Page 135 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

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Dinner came and went, but there was no sign of Logan.

The meal of Chicken Parmesan Jane had prepared, sat drying in the oven and would probably end up inedible by the time he finally arrived home, but she kept it there as a form of torturous reminder.

She checked her phone again, but there was still only the one message from him today.

“Work is running late and might even go on through the night. I won’t be home for dinner, so eat without me. Sorry about this. L x”

If not for the “x” at the end, it could have been written for Kitty or any other employee. For the woman he purported to love, the message was so impersonal and rushed, it cut her to the quick.

Her stomach churned with a mixture of hunger and nerves. She hadn’t been able to eat anything other than that croissant all day, not with her mind endlessly going over every little detail of this morning.

Did his coolness have anything to what happened last night?

She closed her eyes, letting the memories of his touch, his words and the promise of new love washing over her. It was less than twenty hours since they had declared their love for one another — how, then, was he lying to her already and spending the day with that gorgeous brunette? And on his birthday, of all days? The woman must mean a lot for him to devote the entire day to her.

Her eyes flicked open as Kitty entered the kitchen. Jane sat at the marble island in the center of the room, hands wrapped around a coffee that had long grown cold.

The older woman didn’t have a hair out of place, even after a full day of work. Nothing ruffled her, not even the sight of an anxious woman driving herself insane with her own thoughts.

“How is the puppy doing?” Kitty asked, nodding toward Loki, who napped in his new bed. In what seemed his favorite sleeping position, he was upside down, tummy exposed to the world.

“Better. He had a small snack a few hours ago, and he’s been drinking. He even wanted to play a little but got tired out fast. I think he’ll pull through.”

A wide smile broke out, causing wrinkles to appear over her weathered face.

“That’s a relief. Logan loves that dog, even though he pretends otherwise.”

“He’s very good at looking after everyone. Dogs, women… He’s quite the hero.”

There was a hint of bitterness that underscored her comment. Kitty’s hands hesitated over the kettle as she reached to refill it.

“Logan is misunderstood by many, but in my experience, he is the best person I know. He is kind with such a big heart.”

Too bad that heart and his love needed to be spread around.

The second the thought came, Jane mentally shut it down. It wasn’t fair to talk to Kitty like this. The man had saved her entire family and was still looking after them now. Whatever issue she had with him had nothing to do with her, and she shouldn’t be putting the woman in the uncomfortable position of defending someone she obviously cared greatly about.

The timely ring of her phone made her jump out of her seat. She reached for it eagerly, answering the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey! Is this a good time?”

It was Clare. At the sound of her warm voice, Jane’s blues lifted a little.

“I actually have nothing to do and was just considering my options for some mindless binging of television shows I should know better than to watch.”

“I’ve called just in time to save you then?”

“It would appear so.”

“Well,” Clare continued, sounding excited. “Ken has been called to work, so I have the evening free. I felt bad I wasn’t able to talk much earlier, didn’t want you to think I was blowing you off. So, on the off chance that I can steal you away from Logan, do you want to meet for an evening walk? You can bring Loki still. The park stays open until late.”

“I’m fine to meet you, but let me check with the vet to see what he thinks. If it’s fine, I’ll bring him. Either way, we can still meet there.”

“You’re sure? I’m fine to come to you instead if you want?”

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