Under the Mistletoe, page 4
part #1 of Home to Heritage || Book Five Series
“Surprise.” He walked over and wrapped her in a hug. When he stepped back, his dad appeared in the doorway, wearing his own apron, but he didn’t look nearly as surprised to see Logan as he claimed a hug. His dad had an inch on him, but other than the gray hair and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, it was like looking into a mirror.
“You could help tomorrow.” His mom clapped her hands as if she’d just had a brilliant idea. “You and Liam used to love the pinewood derby.”
Logan glanced at Devin. There was definite hesitation in her blue eyes. He may have apologized, but they were a long way from an easy friendship again.
“I would”—he focused solely on his mom—“but I really need to take off tonight after dessert. I have a lot of editing to do.” At least he assumed he would once he got the manuscript back.
Devin perked up, her head tilting. “What do you edit?”
Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath—well, not the kids, as they were as much in the dark as Devin. But every other adult in the room knew exactly what he needed to edit, and every one of them knew that he couldn’t talk about it.
He didn’t mind the secret, normally. After all, from what he read by some of the fans online, he was happy to stay hidden. But occasionally, he was in situations like this, and it just felt…awkward. Finally, he met Devin’s gaze. “Some work for a publisher.”
Devin nodded, then turned her attention to what Rose had brought to show her. Right. Because he wasn’t the exciting brother. Honestly, he preferred being the brother who was in the corner reading a book rather than the center of everything. He’d never wanted all that attention…most of the time.
“Are we going to do another reading challenge?” Asher leaned on the end of the couch, his eyes trained on Devin. “If we do, I’m going to read those books.” He pointed to a row of books by one of Logan’s favorite authors. It had been that series that first sparked Logan’s love of reading.
Devin walked over and squatted down to get a closer look at the books with Asher. She said something to the boy that Logan couldn’t hear but made Asher laugh.
She stood but seemed to freeze in place as she stared at one of the upper shelves. After a moment, she reverently pulled a book from the shelf and turned around. Her wide eyes were fixed on the purple cover of his third novel. “How do you have this book?”
Everyone stared at him. Well, that was subtle. But Devin’s eyes were still fixed on the book like it might disappear if she looked away.
“We have all three. Victor Holt is one of my favorite authors.” His mom pulled his first two novels off the shelf. First holding up the dark-blue cover of The Keeper, then the green cover of The Fighter. Then pointed to The Defender, still in Devin’s hands, as if it were the most natural thing. And to her, it was. Because she didn’t track his release dates. She got his books when he dropped them off.
“But how do you have this one?” Devin ran her hand over the cover. “This is The Defender. As in book three. As in this book doesn’t release for another month. Rumor has it they didn’t release any early copies. Do you know how much people would pay for this?”
His mom’s eyes widened slightly as if she realized what she’d revealed, and she placed the first two in the series back on the shelf.
“Maybe we should sell it on eBay.” His dad chuckled, obviously trying to help redirect. “I could pay for these overpriced couches Ann had to have. Does it help that it’s signed?”
Logan nearly choked on—well, nothing. Maybe redirecting had been optimistic. What were his parents doing to him?
“A signed book by Victor Holt? You can’t be serious.” She started to open the cover but paused and looked at his mom. “May I?”
“By all means.” His mom stared at him as if trying to send him a telepathic message. But what did she want him to do, admit he was Victor Holt to anyone who they had over for dinner?
“How did you get this?” She opened the cover and gawked at his signature. Thankfully it was simply a signature and not anything personalized. “He doesn’t do signings. I mean—”
“Can I guess you’re a fan?” This was from Austin, Libby’s husband, who had been sitting quietly in one of the recliners with Sophie on his lap. His dark hair was a strong contrast to his daughter’s blonde curls, but their gray eyes were the same.
“You could say that.” Devin’s eyes were fixed on his signature as her finger traced it. Was her hand shaking?
Wasn’t that a kicker? Devin, who had never noticed Logan Kingsley, was nearly hyperventilating over his pen name. Guess it was a good thing he hadn’t shared Cal’s full name.
“Sorry.” Devin closed the book and returned it to the shelf. She pressed her hands onto the sides of her face, which was two shades redder than it had been a moment ago. “Let me try that again. How were you able to acquire that?”
When no one answered, Libby spoke up as she pulled Rose onto her lap. “We’ve known Victor Holt since he was a child.”
His dad seemed to be biting back a smile. “Practically one of the family.”
“You could say he’s like a son to me.” His mother’s face was the picture of innocence. “In fact, Logan knows him better than any of us.”
He shot a look at his mom then his sister, who’d started this, but she just smirked. Did the NDA they’d all signed mean nothing to them? He wasn’t ready to go to jail or pay the hefty fine. He glanced at Devin to tell her it was all a joke—a not-funny joke—but the look in her eyes stopped him.
She blinked at him with big blue eyes. “You really know Victor Holt?”
And for just a second, he was tempted to tell all because he wanted to be the one to put that look in her eye. Not his brother. Not the mysterious Victor Holt. Him.
Okay, maybe he wasn’t a hundred percent over her.
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I know him.”
“I can’t believe Victor Holt is our age. I always imagined he was some old man hiding away in a cabin, being dark and broody.”
“Not too far off,” Luke mumbled from next to him, and Logan nudged his shoulder, but Devin didn’t seem to see or hear him since her attention was back on the spine.
“You can borrow it if you want.” His mom walked over and pulled it off the shelf again.
“I couldn’t.” She shook her head.
“You must. We’ve all read it, and it’s a good one.” She held it out until Devin finally took it.
