Jodie shrugged, grin still in place. “I couldn’t find you a card that was appropriate, so I snagged one from the drug store.”
He couldn’t complain about that. Did he expect her to go out of her way? Two tickets slid into his hand. The printed text saidBlink-182. His jaw dropped, and he snapped his jaw shut when he realized he was gaping. The concert was sold out. He’d tried for weeks to win tickets, or buy them from someone. Something. “No.”
She giggled. “You know, if you’re interested.”
“How did you get these?”
“I know a girl who knows a guy.”
“Then if you owe her, maybe she can go with you.” He nodded at the gift he’d handed her. “Your turn.”
She didn’t make any pretenses about being delicate with her envelope. She shredded the white paper. “No card?” Her frown only lasted for half a second before her smile returned. “Fair enough.” She shook out the contents, and gasped. “Oh my God.” Jodie skipped around the table and gave him a huge hug.
A shock of heat spilled through him at the spontaneous moment, and he squeezed back. “It’s just Disney Land.”
“I know but… I mean…”
He hadn’t thought it was a big deal when he made the purchase. Watching her glee, he felt like he’d done the most amazing thing in the universe. “You’ve always wanted to go, and you weren’t going to make arrangements yourself. There are two passes, so you can take a friend.”
“You,” Jodie said, as if it were the only right answer. “You’re going to take me.”
He didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back, he realized that was when he really started to fall for her. It wasn’t simple lust anymore. After break, when they got back to school, he’d told Phoebe he wasn’t interested in casual hook-ups anymore, and she’d dragged out of him that he couldn’t get Jodie off his mind.
Someone knocked on Logan’s car window, jarring him back to the present. He looked up to see a redhead, about Jodie’s age, peering at him. She looked familiar. His brain whirred through faces. That was right, she was Bailey. The woman they’d rented the house from.
He rolled down the window. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?” Bailey hoisted a young child on her hip. Another tugged at her hand. “You’ve been sitting out here staring into space for about fifteen minutes.”
Logan shook the past away. “Sorry about that. I’m not trying to be creepy. My family and I stayed here at Christmas.”
“I remember you.”
“Momma.” The boy holding her hand tugged her toward the driveway. “Go.”
The boy couldn’t have been more than one or two. Barely big enough to walk.
“Can I help you with anything?” Despite the tired lines around her eyes, she looked happy.
“No. Just reminiscing.”
“Momma.” Now the girl in her arms was squirming.
“Just a second, Julie,” Bailey said to the girl. She turned back to Logan. “I’m sorry to cut things short then. Normally someone else gets the place ready for renters, but the timing didn’t work out. I need to get these two home now, though.”
“Do you need a hand? Getting them in the car, I mean.” Logan didn’t know where the offer came from, but it seemed appropriate.
Bailey gave him a grateful smile. “I’d love that, thank you. Will you grab Jack?” She nodded at the boy.
Logan climbed from his car, and picked up Jack. “Hey, kiddo.”
Jack blew spit bubbles at Logan, then rubbed his fingers over his mouth and wiped them on Logan’s cheek.
“Gross, little guy.” Logan couldn’t yell at the toddler for being, well, a toddler, so he kept his voice kind as he tried to hold the boy and wipe his cheek off on his shirt sleeve at the same time.
Jack squealed in delight and repeated the spit-bubble gesture on the other side of Logan’s face.
Logan scrunched his face up in mock disgust. “You think that’s funny?”