Lilly eyed Logan a moment. “I’ll give you some time with the menu while I get those drinks.”
“Thanks, Lil. And make sure those teas are unsweet.”
Lilly’s eyes narrowed as they darted between Logan and Jacob. It was the same look on Logan’s momma’s face when Logan informed her Jacob didn’t drink sweet tea, like she was trying to figure out what planet he was from.
“Sure thing,” Lilly finally said. She threw one last curious look at Logan before sashaying back to the bar.
Logan scanned the familiar faces around her. For some, the last few years had done practically nothing, and for others, it had done a whole lot. And not necessarily in a good way.
Jacob was a bit overdressed in this crowd, his perfectly combed blond hair, pressed khaki pants, and dress shirt standing out in a room full of jeans and T-shirts. Logan had gone with a light gray sundress and thick navy-blue cardigan to combat the early March chill. It was on the nicer side, but not altogether above the bar’s standards.
“Is she always like that?” Jacob asked.
Logan brought her attention back to her date. “Lilly? Oh, she’s harmless. Just likes to rattle the boys, play with them a bit. She owns a bar, so she’s got to be a little feisty.”
“If it’s her place, why’d she call it Wade’s?”
“He was her husband. He died about fifteen years ago.” The day Wade McCullough died in a motorcycle accident had been a profoundly sad one in Willow Creek’s history. According to Logan’s late granddaddy, the three most important relationships a man could have were with his family, his barber, and his bartender. And people in Willow Creek could go a lot longer without a trim than without a drink.
Lilly came soon enough to get their orders, and Logan told stories about Wade and Lilly until the food came out.
“This looks great, Lilly. And tell Lou I said so.” Big Lou was Wade’s only cook. He had a gut the size of Texas and had clumsily sent the kitchen up in flames on more than one occasion, but he was easily the best fry cook Willow Creek had ever known.
When Lilly left, Logan watched Jacob anxiously as he took his first bite of the salmon, then she smiled at his moan.
“You weren’t kidding,” was all he said before taking another bite. Logan happily started in on her steak and mushrooms.
“I told you. Best food in town.”
They said few words as they both devoured their meals.
Logan was on her last bite when she saw movement over Jacob’s shoulder. The bar’s main door opened, and three men came through it, all of them in matching black Willow Creek Fire Department T-shirts. The first she recognized as Wilson Oliver, a high school jock who graduated two years before her. The second had ridiculously blond hair for a grown man and was easily identified as Levi Rossetti, a pretty boy from her year, who’d always had a thing for blondes with big boobs—including her best friend back in tenth grade.
Logan’s eyes traveled to the third member of the party, froze on the familiar face, and quickly bent her head down toward her plate when he turned her way. Her throat constricted and her stomach lurched, a mild panic rising in her chest. She hunched down in her seat, hand to her forehead as she attempted to hide behind it. Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me.
“Well, hot damn! If that ain’t Logan Kase right here in the flesh! What’s it been, four years?”
And still, not long enough.
Logan pulled her hand away and pasted a congenial smile on her face as she looked up into those brown eyes.
“Cole Tucker,” she said tightly. Aside from the shorter hair and bigger muscles, he looked exactly the same as he had the last time she saw him. “Has it really been that long?”
He crossed his arms in front of him, exaggerating the muscles even more. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You look good. Of course, you always did, but the long hair really suits you.” His voice was low, ending the compliment with a wink Logan knew was more for her date than her.
Jacob cleared his throat from the other side of the table.
“Sorry, I’m being rude,” Cole said before turning to Jacob and holding out a hand. “Cole Tucker. You the boyfriend or something?”
Jacob took his hand and gave it one hard shake, not returning Cole’s friendly smile. “Or something.”
“Jacob is my fiancé.”
Cole’s smile faltered. “You’re joking.”
“Why would she joke about that?” Jacob frowned.
