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Pleased that she’d made him smile again, she finished her latte quickly.
* * *
“Are you sure all those gift shop purchases are going to fit in your bags?” Logan teased Sunday morning, watching as Alexis carefully tucked two large packages of MarketSpice cinnamon-orange tea bags in the suitcase she would check at the gate. She’d tasted the tea at Pike Place Market and had been unable to resist taking some home with her. She figured that every time she drank a cup of the strong, fragrant brew, she would be mentally transported back to these lovely days with Logan.
“I didn’t buy that much,” she said, folding a beautiful scarf she’d found downtown around a pretty coffee mug she’d bought at the art museum. The mug was wrapped in Bubble Wrap and sealed in a cardboard box, but she wanted it to have plenty of protection. The little ceramic Space Needle replica fit nicely into a shoe, which she figured would keep it safe. She was wearing the dangling earrings she’d bought from an artist in a booth at the market, so she didn’t have to bother packing them.
She looked up to find Logan grinning at her, and she wrinkled her nose. “Okay, I’m a sucker for souvenirs. You don’t want to take anything home as a memento of your visit here?”
He tapped his temple with one finger. “I’ve got it all stored up here. Won’t forget a minute of it.”
She stifled a sigh. It really had been a magical weekend. Fun days, and delicious nights. She wouldn’t forget any of it, either—with or without the souvenirs.
He glanced at his watch. “Have you got everything? It’s almost time to head downstairs.”
“You’re sure you want to go to the airport at the same time I do? You’ll be sitting there more than three hours until your flight leaves.” His plane was scheduled to leave nearly two hours after hers, but he’d said he might as well head to the airport at the same time she did. He had no interest in hanging around downtown by himself for a couple hours.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve got a paperback spy novel in my carry-on. I’m only about a third of the way in, but it’s pretty good so far.”
She supposed she didn’t have to worry about Logan keeping himself entertained. He was one of the most self-sufficient people she knew.
She took a long look around the room, purportedly to make sure she had everything, but really to silently say goodbye. Drawing a deep breath, she turned back to Logan then. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Sea-Tac Airport wasn’t very crowded this early on a Sunday, so they made it through security easily enough. Knowing there would be time to kill, they’d waited to have breakfast at the airport. They didn’t talk about anything of particular import as they munched on Dungeness crab breakfast sandwiches washed down with coffee, but she suspected the return to Virginia weighed as heavily on his mind as it did on hers. She didn’t deny that her own feelings were mixed. She looked forward to getting back to her home, her cat and her work, but she’d had fun here with Logan. Seattle was an interesting city and she’d like to explore more of it sometime. She wouldn’t mind doing so with him.
Having eaten, they wandered into a gift shop that advertised goods made in Washington and she couldn’t resist buying another pretty scarf in a mix of bright spring colors. She tucked it into her carry-on bag, pretending to ignore Logan’s broad grin. And then she bought a bottle of water to carry onto the plane with her in case she got thirsty on the long flight. Her tablet computer was tucked into her bag with several books loaded on it. She would keep her mind busy during the journey, the better to not spend the time worrying about whether this weekend had changed things too greatly between her and Logan.
“I’m really not a shopaholic,” she informed him loftily, heading for her gate. “I don’t buy much at home. I just really like gift shops.”
“Wow, I never would have figured that out.”
She laughed and punched his arm. Rubbing it, he reminded her that the airport was filled with security cameras and she wouldn’t want to be charged with assault and battery. He wrapped the same arm casually around her shoulders as they looked for an empty bench at her gate, and she leaned companionably into him. She couldn’t help thinking that this was probably the last time in the foreseeable future that they’d be so comfortably familiar in a public place, which gave her a funny feeling in her stomach. Maybe the crab sandwich had been a little too rich on an empty stomach.
“So, busy week ahead at home?” he asked her.
“Very. A lot of catch-up stuff, a couple of events, some big weddings coming up. One at the inn in a couple weeks.”
She knew he didn’t choose to know about upcoming events until it was time for him to be involved. “Simple and sweet?”
She smiled faintly. “Well, not too complicated. Another spring theme, plenty of pastels. It will take place just after sunset, and they want lots of fairy lights and candles, but that’s about the extent of the decorations they’ve requested. The dance and dinner afterward will be held elsewhere.”
He nodded. “We’ll take care of them.”
She reached out to cover his hand with hers. “I know you will.”
He squeezed her fingers, then kept his hand wrapped around hers. They sat rather quietly until the gate attendant announced boarding for Alexis’s flight. Logan stood with her, making sure she had her tote bag and carry-on, her boarding pass in hand. “Have a safe flight,” he said. “I’ll see you back home in a few days.”
She nodded, smiling despite the lump in her throat. “You travel safely, too. I hope you don’t have any delays.”
He cupped a hand behind her head and leaned down to kiss her lingeringly. One last public display? Or maybe a prelude to an end? Either way, it left her feeling a little sad. “See you when I see you,” she murmured.
He nodded and turned away, presumably to head to his own gate. With a hard swallow, she boarded her plane.
Chapter Nine
“Logan, that’s not right. We don’t want any blue lights, only pink and yellow and green.”
With a scowl, he looked down from the tall ladder propped against the gazebo. “Are you kidding me?”
