JESSICA DROVE HOME, stressing even more than before, if possible.
She glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror and made a face.
One of her counselor’s frequent urgings had been to stop trying to control the uncontrollable, especially her childhood past, her husband’s desertion and her parents’ continued absorption in moneymaking. The important thing was to choose how she reacted to the events that had impacted her life. It was easier said than done, but she didn’t have to pretend everything was okay when it wasn’t. Being uptight was normal with so much at stake. The answer was applying her energy to find creative solutions.
So, what could she do?
There was the idea about the agency moving, instead of her.
It was true that Logan and his partners had spent a truckload of money remodeling the original location, but if she moved, they wouldn’t get that much more room. In contrast, taking over the empty units at the back of the building would nearly double their footprint.
Rather than continue worrying and losing sleep, she’d write out a list of pros and cons and propose the idea to Logan. Even if they’d considered moving already, she might come up with something that would swing the decision in her favor.
KEVIN THOROUGHLY ENJOYED the dinner and game with Penny and Cyndi, which they’d finished playing by the time Jessica arrived.
She gave him a hug. “Welcome home, Uncle Kevin. I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
He looked at her closely, seeing shadows under her eyes that hadn’t been there when he’d left for Chicago. When it came to Jessica he was biased and he felt a surge of anger at Logan.
“Show the baby pictures to Jessica,” Penny ordered.
Grateful for the distraction, he took out his phone again and handed it to his honorary granddaughter. She went through the photos, oohing and aahing before giving it back.
“Newborns are so precious.”
“Do you miss having a baby around?” he asked.
Jessica watched her daughter, asleep on the couch. “I’m sad to see Cyndi grow out of every stage of childhood, but it’s inevitable. They grow and grow, no matter how often you tell them to stay little.”
“You ought to have more kids. That way I’d have grandbabies on this side of the country.”
Her smile wavered. “It’s possible to have children without a partner, but that isn’t the way for me.”
“You’re still young. You have time to meet someone.”
“Hey, don’t start matchmaking, I get enough of that from Grams.” Jessica’s voice was light but firm.
What was wrong with young men today? Kevin wondered. They ought to be beating her door down. He just hoped little Allie would grow up to be as fine a woman as Jessica.
“Do you want some dinner?” Penny asked. “I have spaghetti and meatballs.”
“I’d love it, but the reason I had to stay late was to meet with Logan. We shared a pizza. If I’d known your spaghetti was on the menu I would have told him to forget it.”
Kevin frowned. “I’m sorry about what’s happening, kiddo. I’d do anything to fix it.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will work out.” Jessica went to the couch and bent to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “Wake up, sweetie. Time to go home.”
The little girl leaned against her mother groggily as they went out the door. It felt strangely natural when Penny stepped next to him as he watched to be sure the two got safely inside their half of the duplex.
He sighed.
It was hard to stand alone when you were used to having someone at your side.
ON SATURDAY MORNING Logan left his studio apartment by nine to be sure of getting to Jessica’s place on time. Her instructions didn’t accord with his GPS, but she’d indicated that the route missed the worst traffic, which proved to be true.
Ironically, Regen Valley was one of the areas he was considering in his house-hunting search. So far he’d looked at places in Enumclaw, Buckley and Issaquah. He’d also driven up to Black Diamond, only to decide that the community was a little too small.
Just outside of Regen Valley Logan spotted an interesting house for sale. The rear of the property looked out on an evergreen-crested hill rising above the town. He stopped and collected one of the real estate fliers. The description further intrigued him.
Knowing the house was in the same town where Jessica lived made him hesitate, but he finally shrugged. With so many Moonlight Ventures tenants and clients, the chances were good that he’d find one of them wherever he looked. Perhaps he’d contact the real estate agent and arrange a viewing once he was finished with Cyndi’s meeting.
When he arrived at Jessica’s home, he studied the duplex. She’d written that she lived on the right side of the midcentury home. The place was in good condition and bursts of colors filled the flower beds.
The door on the right flew open as he got out of the car. Cyndi came running down the walkway.
“Hi, Logan. You came.”
“I promised to come, didn’t I?”
