Logan's Rattler, A. Jarrett [general ebook reader txt] 📗

afford to hire extra help. So he and Leo took turns opening up the store each morning. Today was his turn.

Most days he didn’t mind the early hours, but most days he wasn’t sleep deprived or walking around with a constant hard-on jabbing him in the thigh.

Logan’s watch beeped, and he walked around the counter to flip over the open sign. It was time to start the workday no matter how bad he wanted to crawl back into bed with a spiky-brown-haired devil. He couldn’t believe he missed the little guy.

A smile spread across his face. He’d bet anything Finn wouldn’t like being called “little.” Later he would have to try out the endearment.

“Morning, Logan. What has you all smiles today?”

“Hey, Mrs. Parks,” he greeted the older woman. She had been their very first customer that walked through the doors on opening day and had come in every morning since. “Nothing in particular.”

“Don’t try and fool an old lady, sweetie. By the looks of you I’d say amore is in the air.” Logan handed Mrs. Parks her regular, a small black coffee with a shot of skim milk. She proceeded to add a sugar to the mix. “Please say it’s someone new. I don’t care much for that Brett you’ve been hanging out with.”

“It’s Rhett.” He corrected her. “And, no, it’s not him. I met a really sweet guy last night who took me by complete surprise.” He chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek, debating whether or not to say any more. “I can’t stop thinking about him. Is that crazy being as I just met him?” He was never good at keeping secrets and hoped the older woman could give him some grandmotherly advice.

Mrs. Parks laid money on the counter for her bill then reached across and patted his hand. “No, sweetie, you’re not crazy. Sometimes

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love has a way of sneaking up on you and biting you right on the ass.”

Logan giggled at her curse. “No matter how you find it, don’t let it slip away.”

He watched her walk out the door and across the street to her dog-grooming business. Nice old bird if a little quirky at times, but today she did have a point. Finn did seem like a good guy. Yeah, the way they met wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t build a relationship that would last.

Logan started to get excited about seeing Finn again. But just as that happy-go-lucky energy filled his body, a black cloud of dread hung over his head. He hadn’t heard any voices coming from Finn the previous night, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hear something tonight.

More customers filed through the door, and he became too preoccupied with filling orders and neighborly small talk to worry about anything else. As the rush died down, he went around wiping off the table tops. Whenever he had any extra time on his hands, his mind often wandered back to that fateful day five months ago.

He had been sitting in his office when he heard Leo shouting at a customer for being a rude prick. He left his office to go assist with the situation but when he walked into the front area, Leo was handing the man his change and telling him to have a good day. Logan thought the scene seemed odd since he had just heard Leo yelling at the man.

Logan came around the counter and asked if Leo needed help with anything. Leo gave him the strangest look and said he was fine.

Logan soon found out after the customer left that he was in fact an asshole. He was hitting on Leo and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Not until Logan came out front did the guy take the hint and leave.

Leo said he was screaming internally for the jerk to go away.

It was as if a light had been switched on. He had heard every word his friend had thought without him ever uttering a single word aloud.

Logan could hear Leo’s thoughts. And he came to find out it wasn’t just Leo’s, it was everyone’s. It didn’t happen all the time, but when

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the voices broke