Finally, A Family. Callie Endicott

I found rental listings for other locations, too.”

      Jessica wasn’t interested; she was insulted. So he’d found a few available rentals. How very patronizing of him. Not to mention presumptuous. It was as if he expected to snap his fingers and have the whole situation resolved to his satisfaction. Moreover, with either solution, the Crystal Connection would be neatly tucked out of his tender sight. He might not even lose sleep if she went out of business altogether.

      She gave him a tight smile. “It’s early to be looking at other rentals, and if needed, I can certainly find them on my own.”

      His cool brown eyes were unreadable. “Yes, naturally.”

      “As for a contact list,” she continued, “while I think it’s a good idea, it has no relationship to walk-in traffic. Location is everything.” Still annoyed, Jessica felt another wave of anxiety. She had three years before she had to do what Logan and Moonlight Ventures wanted, but they could make life miserable for her in the interim.

      Her gaze fell to the counter by the cash register. The wood was warmly burnished from years of use and polishing, and there were various dents and grooves. Decorators would likely call it “distressed.” It was a part of her childhood. As a little girl she’d perched on it and watched her grandparents unpacking merchandise. Sitting on a stool, she’d leaned over its wooden surface and drawn pictures or strung crystal necklaces with her grandmother.

      On one of her summer-long visits with her grandparents, she’d written numerous letters to her parents on that counter. Back at home, she’d found them with the junk mail, never opened. Her folks hadn’t meant to be uncaring—from their perspective, they’d been working for their family’s security, providing a large home, putting money away for college and building a diversified financial portfolio. Though hurt, she’d gathered up the letters and put them in her memory box.

      A group of customers came in and Logan moved aside, appearing to study a display of books on crystals, geology and rock collecting. His expression suggested poorly concealed scorn at their enthusiasm, though she tried not to read too much into it. When it got right down to it, he might feel that way about everything. But as far as she was concerned, true sophistication included an open appreciation of the world.

      Once the shoppers were busy looking at merchandise, Logan returned to the counter. “What do you say?” he asked in a low voice. “Is it all right if we discuss this further?”

      She couldn’t refuse and risk antagonizing one of the building’s owners. “I suppose, provided you know I haven’t agreed to anything. I don’t want to make a decision too quickly.”

      “Naturally.” He gave her a crooked grin. “My friends and I talked and planned for years before changing our careers. Of course, we hope to resolve the situation faster with you.”

      “I understand,” she said in a neutral tone.

      “Could I take you to dinner Thursday night? That way we can have some uninterrupted time. If you have plans for Thursday, what about the evening after?”

      She didn’t have any “plans” to coordinate around, no appointments and certainly no dates. Being a single mother made socializing tricky. Now that she lived next door to her grandmother, childcare wouldn’t be a problem, but she wasn’t eager to explore love again. And she hadn’t been in the Seattle area long enough to have much else on her social calendar except for her committee work to get an urgent care medical clinic started in Regen Valley.

      “Thursday should be fine,” she said, “provided Grams is available to watch Cyndi.”

      “I’d suggest bringing your daughter along, but it would be better to talk business with just the two of us.”

      “Right.”

      Privately she wondered what Logan’s attitude might be toward single mothers. She’d met more than one guy who had personal rules about not dating a woman with “encumbrances.” That was fine with her. Even if she’d been interested in finding someone, she wouldn’t get involved with a man who saw children that way.

      “By the way,” he said, “to keep things simple, I’ll be the only one at Moonlight Ventures discussing this with you. We thought it was best to have a single contact point, also to limit mix-ups in communication.”

      “That makes sense.” It was the best solution and Jessica wouldn’t have to dread the subject coming up whenever one of the other Moonlight Ventures partners came into the shop. She didn’t want this to impact how she felt about them...which was decidedly negative at the moment, so maybe the most she could hope for was cordiality.

      A customer approached the counter with a basket of items and Jessica went to ring up her purchases.

      “I’ll check with you when I come for coffee tomorrow,” Logan said after the woman had left. “Is that all right?”

      “Sure.”

      Jessica breathed easier when she was alone again, but only a little. Logan Kensington had unloaded a potential nightmare for her. With so much to consider, she suspected she wouldn’t get much sleep that night.

      * * *

      “I’VE BROACHED THE subject with Ms. Parrish. We’re supposed to have another discussion on Thursday,” Logan explained to his partners at a meeting an hour after his chat with Jessica.

      “Is she open to what we’re proposing?” Rachel asked.

      He shrugged. “I wouldn’t call it open. Although it upset her, she didn’t completely reject the idea. Presumably the store operates on a narrow margin, so she has a good deal to consider.”

      Adam grimaced. “We don’t want to hurt her business.”

      “Her grandparents have leased that location for over thirty years,” Rachel added. “This must be the last thing she expected.”

      Logan nodded. Even though Moonlight Ventures needed more space, they wanted to be responsible and decent. He’d actually found it reassuring when Jessica shot back the assertion that her grandmother could continue the lease. It was preferable to deal with someone who was able to stand up for herself.

      “I know I’ve said it before, but our new career has issues I never thought about,” Nicole said. “Especially the part about being a landlord.”

      They were in equal accord that owning such a large property and dealing with rentals was a challenge they hadn’t fully anticipated.

      “But it’s been good, too,” Rachel asserted. “After all, working with Matt Tupper has helped both of our companies.”

      Matt Tupper owned a recording studio in the back section of the building where they hoped the Crystal Connection would be willing to move. He hired their voice clients for various jobs and they helped find volunteers for his work recording books for the blind. One of those volunteers, Gemma Paulsen, had rapidly become a popular voice-over artist in commercials and other projects...and was now engaged to Matt. The couple expected to get married in a few months.

      Logan almost squirmed at the thought.

      It felt as if everyone around him was either recently married or getting married. Even their office manager, Chelsea Masters, had a wedding coming up. And his friends seemed to think he’d do the same, joking that falling in love had a domino effect—one fell and the rest began toppling. Hardly. He was glad they’d found people they cared about, but he refused to be swept into the nuptial frenzy.

      “I wonder why Kevin originally leased space to the Crystal Connection,” Adam mused, breaking into Logan’s thoughts. “It’s quirky compared to the other businesses here.”

      “I can answer that,” Rachel volunteered. Years ago she’d been a client of Moonlight Ventures and knew the history better than any of them. “When the Parrishes wanted to open a store, Kevin offered them a deal. Of course, I think the street was still run-down back then, so after he renovated the building, he probably needed tenants. He’s been