Finally, a Family--A Clean Romance

by Callie Endicott

  * * *

  LOGAN MET HIS parents for dinner that evening, apologizing that he hadn’t been free to spend the day with them.

  “Nonsense,” his mother said. “You have a new career to establish.”

  The maître d’ showed them to a table and gave them menus.

  “Are you certain you don’t mind going to the street fair on Saturday?” Logan asked.

  He’d told them earlier about joining the Flash Committee and the work being done to raise funds. They’d gotten a positive first impression of Jessica, but their approval had skyrocketed upon learning about the clinic she wanted to get built.

  “Not at all. It sounds entertaining,” said his mother. “And the medical facility is an excellent cause. When we get home, I’ll speak with some of the people we know and ask for contributions. I just hope Jessica won’t think we’re stepping on her toes.”

  “I’m sure she’ll appreciate anything you do. Tomorrow afternoon I’m going to help with setup, but I can meet you for a late dinner.”

  “We’ll help, too,” his mother volunteered.

  Logan considered refusing, not knowing what two people more accustomed to state dinners than street fairs could do, but Jessica might say the same of him.

  “Okay. I’ll take you to see my new house after the fair is over. But be prepared, almost everything is still in boxes. I’ve only spent a few nights there.”

  Regina waved her hand. “Quite understandable. Tell us more about Jessica. It will help when I’m soliciting donations for the clinic.”

  Logan narrowed his eyes, but his mother had phrased the inquiry in a way that made it impossible to refuse.

  “She’s quite talented and has been able to motivate the Flash Committee to an extraordinary degree. She’s also secured a private grant that will match a maximum level of funds raised over the next two years.”

  “Excellent. Donors love that. They feel as if they’re giving twice as much. Is she married?”

  Prickles of warning crawled up Logan’s spine. “Divorced.”

  Thomas frowned. “It’s hard to raise a child alone. What is her little girl like?”

  “Cyndi?” Logan relaxed as he thought about the exuberant seven-year-old. “She leaps into something with both feet. After seeing the advance copy of my calendar, she became enamored with photography. That’s why she asked me to give a talk to her girl ranger troop.”

  “You seem to know them both well,” Regina said.

  “I’ve been working with Ms. Parrish on rental issues. She owns the Crystal Connection, so her daughter is often around.”

  The conversation was going more smoothly than Logan had expected, though it was a topic that put him on edge. Still, with his parents’ support behind the clinic, Jessica’s fund-raising worries could soon be over, along with his membership on the Flash Committee.

  “Jessica is a fine young woman,” Regina murmured. “Don’t you agree, Tom?”

  He nodded. “Are you finally thinking of settling down, son? An instant family has its challenges, but so does any marriage. Cyndi sounds like a nice child and I assume we all agree that Jessica is special.”

  Logan suppressed a groan. If his parents had their way, he’d be married by July.

  “There’s nothing like that between us,” he insisted, uneasily remembering one of the sweetest kisses he’d ever experienced. “Jessica Parrish is a business associate who asked me to join her committee for the clinic. Don’t get your hopes up, because the last thing I’m thinking about is settling down.”

  “You’re buying a house,” Regina argued. “You’ve always rented condos or apartments before.”

  “It isn’t a family home. More of a retreat in the country.”

  They looked disappointed. Until now he’d assumed that they were interested in grandchildren mostly because their friends expected it. But Jessica had made him wonder if he was wrong. Maybe they truly wanted a closer relationship that included a daughter-in-law and grandkids.

  So, how could he explain that he didn’t feel equipped to be the kind of husband a woman would want?

  No matter how many attractive qualities he saw in Jessica, it wouldn’t be fair to her, especially after what she’d told him about her childhood and marriage. She deserved the kind of love that wouldn’t leave her feeling as if she came second to a camera.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE NEXT DAY Jessica closed the Crystal Connection at 3:00 p.m. Her grandmother was picking Cyndi up from school, so she went straight to the town square and got a job assignment from Carl Sheffield, the general manager of the Flash Fair. Carl had been a colonel in the US Marines and was an expert at marshaling forces.

  Logan was already there, dressed casually in a worn black shirt and black jeans. At the moment he was helping construct the booth that would feature barbecued hamburgers.

  “Hello.” A voice broke into her thoughts. “Jessica, right?”

  It was Regina Kensington.

  She turned and smiled as naturally as possible. “Yes, Jessica Parrish.”

  “Tom and I admire your efforts to build a drop-in clinic. We’d like to get donations from a few of our friends to help hurry things along. We hope that will be all right with you and your committee?”

  Jessica was stunned by the generous offer. “Wow. No, I mean, yes, we’d so appreciate that. Thank you.” She grinned.

  “Now, in the meantime, is there something we can do right now to help out?”

  Still flustered, Jessica tried to think of jobs that might suit the sophisticated couple but then pointed toward Carl.

  “See the guy with the red ball cap? That’s Carl Sheffield. He’s in charge. I’m sure he can find a project for you.”

  Regina nodded and collected her husband. They immediately went to talk with Carl.

