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She narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch?”
“There isn’t one,” he said. When she didn’t take it, he pulled his arm back toward his body. “I mean, if you don’t want it—”
Jeni quickly took it. “I do.”
“Thought so.” He leaned toward the case and perused the other available options. “I’m feeling a salad today anyway.”
“None of the salads have hummus,” Jeni pointed out.
He shot her a glare, but the smile on his lips countered the severe look he was going for. “Don’t rub it in.”
They paid for their meals separately and sat down at a table.
They shared easy conversation through the meal, their flirtatious argument over the sandwich breaking the ice. When they’d finished, they continued to sit across from one another, as if neither wanted to be the one to end their time together. His eyes never darted around the restaurant. He wasn’t distracted by the movement of customers around them. Instead, his attention was on her, and her alone.
“Can I ask why you became interested in the foster care community?” Jeni asked.
Logan shifted in his seat and leaned away from her. “My parents were foster parents.”
She remembered his mother mentioning that. “Did you have foster siblings, growing up?”
He hesitated and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Sometimes.” He dropped his hand to his lap. “So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Going to Nebraska?”
Why was he changing the subject? “Do you not like to talk about it?”
“No, I don’t.” His eyes slid to the table for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
Fostering was rewarding and wonderful but could also be difficult and painful, both for the children in foster care and the families taking them in. Jeni wondered what kinds of children his parents had been assigned for Logan to be so closed off about it. She didn’t push it. “Okay. I’ll be here for Thanksgiving. Andrew’s coming over, and we thought we’d order pizza.”
“Really? You two can come to my mom’s house if you want to. My grandparents are coming over, but it will just be the four of us. There will be plenty of food to go around, I promise.” His eyes were back on her, blue and intense. His gaze wasn’t one that made her uncomfortable but rather made her feel warm and off-balance.
She took a shaky breath. “Thanks, that’s really nice. But at Andrew’s chemo appointment last week I kind of invited someone else to join us.”
“That pharmacist? Lauren?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Andrew told me about her. I think he really likes her.”
Jeni grinned. “So do I. He was embarrassed when I invited her, but I know he’s secretly glad I did. He’s never been so hesitant around women before. I don’t know what his deal is with this one.”
“He told me he feels awkward that she works at the cancer center.”
“Oh.” Jeni tilted her head. “I guess I can see that. Well, I invited her anyway, and I hope she comes. She’s our age, and I’d like to get to know her too. I don’t have any friends in town.”
His eyes roamed her face. “I’m not your friend?”
Jeni froze then took a drink of water to buy some time. “Sure.”
He grunted. “That was convincing.”
“I…” she began. She looked around. No one was sitting nearby. “Things got kind of weird, Logan.”
For a second, he appeared surprised she’d say it outright. Then his lips seemed to turn down at the corners. “I know.”
“I don’t know how to fix it.”
“I don’t think you can.” He looked at her intently for a moment, and her skin warmed with each passing second. He dipped his head forward, raking his fingers through his soft-looking hair.
Jeni searched desperately for something to say. She hated the awkward silence between them. It was one hundred times worse than the strained moment at her desk earlier.
Suddenly, he pushed back from the table. “You’re right.” He sighed. “We’re not friends. I want more, and you don’t, and that makes it complicated.” He stood and came around the table, his solid, warm body invading her space. “I can probably get there someday, to a point where I can just be friends with you. But I know I’m not there today because from the moment I saw you sitting at your desk this morning, I’ve wanted to pull you into my arms and kiss you like my life depends on it. I want to do it right now.”
Jeni couldn’t breathe. Her gaze dropped to his full lips, and a spark of longing burst deep in her stomach. She closed her eyes, and her voice shook. “Logan…”
He held up a hand. “Don’t.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I thought I could handle it, but I can’t do this. I have to go.”
Logan turned and walked away, and Jeni just watched him go. She remained seated for several minutes, fighting the burn beneath her eyelids. When she was confident she wouldn’t cry, she finally rose on unsteady legs and walked back to work.