Cole shook his head, the smile coming back instantly. “No reason,” he said casually. “I’m impressed, really. It’s just that the Lo I knew was the last person I would have guessed to get tied down at only twenty-two. You must have done a real number on her. Congrats.”
Jacob’s head tilted to the side, his eyebrows drawing together. “So the two of you were friends then?”
“That’s not exactly how I’d put it,” Logan jumped in. “More like acquaintances, really. We saw each other at school, around town. But that was pretty much the extent of it.”
Jacob’s eyes flashed between the two. “Really?”
With a fake grin, Logan gave Cole a warning glare. His smile only grew, his eyes alight with what looked like intrigue at this new game they were playing.
“Sure. Small town like this, it’s almost impossible not to run into people from time to time. Down by the creek, church on Sundays. The tattoo parlor over in Dublin.” His eyes fell to the three black letters on Logan’s right wrist.
“Right, the initials,” Jacob said, eyes going to the same place. Logan fought not to pull it out of sight. “Yeah, she told me that whole story.”
Cole’s eyes seemed to double in size. “Really?”
Jacob nodded, his rigid posture and harsh eyes softening as he fell into a conversational tone. “I’m not really a fan of tattoos myself. But when she told me about her great-aunt and how close they were before she died, I really couldn’t hold that against her.”
For the second time that night, a knowing pair of eyes fell on Logan. “Great-aunt,” Cole said coolly.
“Yes, what was her name again, Logan?”
Logan attempted to clear her throat, unable to look at either of them. “Caroline Elizabeth Teague.”
“That’s it!” he said triumphantly. “Great-aunt Caroline. What a sweet old lady. Logan told me so many stories of the two of them together. I just wish I could have met her myself.”
Cole grinned. “Oh, I bet you do. She was a real hoot.”
“So, you knew her?”
“Oh yeah, everyone around here knew Caroline. In fact, she was a sort of matriarch of this here town.”
Logan glared at him, hating how effortlessly he could lie.
“They tried to make Willow Creek a dry town back in the day. Wanted to get rid of the bar and the liquor store, clear out any booze within the city’s limits. But that Caroline, she put her foot down, got the whole town rallied against it. She was so passionate about it all, but then again she had to be or else she’d have to go a county over to get her fix. Old woman had a bit of a problem, if you know what I mean.” Cole raised his hand to his mouth, tipping back an imaginary drink.
Jacob’s face fell. “She was an alcoholic?”
“Oh yeah, big-time. Couldn’t go more than a few hours without the stuff before she got the shakes. No wonder the old liver gave out on her in the end.”
Jacob’s shoulders slumped and, thanks to Cole, Logan had no choice but to nod and go along with it.
“Yup. It was either gonna be that or lung cancer from the three packs a day Caroline smoked. That woman really loved her vices,” Cole said fondly. “One thing’s for sure, though. She died a hero, ensuring every of-age adult in this town of his right to a good drink. Whole town’s full of a right nicer lot of people because of her.”
Cole smirked, and Logan imagined how good it would feel to wring that neck of his until it vanished. “Well, I’ve bothered you two long enough. I’ll let you get on with your night.” With a f
arewell nod to Jacob and a covert wink at Logan, he joined his friends up at the bar.
She hoped he choked on his beer.
Chapter Two
“Well, that was interesting,” Jacob said when they got back to the car.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve just got a lot of…unusual people in this town. Lilly, Aunt Caroline.” He shook his head. “Are you sure that guy isn’t a friend of yours?”
“Who, Cole? Definitely not.” Friendly was the last thing she felt toward Cole Tucker. Hatred, detestation, eternal loathing? She wasn’t sure there was a word strong enough for her dislike. “Why would you ask that?”
“He seems to think he knows you pretty well,” he said, glancing at her and then back to the road.
“Cole’s just one of those people. Thinks he’s friends with everybody. He also likes giving people a hard time, so don’t let him get to you. Trust me, it’s not worth it.”
