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It’s not as interesting as the story my mind will be repeating—of Logan’s half-naked body, but it’ll do for outside thoughts.
“We should finish with the dishes,” I say, hoping to distract my mind from indulging in something else.
As improper as it is, I can't help but weigh in on the possibility that I might have someone somewhere. Someone who is looking for me—someone who might take offense to me getting worked up over someone else.
That does the trick, and I continue working with Madison, putting Logan out of my mind completely.
CHAPTER 9
Logan
“Hi,” I say, surprised when I open the door to see Michael standing on the other side. “What brings you here?”
He holds up a bag. “Mrs. Owen asked me to bring you pork roast and some soup. Actually,” he smiles, “I told her I was going to bring it because I wanted to check on Lily. Is she in?”
“She’s outside,” I say, “with Madison. I’ll get them and be with you. Give me a minute.”
Leaving him inside the house, I head to the back of the cabin to find Lily and Madison, who decided they were in charge of getting rid of the branches that broke off and fell around during the heavy rain last night.
I tried to discourage them, but Lily asked me—with her arms thrust on her lips and a mean look on her face—if I didn’t think she was strong enough to lift a couple of weak branches.
I couldn’t say yes, could I?So, I let them go, with the ghost of a smile.
As I near the east end of the cabin, where most of the trees are, I hear their voices.
“I don’t know,” I hear Lily say.
Don’t know what?
“I don’t remember my mom, but everyone says she was nice and beautiful and kind. I know I’m supposed to not tell him to—that is what my classmates say, but I want my dad to get married again,” Madison’s voice carries.
I pause in my tracks as my ears perk up.
“Why don’t you tell him then?” Lily asks.
“Because he will think I’m doing it for him,” Madison replies.
“Are you?”
“I don’t know. I think he’s lonely. Uncle Ethan has a wife. They look so happy and in love all the time, and I want that for my dad, too. Sometimes, I catch him staring at nothing, and he looks so sad, and I don’t know how to comfort him.”
My hand goes over my mouth.
I didn’t… I never knew she was watching me during those moments. Moments when I let myself slip, the vulnerable part of me gets its moment in the sun.
I didn’t know she wanted me to find someone either. Whenever we talked about family or my late wife came up, I’d remind Madison that we had each other, and she would agree. With a smile.
Have I been blind to everything?
“He used to work a lot, too,” Madison says. “My friend said that her daddy started working a lot after her mom left them. He didn't want to think about her mom. Was my dad working hard because he didn't want to think about my mom?
“Did it make him unhappy?”
Oh.
Overhearing Madison’s conversation with Lily makes me feel like I’ve been on the outside of my daughter’s life. I know I’m notthe best father, so I retired last year to compensate for the hours I spent away while she stayed with Ethan and Grace.
But this…