  Jessica didn’t have time to watch what happened. She went to help set up tables and chairs near the food booths. Luckily, most of the booths for food, games and merchandise were being run by assorted Regen Valley organizations and businesses. The committee was having a contest to see which group could raise the largest contribution—the winner would have their name added to a donor plaque at the clinic. The response had been overwhelming.

  “If this goes as hoped, we should have a Flash Fair every year,” Carl said as they crossed paths an hour later.

  “Sounds good, but don’t suggest it until our feet have stopped hurting.”

  He chuckled. “On another note, it was a great idea to get Logan Kensington involved with the project. Public figures like Laurel Stevenson and the Bryant kids will attract people of all ages.”

  “Inviting Logan to join the committee was an impulse when I heard he was buying the Satterly House. He’s something of a celebrity himself.”

  “Good impulse.”

  Good for the committee, Jessica thought, not so great for my peace of mind.

  She threw back her shoulders and continued working.

  * * *

  KEVIN CARRIED BOX after box of Penny’s homemade candy into the empty building being used as a drop-off area for goods at the street fair. On his next trip to his truck, he was astonished to see Logan hammering nails into a booth on the city square.

  Everywhere Kevin looked, people were putting up posters, setting up booths or hauling in supplies. At least the police had set out signs saying that except for authorized vehicles, no through traffic or parking was allowed until Sunday morning.

  “This is incredible,” he said to Penny. “I’ve never actually seen organized chaos before.”

  She laughed and he marveled at what a remarkable person she was. Penny would always be beautiful, but the passing years had added character and a depth of experience to her face that made her even more attractive. He didn’t say so, because she would just make a joke about being old with wrinkles and creaky knees.


  Not old, just well seasoned, Jessica liked to tease her.

  Kevin agreed.

  Despite telling Penny that people had to find their own way, he was struggling with letting go himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have sold Moonlight Ventures, but he’d started the agency with Allison and running it alone had depressed him. He just hadn’t realized what it would be like to see the agency marching on, leaving him unable to fix problems for his friends. Knowing Jessica’s shop was at risk was especially painful.

  The only compensation was having more time to spend with his family. And friends like Penny.

  * * *

  TO HIS SURPRISE, Logan was enjoying the preparations for the street fair. The labor wasn’t difficult and there was a cheerful camaraderie amongst the volunteers.

  Early that morning he’d called his mother and father at their hotel and suggested they all go for a drive to Mount St. Helens. They had protested he needed to work, but it hadn’t taken much convincing for them to agree to a short sightseeing trip. Now they were in Regen Valley to help. Their eagerness to be involved in a small-town event seemed unusual, but Logan was beginning to see he’d made a number of wrong assumptions through the years.

  He ran into Jessica as the evening’s work was concluding. “Where are Cyndi and Penny?” he asked.

  “I tried sending them home an hour ago, but they wouldn’t go. They’re across the street with your parents.”

  Logan glanced at his mother and father, who were adjusting the red, white and blue bunting on a booth. Their faces were so happy that it astonished him. He looked back at Jessica.

  “In case I haven’t told you clearly enough, I appreciate what you said about Mom and Dad wanting to visit. We’ve had our share of rocky moments, but I think we’re going to be okay. I hope you’ll have the same opportunity with your own folks.”

  Her smile had a wry quality. “That would be nice, but I have to be careful about expressing hopes in that direction. I don’t want Cyndi to start believing something is wrong with her just because Aaron and my parents aren’t part of her life. It isn’t her fault.”

  “It isn’t yours, either. How can you help Cyndi believe that, if you don’t?”

  A myriad of emotions flickered across Jessica’s face. “It’s easier to understand something in your head than believe it in your heart. But I’m trying.”

  At least she wasn’t instantly declaring she was wholly to blame for her divorce. He admired how hard she’d worked to defeat her personal demons, not only for herself but for Cyndi, as well. A lot of people just kept making the same mistakes over and over without understanding why or trying to correct the problem.

  Logan cleared his throat. “I, uh, thought a pictorial history of the Flash Fair might be useful, so I took photos tonight and I’ll get more tomorrow.”

  Jessica looked ready to say something, but his parents were approaching and she closed her mouth.

  “Carl says we’re finished for the evening,” Thomas explained. “Jessica, we’ve been getting acquainted with your grandmother. Her stories about living abroad are much more interesting than ours. We’d love to hear more of them, so please let us take you all out to dinner. Penny told us she’s free, but that she couldn’t speak for you and Cyndi.”

  “We hear there’s a good Chinese restaurant in town,” his mother added, “but would your daughter prefer pizza?”

  “Uh...sure,” Jessica agreed, “the Hong Kong would be fine.”

  Thomas clasped his hands together. “Excellent. Shall we meet there in twenty minutes?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll go talk to Grams.”

  Logan’s mother gave him an apologetic look when they were alone. “We’re sorry. We should have asked you ahead of time.”

  “It’s fine,” he assured her. “We all need to eat.”

  “Good. You know, Penny Parrish is a remarkable woman. Her stories make us wish we’d gotten away more often from cities in the countries where we lived. Diplomatic circles can be stifling.”

