No more than a day had gone by since that night then the town car pulled into the driveway again. Will saw it first and went downstairs, sighing to himself as Logan slipped out the door to meet Jack half way. Will sat by the window, watching the scene.
"Jack, get back in your car and leave."
"Logan, stop being unreasonable," he said, approaching her as he took her hand in his and kissed it. They were so close then that Will couldn't make out what they were saying. After exchanging many words, some that obviously surprised Logan, they separated, both of them nodding as Jack walked back to his car.
"Tonight, six on the dot," he heard Jack say as Logan just nodded as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She entered her house and let out a quick laugh.
"What just happened?" Will asked as she entered the room.
"He said I have to go out with him once and then he'll never bother asking me out again. Stay up for me? I have something really important that I need to tell you."
He nodded and she smiled, giving him an excited and lustful kiss. Jacob walked in and cleared his throat.
"Get a room you two. Lo, Andrew's got a question about which wall to break down next."
Logan was standing, watching the men work when she felt Will's arms come around her waist and leaned back against him.
"I could stay like this forever," she whispered.
"I could too," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I just found something for you in the bottom of my cracker jacks," he said, laughing as he held both of his hands in front of her. "Pick one," he whispered in her ear. She tapped his right hand which opened to reveal nothing. "Oops, I guess no prize for you," he teased, pulling his left hand away. She caught it and tried prying his fingers open and when she couldn't she gently bit his hand.
"Alright, alright," he said, kissing her cheek. His hand opened and there was a plastic silver ring with a fake jewel in the middle. She laughed and slipped it on her fingers, testing them out until it fit on her left ring finger. She raised her eyebrow. "It's a sign," he mocked and she giggled. "Call it a ring before a ring." She looked up at him then, surprised, studying his gaze as he bent to kiss her. "I love you," he whispered in her ear and she pulled back, looking down at her feet. No no no no no, she thought to herself, don't ruin it, I'm going to tell you tonight. So she just nodded, not wanting to ruin her plan involving a tub and candles and rose petals and one large bed.
"Tonight," she said, looking up at him and smiling. He just nodded and she could tell that he was hurt. I said tonight, she thought to herself, don't you understand that that means I'm going to tell you I love you tonight?
She kissed him again and turned, going up the stairs and into her room, leaving him at the bottom.
That night Logan was still in the shower at six when Jack rang the doorbell. Jacob and most of the others had left for the night, going clubbing.
"Oh yes," Jack said as he pushed past Will and stepped into the house, disdain in his voice, "I remember you. You're the one that incited her to hit me."
"I did not—," Will started.
"Come on now. Do you really think that you and she would ever seriously stay together? There's nothing that you can give her that she doesn't already have. You have nothing to offer her. And have you seen her? She's gorgeous, why would she settle for someone as mediocre as you? A
boy
that's just dropped out of college? Come now, be reasonable, you have no future, no where to go and she still has the world ahead of her.
"Now you recall when I came by earlier?" Will nodded. "Good, well then you remember how happy she was when she came in. It's because I just told her that our wedding announcement is to be in the paper tomorrow morning."
"But she said that you were taking her out and that this was the last time you would ever ask her out on a date."
"Of course, why would I ask my wife or fiancé out on a date when they're already mine? I won't have to ask then, I'll just have to arrange a time." Will just stared, his heart beating in his chest and turned, leaving. "I don't mean to be a party-pooper or anything, but I just thought that you would need a heads up so you can decide just how long you wanted to stay here having to look at my wife with my ring on her finger."
Will shook his head, tears coming to his eyes as he went into his room and locked the door. Fifteen minutes went by, his tears falling silently and he heard Logan knocking on his door.
"Will?"
"What?"
"I just wanted to come in and say goodbye."
"I'm not feeling well."
"Okay, well I'll see you later tonight then. I really have something very important to tell you." He let out a quick sob and nodded to himself.
Oh, you're getting married? Well that's great, really fucking great.
