Page 54 of Under the Mistletoe
He paused a moment, as if weighing his words. “You’re doing a good job. You know that, right?”
A lump rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down as she nodded. “But leaders can’t do it all on their own. I’m not a good leader because I do everything around here. I’m a good leader because I surround myself with people who have the skills and willingness to do what needs to be done.”
Logan’s words about being a fire starter versus a fire tender came back. Maybe she did need to be willing to let go more and invite a few more fire tenders into her life. “I could actually use help baking the pieces for the houses. Do you know anyone?”
He held up a finger. “Janie Thornton might help. That sister-in-law of mine is quite the baker. Have you had her pie at the diner yet?”
“I have, it’s amazing. But I am sure she has plenty on her plate with the diner.”
He shrugged. “I’ll see her at lunch. I’ll talk to her. You could probably at the very least use the industrial ovens there at the diner. I’ll have her reach out to you.”
Before she could even thank him, Charis bolted up in his arms. “I want to build a ginger house.”
Nate ran a hand over her blonde hair. “This is just for the kids in Devin’s program.”
What she wouldn’t give to include everyone. Maybe after she secured her job she could push for that. “If we have an extra one, I’ll bring it over for you.”
She smiled and ducked her head back onto her father’s shoulder.
Devin started to turn away but stopped. “Are the Barlows still here?”
“I think they took off.”
Shoot. She really needed to nail down a time to have coffee with Heather. Every time she saw her, she looked more tired, and today she even seemed a little thinner.
Devin hurried down the hall toward the front door of the church when Jess stepped in front of her, blocking her path. She gripped Jess’s shoulders to keep from barreling into her. “What are you doing?”
“Checking on you.” Her cousin gave her a strange expression. “What’s going on?”
Maybe her stress over Logan ghosting her was showing more than she thought.
“It’s nothing. Just…Logan left town and still hasn’t texted back, and I really need to talk to him.”
“Right.” Jess seemed to be studying her. “Anything else you want to tell me?”
She swallowed. That Logan was Victor Holt? Definitely not her secret to tell, but this was getting out of control. She really was bad with secrets.
Even yesterday, trying to act normal around Logan without telling him she knew had proved disastrous. She’d practically become a blathering idiot of random information every time he was around. And now she had to hide it from Jess. “Uhh.”
“Like the fact you have a date right now with Liam when I was under the impression you liked Logan?”
Devin stilled. “Wait, what? No. Why would you even ask that?”
She pointed so they could just see Liam leaning against his car, waiting. “He said he was waiting for you. That you two had a lunch date.”
What in the world? Then it hit her. Shoot. “Yesterday when he was driving me to his parents’, where I was going to talk to Logan, he asked if we could get lunch after church. The way he said it, I thoughtwewas him, me, andLogan. Like college days. I assumed with Logan leaving that we’d wait.”
“I think Liam saw that little interaction going down differently.” Jess followed her down the steps.
Devin fished her keys from her purse. “I’m sure he didn’t think?—”
“I’m pretty sure he did.”
Devin lifted her brows as she stared from Jess to Liam, then back. When her cousin shrugged, Devin released a long breath. “Oh dear.”
Devin shot Jess a final look as they walked over toward Liam.
At their approach, he put away his phone and pushed away from his ’74 Bronco. “Hey, Dev, what do feel like for lunch?”