“I know. See you in a minute. I’m helping Grandma in the kitchen. We’re ’sposed to have healthy snacks.” Cyndi leaned forward and dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “But there’s a little bit of chocolate.”
Jessica stepped onto the front porch as her daughter rushed back inside.
“Good morning,” Logan said.
“I see you found us.”
“Your directions were excellent. It was convenient coming out today because this is one of the towns I’ve considered in my search for houses. I’m going to look around after the meeting.”
Her delicate eyebrows rose. “I would have pegged you as a city guy, all the way.”
“I have been, but when I was moving to Seattle, I decided it was time for a change.”
“This would be a big change. Regen Valley is nice, but we don’t have embassies or art galleries. Instead we have community picnics, softball and amateur watercolors sold at our gift shop.”
Her tone was skeptical and Logan was unaccountably annoyed. “You sound like a longtime native warning me away. I thought you just moved to Washington last year.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to sound unwelcoming,” Jessica apologized. “As a kid I spent my summers in Regen Valley—made good friends, learned to swim and drive...had my first real kiss. But my parents hate the place, so I know it isn’t to everyone’s taste.”
“Your father never lived here?”
“Nope.” She peered back at the duplex and then continued in a low tone. “Dad disliked roving the world and eventually talked my grandparents into sending him to boarding school. Grams still wishes they’d refused, but I think he would have turned out the same.”
Logan thought about his childhood. At times he’d resented the constraints of diplomatic life, but he wouldn’t have wanted to leave his parents. “I can’t imagine boarding school.”
“Me, neither. But on the question of moving to Regen Valley, will you be comfortable in a town where people are active in the community and expect their neighbors to be the same? It would be hard to stay behind a camera here.”
Once again Jessica was holding up a mirror that reflected how other people saw him...and how he saw himself, deep down.
He was the guy with the camera, the watcher, the one who caught the perfect moment. And yet in many ways he was invisible. Who paid attention to the photographer at weddings or other events? But it was undeniable that he’d been restless. He had simply assumed it was about wanting to start the new part of his life at Moonlight Ventures. Now Jessica was making him wonder if it was more than that.
“Maybe I don’t want to stay behind a camera. Not all the time.”
She gave him a quizzical smile. “Really? Keep in mind, there’s limited privacy in such a small community. I wouldn’t call my neighbors nosy, but they have a friendly interest in what’s going on.”
Logan shifted the camera bag hanging on his shoulder. He’d enjoyed the frenetic world of fashion photography, but when the time had come to leave it behind, he hadn’t been able to do it fast enough. Forays into the wilderness and living closer to nature were what appealed now.
“I’m willing to give it a try,” he said.
“Then I wish you luck. Several nice houses are for sale.”
“Uh, yeah. I picked up a flier for one of them on the way into town. Looks like an interesting place.”
Jessica nodded. “That must be the Satterly House. A wealthy businessman built it years ago as a retreat. The property has been on the market for a while, so you might be able to pick it up for a good price.”
On the market for a while? That could mean the house was a fixer-upper and Logan would prefer something move-in ready. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.
With an inviting gesture, Jessica motioned him inside and he saw the living room was sparsely furnished.
“I’m buying a couch on layaway, but it won’t be paid off for another couple of weeks. It was too expensive to move our stuff across country, so mostly I’ve been shopping at yard sales for what we need. Don’t be alarmed, though, the girls sit on the floor.” She grinned. “Grown-ups get the chairs. That’s my rule.”
Her tone was matter-of-fact and Logan realized being careful with her finances was such a normal part of her life she didn’t think twice about buying secondhand.
“Is a yard sale where you found that vintage coffee bar for the Crystal Connection?” he asked. “It’s a great piece.”
Jessica’s eyes sparkled. “An old inn was being refurbished and they sold what they weren’t keeping at rock-bottom prices. Their loss, my gain. I got these two chairs, too.”
Intrigued, Logan went to look. For indoor shoots, he’d sometimes used classic furniture as a contrast to modern fashion. “These Morris chairs could be Stickleys.”
He glanced up and saw Jessica typing into her phone. A moment later she shook her head. “According to what I see on the internet, Stickley chairs cost a bundle. There’s no way I’d get two of them for forty bucks.”
