Page 12 of Under the Mistletoe
Then there was a Zoom link.
Not his edits. A meeting.
Which meant one thing. Book four was not what they were looking for, and he was running out of time to get it done.
And with spotty cell service and no internet at his cabin, going home tonight was out of the question, unless he wanted to drive back here tomorrow first thing. He’d rather not waste a full tank of gas. At least he had his computer with him.
He slid his phone back in his pocket, and his dad found his gaze. “Everything all right?”
“Work.”
“The editing you need to do for the publisher?” Devin turned back to him.
“They want me to hold off on the editing project until we have a meeting tomorrow afternoon.” He looked over at his mom. “Is there a guest room available?”
“Always.” His mom walked over and stood next to Devin. “And if it’s in the afternoon, you can help with the pinewood derby workshop in the morning.”
First, the Victor Holt disaster, and now this. But what out did he have now? He met Devin’s eyes. “Of course.”
Because it wasn’t enough that he was stuck here in Heritage another day, he now had to spend one more day with the woman who had broken his heart. That was enough to tip the scales. He wasn’t sure he could see any scenario in which he returned home unscathed.
three
She didn’t know which had her more stressed, the fact that her program might end or that she’d see Logan again in an hour. Devin leaned closer to the bathroom mirror and moved the mascara wand over her lashes, but the dried-out brush was no help. Guess that was what happened when she didn’t touch her makeup for a year. She shouldn’t even be bothering with it today. So why was she?
Logan.
So maybe that was the answer to her stress level. The guy had stepped back into her life less than twenty-four hours ago, and already her brain had turned to mush.Of course, it hadn’t helped that Devin had spent half the night trying and failing to come up with new events for the program. Well, that and readingThe Defender.
Devin dropped the mascara bottle in the trash as Piper stepped into the shared bathroom. Jess was still at her grandma’s, but Piper had returned late last night after Devin had gone to bed.
Piper was a few inches shorter than Devin, but normally, with the girl’s affection for heels, Devin didn’t notice. But the jeans, messy bun of dark waves, and dark browline glasses rather than her usual contacts probably meant she’d be going more casual today, which made sense, since she’d agreed to be one of the volunteers at the pinewood derby today. Just like Logan.
Devin tried to apply her lipstick, but the tube was old. Why was she so bad at this?
Piper eyed her in the mirror. “Okay, what happened yesterday? Spill.”
“Spill?”
“Yup. When I saw you in the morning before I went to Titus’s mom’s for Thanksgiving, you were your normal easy-breezy Devin. Then your parents canceled, and you had dinner with the Kingsleys, and now you’re a bundle of nerves.” Piper handed a tissue to Devin. “Sorry, but that is not your color.”
Devin wiped her lips, then tossed the tube and tissue in the trash with the mascara.
Piper pulled out a lighter shade from her own drawer and handed it to Devin. “Is it your parents?”
Devin took the tube and tried again. This shade of pink definitely brought color to her face without shouting “lips” like the last one. “Is it my parents’ fault that I’m bad at makeup? Definitely. Mom saw it as a waste of money, and I never really got good at it. Is it my parents’ fault that I’m a nut case this morning? Nope, that would be a hundred percent due to Logan Kingsley.” And her boss, but she wasn’t ready to talk about that yet. “Logan will be there volunteering this morning too.”
Devin attempted an elegant bun, but it tilted to the right and there was a weird loop on the left. Nothing was going her way today. She yanked the tie out again and let her hair untwist.
Piper pulled out a small stool and pointed at it. “Logan? Is that Luke’s brother? Did you guys date or something?”
“Date? No.” Devin took a seat but met Piper’s gaze in the mirror. “Nope. Nope. Nope.”
“Got it. No dating. But you want to date him?” Piper started a simple French braid on Devin’s light-auburn hair. “Well, that blush filling your face answers that.”
“You’re wrong.” Devin closed her eyes and gripped the edge of the counter. “Maybe at one time. But he made it quite clear he wasn’t interested. I was just caught off guard yesterday. I mean, I knew when I moved here that the chance of running into him was high with his parents moving to town, but the idea of it was different than the reality.”
“Because you still like him.” Piper secured the braid at the end with a band. “Or you’re at least attracted to him.”
