Page 23 of Paging Dr. Summers

Sophie took my hand. “You can’t go.”

I bit my lip, not sure what to do. Would it be rude not to leave with him?

“If you want to stay, I would be happy to take you home,” Logan said so sincerely it shocked me.

My head snapped his way. “Really?” Hadn’t he just admitted to calling me odd?

“Definitely,” he didn’t hesitate to say.

“Thank you,” I whispered, suddenly feeling shy.

I dared a glance at Jake, who gave me a blank stare before shrugging. “I guess I’ll call you later.”

“Okay,” I said as brightly as I could. There was a lot of awkward tension in the air. “I hope the electrical problems get resolved quickly.”

“I better get going.” Jake looked unsure of what to do.

First-date goodbyes were always bad, but this one had the makings of the world’s worst. Not only had the date barely gotten off the ground, but I wasn’t leaving the festival with Jake. Instead, I was staying with my gorgeous neighbor who thought I was odd. Maybe Jake wouldn’t mind me staying if I told him how Logan felt about me ... but doing that would just add another layer of awkwardness to the whole situation. So, I did the only thing I could think of. Was it a smart move and did it make the situation better? Not at all.

I held out my hand to shake Jake’s.

If I wasn’t mistaken, Logan was stifling a laugh behind his smirk.

Jake’s wide eyes and tense facial muscles showed his horror at my impending handshake. Surely, he didn’t expect a kiss or even a hug. I barely knew him, and he was sort of ditching me. Maybe I should have gone for a fist bump or high-five.

Jake reluctantly took my hand and shook it, albeit limply, and only for a second. “See you.”

“Yeah,” I said, not sure we should see each other again. Myawkward interactions with men in this town were piling up, and I felt my chances of having a summer fling slipping away with each one.

As I watched Jake walk away, I felt Logan come to my side. “What an idiot.”

I tilted my head. “What makes you say that?”

“You never leave a beautiful woman unless another person’s life is on the line.”

“Did you just call me beautiful, Logan?” I nudged him with my hip, trying to avoid showing how flattered I was in case he didn’t really mean it. The butterflies in my stomach had unfortunately already taken the compliment to heart and were throwing a dance party. “I thought I was odd.”

“You’re both,” he reluctantly admitted.

“Thanks, I think.”

He chuckled.

“All right, friend, it’s time for me to kick your butt at tossing strawberries.”

“You really want to be my friend?” Logan asked, as if doubting my sincerity. Or maybe he was hoping to get out of it.

It didn’t matter, because in my heart I knew he was the lifelong friend my bucket list was beckoning me toward. “Yeah, I do.”

I DID MY BEST NOT to stare at Brooke while she sat with Sophie, her eyes closed, looking so content as the artist painted tiny strawberries down her lovely cheek. Internally, I winced, knowing I’d admitted she was beautiful to her face. Something about seeing Brooke with that tool, Jake, had me feeling off-center and saying things I shouldn’t.

But it wasn’t really Jake who vexed me. It washer. The woman had me so wound up. The more I tried not to think about her, the more I did.

I wished I could blame Eden for today. Sure, she’d asked me to bring Sophie to the festival, and I knew she had ulterior motives, but I was almost glad for the excuse. I’d known Brooke was going to be there, and damn it if I didn’t want to see her. It had been two days since she’d come to the house to help Eden learn the ins and outs of starting a podcast. In her absence, I’d found myself dreaming about her and wondering what crazy things she was up to.

Friendship was all we could have. I knew that. I wouldn’t be a walking midlife crisis or disappoint my wife.Erica.Her memory had haunted me more intensely since Brooke had crashed head-on into my life. It seemed as if she were begging me not to let her go.

And I wouldn’t. Ever. She would always be a part of me. Erica wasn’t the first woman I had ever loved, but she taught me more about love than anyone ever had. And we’d shared a life together. I could never forget that; nor did I want to.

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