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“No,” I say, blunt. “But I will leave you alone if you tell me why me dating Logan bothers you so much. Is it because I’m a pauper and he’s a prince?”
“Joyce!” she shouts, exasperated. “It’s not because you’re poor!”
“Then why, Jane?!” A tear rolls down my cheek.
She drops down into the chair behind her, and I take a few steps forward just so I can hear her better.
“Every woman who has ever approached Logan wanted a piece of him. Every. Woman.” Jane says, angry. “That includes Anna’s mother too. Oh! And she took the most from him!”
I weigh on her words. What could a woman who has passed away possibly take away from a man? I know he has sorrow over her passing, but with time, that could heal.
“Andrea passed away, Jane,” I say, horrified by her ability to throw blame on someone who isn’t there to defend herself.
“And took his heart away with her!” She starts to cry. “I don’t want him to get hurt again.”
We fall silent, mulling over each other’s words and unwilling to give in to the other.
“Mom is in remission, Jane,” I say, deciding to change the subject. I wipe my eyes, “The new therapy helped.”
Jane raises her eyes to me as if asking why she’s only learning about it just now. I continue, “I tried to tell you, but you blocked me everywhere.”
She sighs once, then brings her eyes back down and keeps on quietly crying. “I’m glad,” she finally says. “Now please, just leave me alone.”
“I have just one last thing to say, Jane,” I say, hands joined at my chest. “All your brother and I are doing is trying to make each other happy. It’s working on my end. I hope it’s working for him too, and I wish you could be a part of this happiness.”
With fury in her eyes, Jane looks at me and stands, the jar of hazelnut spread in her right hand. Her left arm points the way off of her porch, and I know that’s my cue to leave.
“Get off my property!” she shouts, then tosses the hazelnut spread at me. The glass jar breaks on the pavement just behind my feet.
Feeling like I was stabbed in the heart, I fumble with my keys. I don’t look back to see her going back in and slamming the door. When I sit behind the wheel, I fall into desperate sobbing, and it takes me a good while to calm down and be able to see the road.
I’ve never seen her this mad. Trying to coerce her into acceptance is not going to work. Now that I know she is looking out for her brother’s feelings, I’ll count on time and patience for her to see that what we have is beautiful and I’m not trying to take anything away from Logan.
Chapter Twenty-Four
LOGAN
“We’regoingtoseeJoyce?” Anna was already ecstatic to see me picking her up from school, and now that I said we’re going to Joyce’s work, she’s over the moon.
I had let Jefferson and Karen know, and they had said it was fine for me to stop by with Anna.
I’m still pretty sure Jefferson hasn’t told Karen about me and Joyce.
“And Esther, too!” I strap her to the car seat. “She’s your friend, remember?”
“Um, Esther plays video games too much.” She crosses her arms and frowns.
I head for the driver’s seat, shaking my head at Anna’s reaction.
“Maybe with you there, she won’t play as much. Doesn’t Joyce know a lot of fun games?” I ask, starting the car.
“Yeah, she does!” She’s suddenly animated again. “Will you play with us, daddy?”
I consider her suggestion, carefully driving through the after-school traffic around me. “I can try, baby, but daddy is not very good at games.”
“Yes, you are!” She reaches forward with her arms. “You’re going to play!”
“Alright, yes ma’am,” I look over my shoulder. “Damn, you’re bossy like your mother was!”