His phone buzzed. It was his editor. He glanced at the text.
Sandy
Sorry. I meant to email you. Let’s connect tomorrow. 2 pm Eastern.
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 reading The 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.”
That was a given. “It doesn’t really matter. He went silent on our friends from college texting thread almost a year ago, and I’m guessing once he’s back on the road today he’ll go silent again. I just need to get through today. Then I can go back to not thinking about him.”
“You sure?” Piper didn’t look even a little convinced. Time to redirect.
“But get this.” She tapped the counter with her fingers. “I think he might work as an editor at PJP.”
“PJP?”
“Palmer & Jones Publishing. They publish Victor Holt’s books, and I think he might be the editor of Victor Holt.”
Piper’s eyes popped wide. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. When I asked about his job, he was vague about an editing project. Then the family admitted they knew Victor Holt and even had an early signed copy of The Defender they let me borrow.”
“I’m dying.” Piper rested her hip against the sink then held up her hand. “Please don’t even let me see it until I turn in grades for the semester, or I’ll be useless. Same for Jess—we don’t need that kind of temptation.”
“I’m already on chapter four. It is so good.” Devin stood and checked her reflection again, then walked to her room.
Piper followed her to her door. “If he is as much of a recluse as you say, I’m surprised he volunteered to help.”
Devin winced and grabbed her purse. “More like volun-told by his mother. I think that’s one reason my nerves are a wreck. He doesn’t even want to be there.”
“At least you know he’s a good son. He could have told her no.”
Logan’s finer qualities were not what she needed to focus on. Devin grabbed her phone. There was a message from MaryLynn.
MaryLynn
Praying the event goes well. Don’t forget to send me photos. We need a good showing today.
Right. Maybe Logan and her job were equal in contributing to her stress level, with her job edging forward, because thirty minutes later, as she set up the last station for derby prep in the community room, MaryLynn’s words from yesterday still echoed in her mind. Yours has the highest spending with the lowest return.
Devin typed a short list of some of her best ideas from last night and sent them off. The response was almost instant.
MaryLynn
These are good, but you are right, we need a better way to convince people to come to the events.
Devin still hadn’t figured that out yet. Not to mention every event she’d come up with last night would take more work than she had time for.
Devin opened a box of mini weights and set them on the table next to a scale, then added a tube of graphite. She had created a half dozen stations where the kids could work with an adult before the race to weigh, balance, and align their cars, then finally added the graphite to the axles for the best speed. She’d planned to work at one of the stations, but with Logan coming, she’d be freed up to circulate the room and connect with the kids.
Luke was working with Piper’s boyfriend Titus, assembling the track for the race on the left side of the room. Hopefully the electric timer was worth the added price.
“Where do you want these?” Piper walked toward her, carrying the box of extra cars that Devin had prepared for any last-minute entry. There were two or three families she’d been desperately trying to get involved, and if they chose today to show up, she wanted to be ready for them. “They can go on the table to the left of the door.”
Piper turned that direction. “Whoa. Who’s that?”
Devin glanced over to where Piper motioned. Logan stood by the main entrance and looked as good today as he had yesterday. Who was she kidding? He looked better. Today, he wore a deep-blue thermal Henley that emphasized his shoulders and made his eyes pop.
But even yesterday, in his simple flannel, she had barely been able to reconcile the Logan from college with the man sitting across from her at the dinner table.
Devin quickly dropped her head. “Logan.”
“Wait. That is the guy responsible for the nerves this morning? Okay, it all makes sense now.”
Logan scanned the room and when he spotted her, he started walking toward her. “Miss Devin!” Seven-year-old Vicky, who was fostered with the Smith family, came running in the door behind Logan, bringing a chilly breeze with her. Her dark pigtails flopped as she ran past him, and her big brown eyes lit up just before she stopped right in front of Devin. She held up a yellow wedge with wheels and a tiny stuffed mouse glued on top. “Do you like my cheese car?”
“I love it.” But before she could comment further, Tory, Vicky’s younger sister by a year, appeared at her other side and held up a little wood bed on wheels with a doll resting on top.
“I made my car into a bed.” She giggled, revealing a gap where her front two teeth had been. “Get it? A car bed. You aren’t supposed to sleep and drive.”
“That is funny. Let me get your photo.” Devin took a snapshot of the two girls holding up their cars. “Now you need to go to one of the stations with an adult, and they’ll help you make it fast.”
“Will you help us?” Vicky blinked at Devin with a wide smile. “Please.”
Piper’s gaze bounced between Devin and Logan, who stood a few feet back as if waiting to talk to her. Piper sent Devin a knowing look, then handed her the box of cars. “Actually, I want to help you girls.” She reached for each of their hands. “My name is Piper, and I’ve been waiting to see some super creative cars. Yours are amazing.”
And with that, the three wandered away.
“Here, let me.” Logan took the box from her. “Where do you need these?”
“On the table by the door.” She motioned but then ended up following him there. She started pulling out the cars one by one, lining them up on the table. “I made these in case kids come for the race but don’t have a car.”
“That’s a great idea.” He held up a gray one. “Is this supposed to be a shark?”
“It started that way. I’m not really an artist.”
“I think it’s great.” He set it down and picked up another.
Mrs. Smith appeared in the doorway, slightly out of breath, her gray bun askew, and a backpack in each hand. “If only I could capture some of that energy of those girls, I could be rich.” She laid a hand on Devin’s arm. “You certain I can just drop them off? I don’t want it to be too much for you, but I could use the day trying to clean up after having the whole family at my house yesterday.”