Jacob said nothing, and they both rode in silence back to her childhood home.
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked after they’d pulled into the driveway.
Logan smiled. “Well, I figured while Momma and Daddy are at church we could have a nice morning in, just the two of us. And then I thought maybe I could take you to lunch—no bar this time, I promise—and show you around.”
“And then dinner with your parents so you can tell them about my new job in California?”
She hesitated. “Maybe not quite yet. Let’s wait for you to actually get the job first.”
“I told you. With my parents’ connections at San Francisco Gen, I’m a shoo-in there.”
“I’m just not ready. I will be, I swear. But I just moved back, and they’re so excited to have me home again. The last thing they want to hear is that the second we get married I’ll be moving to the other side of the country. It’s too soon to drop that kind of bomb on them.”
“I get it. Honestly, I do. I just wish they knew so that we could start celebrating.”
Logan put her hand on his. “We’ve got the wedding to start planning. Isn’t that enough for now?”
“I guess, but there’s not really much we can do until we set a date.”
Jacob’s phone rang before he could answer her. Without a word, he picked it up. “Doctor Abernathy,” he muttered into the receiver. A frantic voice Logan couldn’t make out was on the other end. “You’re kidding.” Jacob pinched two fingers over the bridge of his nose. “Can’t someone else do it? I’m two hours away—” The voice cut him off.
Logan’s stomach fell. She’d heard this kind of call before. The one where Jacob dropped everything and went running back to the hospital. She tried not to hold it against him or the hospital or the patients. But just once, couldn’t she come first?
“All right,” he huffed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up and looked at Logan, and she felt their week together slipping through her fingers. “That was the hospital. Morgan, the guy I got to cover for me, his father has been sick lately, and he passed away just a few hours ago.”
“Oh no.”
Jacob nodded. “He has to take care of the arrangements and the family, so he can’t do my shifts for me the next few days.”
Logan slumped in her seat. “So, you have to go back.”
“Tonight. I’m so sorry. I really wanted to stay here with you and your parents this week.”
“I know.”
He took her hand and squeezed it. “Hey, as soon as I can get a day off, I’ll come down here and we can do dinner with your parents like we planned. And I’ll come down other days just to see you, of course. And you can always come up to see me. It’s not like you’ve got all that much going on here anyway.”
The words stung a little, but he was right. The thought of finding anything to do the next few days without him left a gaping hole in her chest. “Yeah, we’ll figure it out,” she said.
Jacob squeezed her hand again. “Well, I guess we better go in and break the news,” Logan said. She knew her parents would understand, but all she could see was that pissed look on her momma’s face when she realized she made all that unsweet tea for nothing.
*
She’d tried. She really had.
After Jacob left for Athens, Logan had tried to resign herself to a quiet night in. She’d unpacked her bags, skimmed through the various TV channels, and had even settled into a long bath to help pass the time. But something about being back in her childhood home made her restless. The second her parents had called it a night, Logan couldn’t take it anymore.
Which was why, at eleven o’clock, Logan had snuck out of the house like a teenager with her Chevy truck and was now pulling into Wade’s for the second time that night.
Just one drink.
She could hear the music playing from outside, the lights within dimmed since she’d been here for dinner hours earlier. Logan walked in and found herself a place at the bar. There were a few couples dancing, a small group over by the pool table around the corner, but most were at the bar alone or sitting at a table, laughing and downing drink after drink with their loud friends.
Lilly spotted her from the other end of the bar, grinned, and walked over. “I was wondering how long it would take you to come running back. I never thought I’d live to see the day Logan Kase turned down a drink.”
“Please, I’ve never gotten a drink from you in my life.” Though not for lack of trying. Despite her easygoing attitude, the one thing Lilly had always refused to do was serve to minors. And seeing as Logan had turned twenty-one only a year and a half ago, that meant she’d never actually had a drink at Wade’s.