“Anything is possible. How do you think antique dealers stay in business? They buy valuable items that other people don’t recognize.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t understand—I don’t want them to be Stickleys. They’re attractive, solid and comfortable. That’s what counts. If they were valuable, I couldn’t enjoy sitting in them any longer.”
Hmm. Jessica had a curious point of view—most people would do handstands at getting an extraordinary bargain. But then, she probably wasn’t interested in designer labels, either.
“Are you partial to antiques?” she asked.
“Not especially. If anything, I prefer Mission-style. Or Shaker and Arts and Crafts,” Logan added, though he hadn’t given it much thought. “My studio apartment came fully equipped, so most of my furniture is in storage. But I just had a small condo down south, so I’ll need to start shopping when I buy a house.”
Logan wasn’t wealthy, but his work had provided him with a comfortable income. His success had come early, so he no longer knew what it was like to buy what he needed piece by piece, looking for bargains.
“The Satterly House would look good with any of those furniture styles,” Jessica said.
“Then if I buy it, are you going to roll out Regen Valley’s red carpet for me?”
She just gave him a measured smile and shrugged.
PENNY SUPERVISED CYNDI’S efforts in the kitchen and made sure she used the knife safely, but she didn’t do the work for her. The directions were clear about how she earned ranger points. Regen Valley Girl Rangers was a local program, unaffiliated with a national organization. Jessica had longed to join as a kid, but at least she’d been able to participate as a guest during her summer visits.
“This part is done,” Cyndi said. “Now I have to do the celery with peanut butter.”
“Are any of the girls allergic to peanuts?” Kevin asked. After hearing Logan was coming to give a program on photography, he’d promptly volunteered to be one of the adult helpers. Penny hadn’t objected. They were both anxious on Jessica’s behalf and wanted to be supportive.
Cyndi shook her head. “I checked. Everyone can eat peanuts, but Ella can’t have apples. She likes them, but they give her a rash. That’s why I decided on oranges for my fruit. It wouldn’t be nice to eat apples in front of her.”
“Good thinking.”
“Girl rangers are supposed to be considerate and re-spect-ful,” she said, spreading peanut butter on celery sticks and poking raisins on the top. “I’m reading the handbook and Momma helps with the big words. The other girls have been girl rangers longer than me, so I have to catch up.”
Penny smiled as Cyndi picked up a tray, carried it to the living room and then returned for the second container. She loved having Jessica and Cyndi next door. Her grandsons rarely visited, but Jessica was a loving, thoughtful woman who was teaching her child to behave the same way.
“Pretty proud of that youngster, aren’t you?” Kevin asked in a low voice.
“Extremely. I just wish I could take some credit for how she’s turning out.”
“Of course you can take credit. You’ve seen Cyndi every day since they moved here and had a big influence on her mother. Jessica is a fine young woman.”
“I agree, even though it’s basically patting myself on the back.”
They chuckled and followed Cyndi to the living room, where Logan and Jessica showed distinct signs of being on edge with each other. So much for the hope they’d become a couple. Not that their discomfort was necessarily a bar to romance. There were awkward moments whenever two people were getting acquainted. She and Eric had been champions at it, what with her chasing after him, while he tried to do the noble thing and avoid temptation.
Logan nodded at them. “Hi, Penny. Kevin. I didn’t know you were going to be here this morning. How was your flight from Chicago?”
“Not bad. My new grandbaby was restless the night before I left, so I slept most of the way. Thought I’d come into the agency on Monday or Tuesday to talk. If you’re free.”
Logan’s jaw hardened. “I’ll check my schedule and let you know.”
The tension in the room was now so thick that Penny opened a window, needing air. When she turned around, she saw a wicked smile on Jessica’s face.
“Grams, Logan just told me he stopped and got a real estate flier for the Satterly place. Isn’t that nice?”
Kevin looked skeptical. “Really? You don’t seem like the small-town, take-care-of-your-neighbor kind of fellow.”
Logan’s jaw muscles were clenched so hard now his skin turned white. “That’s my problem, isn’t it?”
“My girls live here, so it’s my problem, too.”
