Chapter Four
Logan had always thought hell would have fire and brimstone, but it turned out hell was a town hall meeting sandwiched between the woman he had been trying to forget since this morning and one of his nosy best friends. Every time he glanced at Hazel, she waggled her eyebrows at him in a way that made him very uncomfortable – and every time he looked at Jeanie, she smiled up at him like she was having a wonderful time. What had he gotten himself into?
He didn’t know why he’d told Jeanie about this damn meeting, or more importantly why he’d agreed to come. She’d just looked so flustered this morning, so confused. And tired. She was in over her head and, really, he was doing the town a favor. The Pumpkin Spice Café was the only decent coffee shop in town. If she didn’t get it up and ru
A
‘So, the guy up front with the hideous green tie is obviously the mayor.’
‘Hey! I got him that tie.’
‘Sorry, Haze, but that color is atrocious.’ A
Jeanie giggled. Logan ignored the way the sound curled up inside him and settled in.
‘And over there is my arch-nemesis, Macaulay Sullivan.’
‘The trivia guy?’
‘Don’t be fooled by the trivia, Jeanie. He owns the pub next to your café. Watch out for him.’
Logan scoffed. The only trouble between A
‘Anyway, he’s over there with Greg and Shawn, the owners of the pet store on the corner.’
Jeanie nodded, taking it all in, and Logan wouldn’t be surprised if she pulled out a notebook and started making a cheat sheet. She seemed like the note-taking type. Not that he cared what type she was. He was here for the coffee, to help the town, and to avoid a zombie apocalypse. Not to think about what Jeanie’s handwriting looked like, or if she would make little doodles in the margins.
She probably would.
‘And over there is the Sharmas, who just opened a new restaurant further down Main. They have the best tandoori chicken,’ A
Hazel jabbed Logan in the side, pulling his attention away from A
‘Just being helpful. You know, neighborly.’
‘Neighborly?’ Her voice rose incredulously, like he’d never done a neighborly thing in his life.
‘Yeah. I can be helpful.’
Hazel snorted. ‘Helpful, sure. But coming to a town meeting? That’s way above helpful for you.’ She pushed her glasses up her nose and gave him a thoroughly obnoxious grin. ‘I think you have a crush.’
‘I do not have a crush,’ he hissed through clenched teeth, ridiculously worried that Jeanie would hear them. ‘I am not a twelve-year-old girl. I just want a decent cup of coffee.’