Callie Endicott - Finally, A Family

It was nice; he just wished he’d thought of doing it himself.

CHAPTER THREE

THE NEXT MORNING Logan wondered whether getting coffee would be awkward, but Jessica simply gave him an impersonal smile and went over to the coffee corner.

“What brew does Mr. Magellan Einstein Stanley want to explore today?” she asked.

Logan liked the modified nickname, though Einstein hadn’t been an explorer. “How about a latte? I missed breakfast this morning and at least it has milk.” He glanced at a glass case that hadn’t been there the day before. “I see you’ve expanded to an assortment of fresh food items.”

“Grams told me that customers have been asking for food besides candy, granola bars or potato chips. This is from a local bakery in the town where I live. They’ll package a selection for me and I’ll pick up the order on my way to the store every day. We’ve talked about me carrying a few of their sandwiches, but this morning I told them the idea is on hold.”

Ouch .

At a guess, Jessica had put the idea on hold because Moonlight Ventures wanted the Crystal Connection to move.

Feeling like slime, he took a bran muffin from the display case. “This looks tasty.”

“It’s supposed to be high in protein and fiber, but mostly it’s delicious. I’ve sampled everything I’ll be carrying. I didn’t want to stock anything I haven’t tried myself. My favorite is their cottage bread with jalapeño and cheddar, mostly because it’s savory instead of sweet.” She frowned at one of her insulated pots and ran her fingers over a brown stain on the bar towel beneath.

“I take it you don’t have a sweet tooth.”

Jessica lifted the pot and set it in the sink. “Not in the morning. After lunch I have to use all my resistance so I won’t turn into a basketball.”

Without thinking, he cast a swift glance down her well-formed figure. She wore a dress of soft fabric that flowed around her curves.

Logan reminded himself that their contacts were business-related and nothing else. Even if Jessica was available and interested, dating one of their tenants seemed a bad idea. Besides, call it old-fashioned, he’d pegged her as a forever type of woman. He might not be a properly warm and sensitive guy of the twenty-first century, but he knew better than to get involved with a woman who needed more than he was able to offer.

Once his coffee was shot with hot milk, she poured it into his cup and handed it to him. “Can I get you anything besides coffee and a muffin?”

“This is all. Have you checked with Penny to see if tomorrow evening will work for you?”

Her face tensed. “It’s fine. My grandmother is already planning a taco-and-jigsaw-puzzle evening.”

“She must enjoy having a young great-grandchild so close.”

Jessica nodded. “She’s thrilled. And it’s a relief for me since it gives my daughter a second adult to count on. When we lived back east my parents were too busy to spend time with her, so it’s mostly been just the two of us until I moved to Seattle last year.”

It sounded as if Cyndi’s father wasn’t in the picture and Logan wondered why. Jessica was intelligent, attractive and appeared to have a pleasant personality, though those qualities didn’t guarantee a successful relationship.

“That’s great,” he said. “I’ll be here at closing time, if that sounds good.”

“If you don’t mind, I could use a few minutes after closing. Sometimes I have late customers and then I need to deal with the daily receipts.”

“Then how about six?”

“That’s fine.” Her eyes had turned even more wary, a reminder that it would be a very sensitive discussion.

Moonlight Ventures didn’t want her business to be adversely affected, but they needed space. There must be a compromise that would work for them both.

* * *

LOGAN LEFT AND Jessica resisted sticking out her tongue at him. It was childish and wouldn’t change anything, but he annoyed her. How could he look so alert and well rested when she’d barely slept a wink?

Her cell phone rang and she saw it was one of the Flash Committee members. Regen Valley was a terrific town, outside the metropolitan area, yet within commuting distance. Jessica had always loved her summer visits there and made a lot of friends over the years, but now that she lived in the small town, she was acutely aware it lacked an urgent care facility. Having a daughter with severe childhood asthma changed everything, so she’d started the Flash Committee to raise money for a clinic. With land for it recently donated, they were making great progress.

“Hi, Chris,” she answered.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be at the next meeting, after all. Also, you’ll be happy to hear we’ve already sold over a hundred and fifty tickets for the breakfast.”

“Wonderful.”

The Flash Committee’s next fund-raiser was a pancake breakfast at the community center. The ingredients and paper goods were being donated by local businesses, so 100 percent of the proceeds would go into the urgent care clinic fund.

After Chris said goodbye, she shoved the phone into her pocket, annoyed that she couldn’t relax and be happy at how well ticket sales were going. People were enthusiastically supporting the committee’s efforts, but her worry over the shop was competing for emotional dominance.

She hadn’t confided in her grandmother about Moonlight Ventures’ request, or the need to keep “Penelope Parrish” on the lease. The night before she’d simply explained that she had a business meeting with one of the owners. Grams’s eyes had gleamed when she learned the meeting was with Logan Kensington. She was obviously hopeful something more than business was involved. Jessica had nearly told her the truth, only to stop, reluctant to share upsetting news before she had additional information. But she would have to do it soon, or risk Grams finding out another way.

Jessica pressed a hand to her midriff to quell the flutters. She and Cyndi would be fine. She’d started over more than once, including the time she was pregnant and her brief marriage had collapsed. If necessary, she’d do it again.

Maybe she was borrowing trouble, but while the lease issue could be handled by keeping Grams’s name on the paperwork, there were plenty of ways that Moonlight Ventures could make it difficult for her to stay in business. For one, several of the shop’s best customers were connected to the talent agency, either as tenants or clients. Would they feel comfortable patronizing the Crystal Connection if Logan and his partners were unhappy with her?

It would be hard to stop thinking about the problem since Logan and his partners came in for coffee several times a day. They were going to be constant reminders that the shop was no longer welcome in the building, in this part of it, at any rate. As if in response to her thoughts, Adam Wilding showed up a few minutes later.

“Good morning, Jessica.”

Her stomach tensed again. “Hey, Adam. Southwest Twist?”

“Yup.” He held out his mug and she took it to the coffee corner.

Behave naturally , she reminded herself. Logan Kensington had promised he would be the only one speaking to her about moving the store. She needed to pretend everything was normal when dealing with the others, no matter what her private feelings might be. She filled Adam’s mug and put it on the narrow bar. Perhaps it was her imagination, but he didn’t seem anxious to meet her gaze. Instead, he was peering into the new display case filled with baked goods.

“Thanks,” he said. “I talked to Logan on the walk over and he mentioned you’d just started carrying bakery items. What do you recommend?”

“The blackberry coffee cake is the bakery’s specialty.”