Oh, dear. Kevin was a sweetheart, but Penny suspected a bit of testosterone-driven competition was coming into play. She decided to intervene.
“Logan, I’m sure you’d enjoy Regen Valley. And the old Satterly home is wonderful.”
“Have you been inside?”
“Several times. When Eric and I moved back to the States, Virginia Satterly was still hosting garden club parties there. It was lovely. Her formal gardens are gone now, but I think the less structured setting suits the house.”
Penny really hoped Logan would buy the Satterly home. It wasn’t the type of place a man chose when he expected a wife and family in his immediate future, but it was a decent size and no one could tell what would happen. It might be ridiculous, but she’d often thought Logan must be lonely, especially now that his closest friends were all married. The excitement of working around the world in exotic locales couldn’t replace sharing your life with the right person.
Besides, it was a shame for a beautiful house to stand empty.
“The Flash Committee toured the property when it came on the market last fall,” Jessica said. “We were hoping it might work for an urgent care but decided it wasn’t feasible.”
“Is it in poor condition?” Logan asked.
“No, the site just wouldn’t be good for a medical clinic. From what our volunteer architect says, the house mostly needs cosmetic fixes.”
His eyes narrowed. “Cosmetic, huh?”
She smiled sweetly. “Yes. You’ve heard of them, right?”
The interplay was interesting, though Penny didn’t know what it meant. She still felt the impulse to play matchmaker, but anything she said might do more harm than good.
JESSICA TRIED NOT to laugh at Logan’s expression. He knew she was referring to the “cosmetic fixes” needed in the empty rentals. Poor guy. He’d come to talk about photography with a group of little girls, only to be surrounded by people who supported her side of things.
She didn’t have long to think about it because the members of Cyndi’s troop began arriving. A divorced mother who hadn’t expected to stay for the meeting changed her mind, despite the limited seating. Jessica suspected Logan was the reason.
Amy Irvine soon came over to stand near her. “I don’t see a wedding ring,” she whispered. “Are you involved with him?”
“He’s one of my landlords for the shop,” Jessica explained in a neutral tone. “That’s how Cyndi got acquainted with him. She’s been camera-crazy ever since.”
“Oh. I see.”
The twinkle in Amy’s eyes caught Jessica’s attention. Should she warn the other woman away? Amy was welcome to make a move on Logan, but she might be disappointed. Would a man who dated supermodels and brushed elbows with movie stars and world leaders get involved with a divorced, small-town soccer mom?
The usual troop business didn’t take long and then the meeting was turned over to Cyndi, who explained that Logan was her guest and since she was in charge of the program, she’d invited him to talk.
“He takes super, super, super cool pictures,” she said. “See?” Proudly she displayed each page of the calendar. Excited cries of admiration came from her audience when they saw the photo of the baby mountain lions. “Okay, now he’s going to show us his camera.”
Logan got to his feet. “Thank you for inviting me, Cyndi.”
As he spoke with the girls, Jessica grew increasingly impressed. He didn’t talk down to them the way the plumber had done; instead he described how digital cameras worked in words they could understand. He’d claimed to be better with groups than individuals, but she’d assumed he was exaggerating. As part of his demo he took numerous pictures, including a group photo, then displayed them on his laptop.
“Grandma says she misses film,” Kitty Carman said when he invited questions. “What’s film?”
Logan explained what film was and how it was processed, throwing in some of the history of photography, as well.
Ellie Smithfield put up her hand. “My mom just takes pictures with her smartphone.”
Logan smiled. “Phones are easy and quick, which is great when you’re busy. Some models have advanced features, but they may not have the same capabilities as cameras, especially the ones with special lenses and the optical zoom I mentioned earlier. Everyone has to choose which gadget works best for them.”
Jessica appreciated his attitude. She’d known experts who dismissed amateur efforts, but Logan seemed made of better stuff. Surely she could recognize his positive qualities without putting her heart at risk.
When he was finished, the girls chorused a thank-you in unison.
“Can you come back again?” Kerry Stevenson asked.
“I’d love to.” He sounded sincere and even the married mothers attending the meeting seemed dazzled.
Jessica sighed.
