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Logan got dressed while she did the dishes and they were out the door in no time. The roads were well salted since they didn’t move until well past the work hours of normal humans. As they hit Main Street, she realized it felt odd and a little ominous to be back here with him. The last time she’d been heading for the store with him they’d just agreed to give their relationship a try.
That hadn’t ended well.
She tried to shake off the uneasiness. It felt like months since she’d been home, even if it was only a little over a week. She was happy to see a few people parked in front of the store and Adam and Nic both with customers when they walked in.
Nic looked up when the bell jangled over her head. Her dark eyes went huge and Bella could see her practically vibrating to get around the desk. But she finished the transaction first and packed up the customer’s books with her usual smile.
Adam got to her first. He swooped in and hugged her tight. “I didn’t know you were coming in.” He pulled back and gave Logan a steady look. “Or that you had company.”
She squeezed Adam’s hand. “Logan is just dropping me off.”
“Good.”
Obviously his protective brother instincts were on red alert. Not that she could blame him. She’d been a hot mess for a few days after the Logan break-up, but for the most part she’d buried it under work.
Nic tackled her from the side until she, Adam, and Bella were a laughing pile of idiots.
Logan watched with a smile in his eyes, but his face remained impassive. Bella detangled herself and leaned into his side. He slid his hand around her hip and pressed a light kiss over her temple. “When will you be home?”
Nic’s eyebrows shot up.
That was going to be a conversation and a half. She smiled up at him. “Not sure, but I’ll text.”
He nodded. “Wish me luck. I’ll be in scheduling hell today.”
She rose onto her toes and kissed him. He didn’t close his eyes, simply stared down at her with an eyebrow raised, those heavy-lidded green eyes full of something she couldn’t define. The kiss was nearly chaste, at least for them.
When she lowered her heels to the floor, he brushed his lips across her temple then walked out.
“What was that?”
Bella frowned after him. “I don’t know.”
“Not the weird kiss. Though, wow—weird. But Logan is in town again?”
“Yeah. About that.”
Nic tackle-hugged her. “We’re going to the diner,” she said over Bella’s shoulder.
Adam sighed. “Why do I never get to hear stuff?”
“I tell you the good stuff.” Nic smiled wide.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll hold down the fort.”
Nic gave him a smacking kiss that left behind a ring of burgundy lipstick. “Thanks, babe.” She snagged Bella’s hand and dragged her to the door.
“Now?”
“Yes, now. You’ll find some way to get pulled away to the phone or the stockroom. So we go now.”
Five minutes later, they were in a booth with gravy fries and two of Dee’s cappuccinos on order.
“Now spill. What the hell is going on?”
Bella picked at the ragged cuticle of her thumb. “I don’t know even how to start.” She wasn’t sure how much she really could tell Nic. Enough not to get Adam and Nic into trouble if something came up, but not too much so they were on guard all the time.
“You told me on the phone that you guys talked, but not the hows or the whys. Did you run into him or something?”