  Thomas nodded and Logan’s brain reeled. He felt as if the entire world as he’d known it was being spun on its axis.

  * * *

  THE LAST THING Jessica wanted was to eat dinner with Logan and his parents. But it would have been rude to wriggle out of the invitation.

  Her grandmother and daughter were sitting on a bench.

  “Hungry?” she asked. “We’re going to the Hong Kong with the Kensingtons.”

  “Whoopppee.” Cyndi jumped with enthusiasm.

  “It was thoughtful of them to invite us,” Penny said. “They wanted to include Kevin, but he had to get home for a video visit with his daughter and son-in-law.”

  “Uncle Kevin mentioned they were talking online a lot. Why don’t you take Cyndi to the restaurant, and I’ll meet you after I do a final check with Carl?”

  She half hoped that Carl had something urgently needing resolution—that way she could phone Grams with an apology to the Kensingtons. But he shook his head.

  “We’re good,” he said, tossing a sleeping bag over his shoulder. He and a group of high school students from his shop class were spending the night in the park to keep an eye on everything. The kids were excited about camping in the middle of town.

  Jessica drove to the Hong Kong, where the Kensingtons had gotten a large round table. Thomas seated her next to Logan, while he and his wife sat opposite.

  “Why does this feel like a job interview?” she murmured to Logan.

  “Because that’s what it is,” he replied in an equally low tone. “You’re being vetted as a prospective daughter-in-law.”

  “Jeez.”

  “Exactly. I expected more subtlety with their background in diplomacy. But chin up, you only have to survive one dinner.”

  His amused exasperation took the edge off the situation, so Jessica focused on her menu. She didn’t honestly think the Kensingtons saw her as a prospective daughter-in-law. They were probably just wondering how their world-traveled son had gotten tangled up with a local town project like the Flash Fair.

  Rather than perusing the menu himself, Logan lifted the camera around his neck and began taking pictures until she nudged him with her elbow.

  “Visit more, take pictures less,” she whispered.

  He put the camera down.

  Grams took Cyndi to the restroom to wash her hands, and when they returned, Regina looked around the table. “How about eating family style? We can each choose a dish we like, and then add a few more, and share.”

  There was a chorus of agreement. Ordering went quickly and won ton soup was soon delivered to the table. As they ate, Regina and Tom exchanged memories with Grams about life abroad. Cyndi listened with bright-eyed fascination.

  “I’m amazed by her concentration,” Logan murmured. “She does well in a group of adults.”

  “She can get the wiggles the same as any child, but she usually stays quiet for Grams’s stories.”

  “I’m still amazed. Before I forget,” Logan said, “this morning Chelsea mentioned a concern about limited parking at the wedding next Saturday. I understand Kevin is driving Penny with some other friends, so why don’t we rideshare, as well? I’m taking my SUV, so I’ll have plenty of room for you and Cyndi, even with all my photography equipment.”

  “Are you attending as a friend, or as their photographer?” Jessica asked.

  “Chelsea and Barton have a photographer—somebody his parents know—but I want to take pictures as a backup. I’ve seen horrendous wedding photos over the years.”

  If it was anyone other than Logan, Jessica might accept that as a reason, but his discomfort with marriage made her think he preferred watching the festivities from behind his camera. Not that it was her place to object. He’d offered them a ride, he hadn’t asked her to be his date.

  “I’m okay with ridesharing,” she agreed. “Let me k
now when you want to leave. We can meet at your house or in town, if you aren’t moved in by then.”

  “Nah, I’ll pick you up. I’ve started sleeping at the house instead of the apartment, though not this evening since I need to run my parents back to their hotel and pick them up in the morning. They have a rental car, but I’d prefer us all coming together.”

  Cyndi was yawning by the time the fortune cookies arrived, so Jessica stood and smiled at the elder Kensingtons. “I should get my daughter to bed—we have a big day tomorrow. But thank you for dinner.”

  “The pleasure was ours,” Tom said. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

  Jessica urged Cyndi from her chair and led her to the car.

  She wondered how Logan felt about the evening, jokes about daughter-in-law interviews aside. Still, he could probably handle a cozy family meal, provided long-term commitments weren’t involved.

  * * *

  BACK AT HIS APARTMENT, Logan copied the photos he’d taken to his laptop and studied them. They weren’t unique, just shots of people working and laughing together. But using his telephoto lens, he’d also gotten several of Jessica. Her vitality leaped off the screen. It was mesmerizing, the way she seemed to inspire people to action.

  Or maybe she was just plain mesmerizing.

  He frowned. Both Penny and her granddaughter were beautiful, dynamic women, and Cyndi was a bright, eager child who took after them. He just wished he could call Jessica’s parents and ask if they had a clue what they were missing.

  Churning inside, Logan dropped into bed. The city traffic outside his window seemed unusually loud, and then he realized it was just in contrast to the quiet of Regen Valley.

  Unbelievable.

  He punched his pillow. He’d slept in every imaginable place—some noisy, some quiet and some miserably uncomfortable. Most of the time, he dropped off like a rock.

  Logan closed his eyes again, only to see Jessica’s face, and it wasn’t through a camera lens.