“I made the snacks myself,” Cyndi announced. “I scrubbed my hands the way Momma says, and I washed the oranges and celery over and over. There are orange slices, ants-on-a-log, organic grape juice and gorp cookies. They have lots of oatmeal and raisins and healthy stuff along with some chocolate because Mom says chocolate is good for mental health.”
Her troop didn’t crack a smile, but the adults in the room snickered.
A moment later, Logan came over to stand next to Jessica.
“Good for mental health, eh?”
“Absolutely, and I read once that...” She stopped, realizing she didn’t want to explain that she’d read chocolate made a person feel the way it felt to be in love.
“Yes?” he prompted.
“Nothing. It isn’t important.”
He looked both skeptical and curious, though he didn’t press the subject further. “In that case, what are ‘ants on a log’?”
“Oh.” Jessica shook her head. Considering Logan’s unusual childhood, it was doubtful he’d ever perused the kids’ section of a cookbook. “They’re peanut butter celery sticks with raisins stuck on top. Someone must have thought it made a cute name. You’ve never eaten them before?”
“Peanut butter isn’t popular in most of the countries where we lived. Anyway, my mother isn’t a fan.”
“Oh.” Jessica knew people who didn’t care for peanut butter, but even her own parents hadn’t objected to their kids eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Cyndi approached, carrying two paper plates.
“This is for you, Logan.” She handed one of the plates to him.
“That’s very thoughtful, thank you.”
“I brought you some, too, Momma.”
Jessica smiled at her daughter and accepted the treats. “Thanks, sweetie. You’re doing a fine job.”
Cyndi beamed before hurrying back to the serving table. Jessica considered going over to help, but Grams and Kevin seemed to be enjoying themselves as assistant leaders of the event. As for Amy, she kept sending longing glances in Logan’s direction but apparently couldn’t summon the resolve to introduce herself. It couldn’t be easy to become socially active again after being part of a couple.
Jessica understood.
Though she’d grown accustomed to taking the blame for her divorce, Logan’s contempt for Aaron was making her reevaluate. While she’d been too needy in the marriage, her husband hadn’t been honest with her. That didn’t negate her mistakes, but maybe she didn’t have to accept every single scrap of responsibility.
“Your daughter’s a good hostess,” Logan murmured, breaking into Jessica’s thoughts.
“It isn’t about being a good hostess, per se, actually, it teaches courtesy and respect for others.” Jessica ate a bite of cookie. “The troop leaders are very clear that those qualities aren’t gender-specific and they apply to all parts of life, including work and business.”
“I’ve met too many people who are ruthless in business.” He glanced at her. “But that isn’t my style.”
Jessica didn’t believe Logan was ruthless, but he still wielded a huge amount of power over the Crystal Connection, and by extension, her future.
He bit into a loaded celery stick and chewed thoughtfully. “I wonder who thought of combining peanut butter and celery. They don’t seem like a natural combination.”
“Who knows? I’ve always wondered who was brave enough to eat a raw oyster the first time. They don’t look appetizing.”
He laughed. “Probably somebody who was extremely hungry.”
“Yeah. I bet they never imagined they’d become so expensive. Even if I loved oysters, the price would keep me from eating them.” Jessica abruptly wished she hadn’t mentioned cost as a factor. Logan had ordered oysters as his appetizer the night they’d gone out to dinner.
“So, what are the treats you dream about having?” Logan asked.
She thought for a moment. “Dark chocolate, root beer floats, nachos...that kind of stuff. How about you?”
“Barbecued hot dogs with lots of mustard.”
“Seriously?”
“Absolutely. They weren’t common in the countries where we lived, but one of the ambassadors threw a birthday party for his daughter and that’s what she wanted. He had them flown in on dry ice. They’re exotic when you’ve never eaten one before. To this day, I can’t resist a street vendor selling hot dogs.”
“Wow. I figured it would be something like caviar, champagne or truffles,” Jessica said, thinking how different his life had been from that of everyone else she knew.
It was a reminder of how far apart perception and reality could be. She’d always recognized Logan worked hard, but she’d also seen him as a guy who preferred fancy foods and exclusive parties. Yet inside the sophisticated man was a little boy who craved ordinary treats. The image was more endearing than she would have expected.