“You know how we’re talking about what the kids deserve?” he said quietly. “You deserved a whole lot better than you got, too.”
And so had Caroline. She’d deserved a guy who could have made her feel grateful to live with him. Instead, she’d been stuck with him. Some guys cheated and deserved what they got. Other guys, like him, messed things up in smaller ways—but the result was the same for the women who’d loved them.
“I left him, didn’t I?” she said quietly.
“Yeah. You’ve got some style, too. I’m glad you did.”
“Why?” There was a teasing gleam in her eye.
“Maybe I’m enjoying this. I couldn’t flirt with a married woman.”
She dropped her gaze and stepped back, her cheeks pinking slightly. “You left me, Logan.”
Her words stabbed beneath whatever armor he still had up, and he winced. So maybe she saw it earlier than Caroline had.
“I’m really sorry about that,” he said. “I was an idiot. I don’t know what to say. Even if we weren’t going to work, you deserved a proper discussion about it. You deserved to cry, or smack me, or whatever... I was too much of a coward to face it.”
“I know, and life went on,” she said with a shrug. “But I’m fragile right now, too. So maybe you could...not use your charms on me, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“I wasn’t trying anything, Mel,” he said quietly.
“Okay. I just thought I should say what I was thinking.”
“You think I’m charming?” he asked, a smile tickling at his lips.
“Oh, shut up.” She laughed, though, and the heaviness of the moment broke.
Fair enough. She’d made herself clear, and he wasn’t really looking for a relationship, anyway. But there was something about being with her that made this whole visit back to Mountain Springs easier...and a whole lot sweeter.
“I do have one favor to ask, though,” he said.
“Yeah?” Those warm eyes met his again, and he felt his pulse jump in response. She could still do that to him...
“I think we’re friends again,” he said. “Granted, I’m a charming friend, but...friends nonetheless, right?”
“I think so,” she agreed.
“The thing is, I don’t want to visit my dad for the first time alone. I just... It’s going to be awkward, and I imagine we’ll both be on better behavior with a witness present.”
Melanie chuckled. “A witness, huh?”
“Will you come with me?” he asked. “As a friend. You even get to see me at my least charming. It might be helpful.”
Melanie smiled, then rolled her eyes. “Sure.”
“Thank you.”
He’d meant to take a look at the lake, but he wanted a bit more time alone with Mel. And that wasn’t safe right now. He looked down at Melanie with her soft brown hair and those warm eyes that asked for nothing but still seemed to tug him in.
“Why don’t I come pick you up in the morning about ten?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“And I should probably head out...”
Her smile faltered, and he felt a surge of regret. “It’s not that I don’t want to stay, it’s just...” He knew how this looked—like she’d put him in his place, and he didn’t want to stay if all he’d get was conversation. But it wasn’t like that. He was wanting to stay a little bit too much. This was the first time since his wife’s death that he was feeling attraction for another woman, and he wasn’t ready to feel this, even if it was one-sided.
There was movement in the doorway again and he looked over to see Tilly holding her empty plate. She wore a loose T-shirt now and a pair of shorts. She looked younger than seventeen. Just a kid... Tilly glanced between them skeptically.
“I should head out,” he repeated.
“I guess I’ll see you in the morning, then,” Melanie replied.
Logan smiled. “Yeah.” He glanced toward the sullen teenager again. “See you later, Tilly.”
Logan needed to get back to the lodge where he could sit by the lake alone and get his head on straight. Because tomorrow, if all went well, he’d be coming face-to-face with his father. He was here for Harry, not for Mel...even if she was the much more pleasant of the two.
CHAPTER SIX
MELANIE SAT ON the deck the next morning watching the mist swirl over the lake. Her laptop was open on a deck chair next to her, and she’d been perusing the design classes that were offered online from a Denver college. She’d have to start at the bottom—and she was beginning to suspect that a few classes weren’t going to cut it. She’d probably need to update her diploma in order to make sure she had a solid foundation.
Melanie flicked over to another tab, a different college with a slightly different offering. She reached for her mug of black coffee and hitched her sweater up a little higher over her shoulders. This would be a hot summer day in just a few hours, but right now, with the sparkle of morning light playing across the mist, the air was chilly. Melanie pressed her bare toes against the cool wood of the deck. She’d been texting with her mother last night, after Logan had left, and her mother was of the firm opinion that Tilly needed to be packed off to an actual blood relative ASAP. It made sense...except, Melanie had agreed to let her stay.
Was she a glutton for punishment?
Melanie’s parents held a grudge against Adam for having cheated on her and broken her heart, and that was only natural. They’d been Tilly’s grandparents, too, until the divorce, though they hadn’t seen much of the kids. Adam’s side of the family and their late mother’s parents had been upper crust, and Sheila and Steve Banks just couldn’t compete. They’d felt...unneeded.
And maybe that was Melanie’s fault, too, because it had taken a while before she’d found her footing in her new family, and she’d never really insisted on making sure her parents were included with