He heard Logan descend the stairs and moments later heard the car leaving. He quickly threw everything he had, which wasn't much, back into his bag and after scribbling a quick note was running out the door like he couldn't leave fast enough.
Logan got home that night around ten and came running in the house, seeing Jacob sitting on the sofa.
"Do you know where Will is?" she asked him, and after only having met his blank stare she ran up to his room. It was empty. She pulled open all the drawers and found them empty, flinging them to the ground as rage and just an overwhelming sense of fear hit her.
How long had he been gone? Why did he go?
She saw a note on his pillow and went to it, lying down in his bed, his scent still lingering.
Dear Ms. Harth, I'm sorry to inform you that I can no longer work here in your presence. Have a nice life, Will
I don't understand, she thought to herself, shaking her head, he said he loved me. I was going to tell him I loved him tonight. Why did he run just like this? There was a soft knock on the door and without answering, Jacob walked in.
"Hey, Lo," he said, pulling her onto his lap as the tears streamed.
"Did you see him go?"
"You think I would have let him leave without telling you goodbye first?"
"I don't understand."
"He's nineteen, Lo."
"I know. You were… right." Jacob cradled her. "It's just so uncharacteristic of him to do something like this. I just don't understand."
"Don't think too much on it, hormones and lust, darlin'."
"But he said he loved me."
"Boys lie," he said, kissing the top of her head.
"All of them?"
"Just the nasty ones," he said, laying down with her and pulling her to him. Soon he was asleep but she couldn't, so she got up and went out on the beach, walking up and down it until well into the next day.
"Logan!" she heard Jacob calling her and kept walking. "Logan please come in, you have to eat sometime."
"I'm not hungry," she said in a monotone voice.
"Please?"
"Jacob what do you think about opening up a restaurant? I mean, what do you think about
me
opening a restaurant?"
"I think you'd have to start eating before you could open one."
"No really, I think I will," she said, nodding, "Open a restaurant that is," she teased and he threw her over his shoulder, carrying her into the house. As he sat her down she looked around at all the faces of those she had come to know so well. Know and love, but I loved him more than anything on this earth, she thought to herself and the tears threatened.
Their looks were full of pity and understanding of how much the first heartbreak hurts. She ate quickly, barely feeling or tasting the food on her tongue, well aware of the stares of those around her, aware that they lowered their voices, scared to break the silence that seemed to follow her everywhere.
She stood and cleaned her plate off in the sink and as her hands dipped into the soapy water to begin washing the dishes she felt Jacobs arms come around her and hold her. As she glanced quickly down at her Cracker Jack ring that he had given her while holding her like this, something inside her snapped and the tears wouldn't stop, her spasms wouldn't stop and she could vaguely hear herself screaming as she threw plate after plate on the ground. She barely felt herself kicking and lashing out as Jacob carried her into the living room and forced her against him, holding her tightly. Soon her hitting stopped and then she clutched to him as if she was drowning.
"It hurts so much," she whispered in Jacob's ear as he held her.
"I know, darlin', I know. Just let it all out, I'm here for you."
"No," she said, after a while, standing and straightening her skirt as she wiped her tears, "I have a business to run and I'll be damned if anything is going to stop that from happening." Jacob just sighed and nodded. He had been afraid that this would happen. Something in Logan had changed now; she didn't hold the innocence about her anymore. Now there was just a large wall all around her. Her eyes no longer shined with joy and happiness, they were dull and unforgiving, as if a light had been turned off. "I cannot break down in front of anyone ever again, it is the biggest sign of weakness." Jacob's heart broke for her at those last words as she strode out of the room.
If I ever see that sorry son of a bitch again
…Jacob thought.
The weeks flew by into months and Logan kept her plan on opening a restaurant, wanting live music and just a generally laid back atmosphere. She had been glad to see the cold months come, being able to bundle up so that no one would notice her weight change. The building went up when she was a month and a half pregnant and was finished by the time she was three months pregnant. She hadn't told anyone.