“I know your reputation as well as anyone else in this town. And as long as you weren’t getting it from my bar, I couldn’t care less. Now, what do you want? More tea? Or do you not drink that anymore either?”
“Cut the jokes and get me a beer, Lil,” Logan replied with a sneer.
The older woman laughed. “Rough night with the fiancé, huh?”
If you counted him promising to stay half the week and then abandoning her the first night, leaving her with absolutely nothing to do.
Lilly opened a new bottle and set it in front of Logan. She lifted it to her lips and took a greedy sip, her first in almost a year.
Damn, it was good.
She set the bottle back down, running her hands over the cold, wet glass as she frowned to herself. Jacob would be so disappointed. He made his disapproval of alcohol very clear. For that reason, Logan had made sure never to reveal her past to him and had even given the stuff up…for the most part.
She mentally kicked herself. For the two years she’d known Jacob, she’d started acting like a mature adult, going to bed early, replacing her wild nights with staying in and studying. Now, her first night back in town, she’d already succumbed to the old feelings of teenage restlessness.
But she was an adult now, and she knew better. Which was why when she finished her drink, she was going to pay her bill, get up, and go home. She could be the girl Jacob knew and loved, even if it meant fighting that urge for excitement she felt the instant she got back into town.
“Lilly, can you get us another pitcher? Wilson’s really going at it tonight.” Cole Tucker stood at the bar only a few seats over, fingers tapping away like little drumsticks while he waited. He hadn’t noticed her yet.
Logan groaned internally. This was the last thing she needed tonight. Here she was, telling herself she was stronger than the sinful temptations that called to her, and here stood the devil himself.
His eyes scanned the bar full of people on his left side. She’d never been lucky enough to escape him before, but maybe just this once.
Please, God. Just this once.
She saw him out of the corner of her eye as he looked to his right, and she could swear she saw him smile. Damn.
“Well, well, well. Back so soon. You just couldn’t stay away from me, could you?”
“And you’re still here t
hree hours later. Big surprise,” she said sardonically.
He came over to stand beside her, leaning his elbow on the bar. “What’s the matter? You and Jack have a fight? You’re not getting cold feet already, are you?” He shook his head. “I knew you couldn’t be tamed.”
“Jacob,” she growled. “And no. We are perfectly fine.”
“Right, right, of course. So then why is it you’re here and your future hubby isn’t anywhere in sight?”
Logan glared at him. “If you must know, he got called in to work and had to go back to Athens tonight.”
Lilly set a pitcher of beer in front of Cole. “There you go, doll,” she said in a sultry voice, batting her eyelashes shamelessly.
He nodded his head toward Logan. “Lilly, my love, I think I’ll actually take one of what she’s having and then another to top her off. On me.” He winked, sealing the deal.
She didn’t hesitate. “Just give me one second,” she said, grinning. She grabbed the pitcher and headed around the corner where Logan assumed Levi and Wilson were sitting.
Cole sat on the stool next to her, his lips curled and chin held high.
Logan took a long drag from her beer. “You really shouldn’t,” she said. “I’d hate to pull you away from your friends.”
“No worries. Levi and Wilson are so hammered they don’t even realize I’m not there.”
“So you’re still playing that game, huh? Getting wasted off a few drinks with the boys and hitting on whatever girl is unlucky enough to catch your eye for the night?”
“Hardly. And I resent that comment. It takes a lot more than a few drinks to get me drunk.”
Lilly set the two beers in front of Cole before she turned away to help an older man at the other end of the bar. “You mean this isn’t you chatting up the girl, getting me drunk, and slowly trying to charm your way into my pants?”
Cole leaned closer. “Why? Is it working?”
He chuckled as she shoved him away. “Relax. The boys had a rough day and are letting off a little steam. I agreed to act as their sober driver. No pants-charming, no drinking.”
“Says the guy who just ordered two beers.” She took another sip.
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