. ‘Tormenting seems a bit strong.’

Logan frowned. ‘He also caused actual damage.’

‘I took the money to replace the window and fix the dishwasher out of his last paycheck. Nothing else was really ruined.’

‘Jeanie.’

She sighed. ‘He just seemed so sad about the whole thing. The café. Aunt Dot. Everything. I don’t know, I feel bad.’

‘You have nothing to feel bad about. He should feel bad.’ The words came out angrier than he meant them to, but he was pissed at Norman. He’d made Jeanie doubt being here and that was enough to make Logan consider fighting a man nearly as old as his grandfather.

Jeanie cracked a smile. ‘I know. He does feel bad. I think.’

‘Dot would want to know.’

Her lips twisted to the side as she thought about it. ‘Let me get things back in good working order, then I’ll tell her.’

She still wanted to prove she could do it. His heart ached a little for her, but he understood that. He’d felt the same way when he took over management of the farm.

‘Okay, deal.’

‘That way Dot will be back from her island-hopping trip, and I won’t ruin her vacation.’

‘Makes sense.’

She slurped the last of her noodles and licked her lips. ‘Delicious.’

‘Mmm-hmm.’

Jeanie’s eyes darkened. Okay, she was fed, back to more important activities. Logan pulled her chair closer and dropped to his knees in front of her.

‘What are you—’

Her question hung in the air as Logan tugged her to the edge of her seat and dipped his head to her thighs, kissing along the warm flesh. He pushed her shirt up to her waist and her legs fell open for him.

He tasted her and she groaned, her head tipping back on the chair.

She tangled her hands in his hair, putting him right where she wanted him. Logan’s moan rumbled through them both. She held him there; licking her, his fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs until she came apart for him, gasping his name, her hands tugging his hair. The weight of her legs on his shoulders, the taste of her on his tongue, her little moans and sighs surrounding him; another perfect moment.

‘Holy shit,’ she whispered as he sat back on his heels. Her legs slipped from his shoulders. She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. ‘Best. Day. Off. Ever.’

He gri

‘I love you, Jeanie,’ he whispered. He would whisper it every day, he’d shout it in a crowded café. He’d hold a damn town meeting about it if she wanted. He’d tell her every which way.

She smiled. ‘I love you, too. And I’m not going anywhere.’ She planted a kiss on the end of his nose.

And he believed her.

A knock on the door that co

‘Yeah?’

‘Do you kids want to come have some di

Logan glanced at the empty soup cups on the table and Jeanie’s current state of undress. ‘Uh... I already ate.’

‘I know Jeanie’s in there with you.’

Jeanie giggled.

‘We already ate,’ he amended.

‘It was probably junk food. Come have a nice home-cooked meal.’

‘That sounds nice,’ Jeanie whispered.

‘That’s because you’ve never had her cooking,’ he whispered back. Jeanie shoved him playfully.

‘I’m sure it’s not that bad.’

He gave her a grim look. She did not know what she was getting into, but if she wanted to eat di

‘Okay, Nana. We’ll be over in a bit.’

‘Wonderful! I’m sure you two worked up an appetite.’

Heat rose to Logan’s face while Jeanie bent over in a fit of laughter. ‘I love her,’ she gasped.

Logan stood from his spot between Jeanie’s legs. ‘Yeah, she’s a real hoot,’ he said, as his grandmother’s footsteps receded.

‘I guess I better get cleaned up and dressed.’ Jeanie stood and headed for his shower.

‘I should probably come with you.’

She glanced at him over her shoulder, a smile playing around her lips. ‘Oh, really?’

‘The knobs can be kinda tricky.’

‘The knobs?’

‘Yeah, they can stick. I better come in and adjust the temperature for you.’