Page 26 of The Unbound Bookshop
“Oh. Right.” He was letting her have the bed? Without even flipping a coin? “Where are you taking them?”
“I thought we’d sleep under the stars tonight. It’s been a while since I’ve camped out.”
She chewed her bottom lip, surprised by the twinge of guilt. Sleeping above deck would be uncomfortable. But she’d rather live with the guilt of Flynn tossing and turning all night than the alternative—sharing the same sleeping space. “Here.” She grabbed one of the pillows off the bed. “Take this, too.”
“Thanks.” He tucked it under his arm and headed toward the companionway. “C’mon, Cap. Let’s go, buddy.” Flynn paused, turning to face her. “Hey. I brought two steak sandwiches for me and Cap for lunch. I’ve been craving Steam Engine Sammies since I got back to town. You’re welcome to join us. In case you don’t feel like eating oysters and caviar for the next three days.”
Sage blinked, startled by the unexpected offer. Had he lost his mind? Surely he knew he was the last person she wanted as a lunch companion. “Thank you, but I brought a few snacks of my own. It’s probably best if we each keep to ourselves.”
“Yeah, sure. Of course.” For the first time since they’d stepped on board, Flynn looked off-kilter.
Good.She shouldn’t be the only one out of sorts.
“Happy hunting.” He gave a little salute. “May the best man win.”
“I will.” As she watched him disappear through the hatch, her heart ached with an unsettling intensity.
Sure, she’d loved him once. Deeply. But that was a long time ago. And after what he’d done, she shouldn’t want anything to do with him, let alone yearn to be near him as soon as he walked away.
She thought of all the women who came to the Honeybee Retreat hoping for a place to heal. Eventually, they all went home, happier and healthier. They’d learned to let go of the past, of what they’d lost. Why couldn’t she do the same?
She roughly wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. She was being ridiculous. Strong, independent women didn’t grieve a broken heart a decade old.
She’d let men like Flynn and her father live inside her head for too long.
It was time she stopped simply admiring characters like Quinley Culpepper.
She needed tobeQuinley Culpepper.
And she’d start right here, right now. By finding that diary.
Chapter 15
LOGAN
Logan’s chestexpanded with an emotion he couldn’t explain as Abby bent over Max’s bedside and kissed him good-night. Was it love? Happiness? Awe? All of the above? He wasn’t sure. But he could stay here forever, cocooned in Max’s room with the two people he cared about most in the world.
There had been a time—after the accident that left him paralyzed—when he wasn’t sure he’d ever have a family. Especially when his fiancée dumped him, claiming she wasn’t cut out to be with “someone like him.” He’d been gutted but couldn’t say he’d blamed her. He hadn’t felt worthy of her love, anyway. Even after he’d learned to walk again, his self-worth hadn’t returned.
It wasn’t until he met Abby that he realized his character mattered far more than his physical capabilities. When it came to letting go of his stubborn pride, he still had work to do, but Abby made him want to do better. Tobebetter.
She flashed him a smile as she slipped out of the room, leaving him to complete the bedtime routine—a few more chapters fromThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, followed by nightly prayers.
Even at eight years old, when some kids might resist the ritual, Max soaked up the time together. Perhaps because he’d lost his parents so young.
Logan still remembered the day his parents died. The day his faith, joy, and childlike wonder withered before his eyes. He’d been almost as old as Max. And he’d had to grow up way too fast.
How much longer until Max insisted on being too old to be tucked in? How much longer until moments like this one became nothing but a memory?
Logan tugged on the collar of his T-shirt. It suddenly felt too tight. He didn’t want to think about losing Max, either to his biological father, if he ever returned, or to the natural progression of growing older.
For now, he’d focus on cherishing whatever time he had left.
“Ready to find out what happens next?” He sat on the edge of Max’s bed and cracked open the well-worn book to where they’d left off the night before.
“Yeah!” Max cheered, nestled against a mound of pillows. “Can Tyler read with us, too?”
Logan’s heart warmed. What a sweet kid. Tyler had arrived only yesterday, but Max had already taken the boy under his wing, looking out for him like a big brother. Despite all Max had been through—losing his mother as an infant, his father’s disappearance, enduring crummy foster parents—he had a better outlook on life than most adults. He could easily be jaded and mistrusting, and yet, he genuinely cared about other people with a maturity far beyond his years.
