Page 116 of September
“Yeah?”
“She didn’t even really say much or do anything, but when we first met, it was like things started clicking for me. Just meeting her and being with her made me revisit this old idea I had, and now, I’m making it happen. She’s supportive, obviously, but not pushy or anything, and it feels like this was all supposed to happen this way. It’s weird, right?”
“Not really. I get it.” Logan shrugged a shoulder and sat down on the van floor where Gwen had been between Juliet’s legs not all that long ago, testing the whole going down on her in a van theory. “Rory didn’t exactly say or do anything, either, but when I met her, I knew it was time for me to make changes in my life. I haven’t told everyone in our ever-expanding friend group this yet, but I’m a gambling addict.”
Gwen sat down across from her.
“I’m in the program and always will be, and I don’t want to tie my sobriety to Rory or anything because it’s important not to do that, but when I met her, I thought she was so cuteand sweet and, honestly, a little innocent. She seemed nervous around me all the time. I’d been sleeping around at the time because I couldn’t gamble anymore, and I thought I’d find that adrenaline rush somewhere else, but sex with random women didn’t do anything for me. Rory did,” Logan continued sharing and smiled again. “Just having her there to talk to was enough. I have a best friend I used to be in a relationship with, but she couldn’t really help in that way. Rory could, though, and did, and she supports me going to meetings. She even goes with me sometimes. She never judges me or pressures me to do more, better, or differently. I want to, though, because I want to always be good for her.”
“That’s great, right? Having someone like that?”
“I think so,” Logan said. “Is Juliet that person for you?”
“Apparently.” Gwen looked around the van. “I never thought I’d do this. I can walk dogs and pet sit for the rest of my life and probably be fine, but it’s enough money for me and not much left over for anything else I might want. And I want someone to share my life with, and I want kids with that someone if I’m lucky enough. One or two, not an army or anything, but I want to be able to take care of them. So, if this works, I might be able to turn it into something greater than I ever imagined. I know to some people it’s just a van that will clean dogs, but to me, it’s working with animals and trying to make them and their people feel a little bit better for a while. It’s nothing special to some, but it’s very special to me.”
“I think it’s awesome, and I’m here to help however you need,” Logan replied. “Rory can’t fix anything worth a damn, but I’m sure she’ll help however she can as well. Maybe we could double date with you and Juliet sometime, too. Could be fun.”
“Yeah, that would be awesome. I don’t know when, just because of Juliet’s travel schedule for work, but I’ll ask her, and we’ll make something happen.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Who’s giving you a hard time about this?”
“What do you mean?” Gwen asked.
“I know it’s not your girlfriend or Elisa, but someone must be telling you that this isn’t special or something; the way you talk about it.”
“Oh. That?” Gwen laughed a little. “Yeah, I’ve got some family issues. I come from one of those rich, pretentious families where the dad is always golfing and the mom is always wearing golfing clothes around the house, but if she goes to the country club, it’s only for lunch and the sauna. I’ve got three successful siblings according to rich society’s rules for success, and then, there’s me, the dog walker.”
“Got it,” Logan said with a nod.
“I had a pretty big fight with my mom recently. I have this trust fund that I got part of when I turned twenty-five, and she was mad that I hadn’t touched it for the thingsshedeems important. I get the rest if I’m married by thirty-five, which isright around the corner, in her mind, and I’m not even close to settling down. That isalsoin her mind.”
“She’s asking you about getting married?”
“More like asking if it’s even a possibilityandasking me why I’m like this without asking me why I’m like this.”
“I get it. Parents are hard. In my case, I really screwed up, but it doesn’t sound like you have.”
“Depends on who you ask, really,” Gwen replied.
“My dad had a heart attack a couple of weeks ago.”
“What?” Gwen asked.
“It was mild, and thankfully, he’s fine. He has to exercise more and change his diet, but he’s out of the hospital and at home now. I guess my point is that same old cliché, which, I’m sure, you’ve heard before: life is short, and we only have ourparents for so long. I want my dad to be at my wedding. I’m hoping he’ll walk me down the aisle where I’ll wait for Rory, but I know Rory and I aren’t exactly ready to get married tomorrow. I don’t want to rush into a wedding with her because my dad isn’t well, you know?”
“I get it,” she said. “You want it to be perfect when it happens, and because you’re both ready for it to happen.”
“That’s the hope,” Logan replied. “And I’m not here to tell you what to do – I don’t know youthatwell yet, and I obviously don’t know your parents – but as someone who went a long time without talking to hers, I can just tell you that it’s hard but worth it to repair things if you can.”
Gwen thought about what Logan had said as she explained to her what she was thinking about for the van. Logan made a list of things she would need from the hardware store and said she could get some of it at cost for her because of her job as a plumber. Then, they planned the next steps, and Gwen went up to her apartment. It was too early for Juliet to be off work, and Elisa was busy with Asher and Linden, talking about her new job, so she called the reptile store and told them that she was in search of a gecko friend for Larry. They said they would have one for her in a week or two, and she sat down on her sofa when she hung up. She had a business plan to write and a million other things to do, but she couldn’t stop thinking about what Logan had said.
“Gwen?”
“Hey, Mom,” she said.
