Love on the Lake

Chapter 5 : Errands

*Juliet*

I strut over to Logan with more confidence than I feel. I am so embarrassed that Logan has caught Eric leaving my house so early in the morning.

“Yes, I've got your contract," Logan says when no one has spoken for a few seconds. He lifts his clipboard.

“I should get going," Eric pipes up and I look over at him. “I'll text you later."

“Sounds good," I say awkwardly and give a small smile.

Eric stands around for another second, looking between Logan and me. “Okay, I'll see you around, Logan," Eric eventually says and Logan nods in response.

Now it's my turn to look at both of them. How do they know each other? Are they close? Logan seems older than me and Eric but I haven't had the courage to ask him his age.

I watch Eric head down the driveway. I feel bad that he has to walk back to Craters since I was the one to drag him back here with me. I'll take him out for lunch at a later date to make up for it. I turn my focus back to Logan who is still standing in front of me, looking a little uncomfortable.

“Do you want to come in? I might need you to go over the contract with me before I sign anything," I admit sheepishly and it makes Logan chuckle, breaking the tension. He takes a step toward me and I turn to lead him into the house.

“So, the contract goes over the different companies I will use and the prices are all laid out," Logan starts to explain as we walk toward the kitchen to sit at the table.

I would bring him to the dining room so we can spread out all the paperwork but that old dining table needs to go. I've already had a few people in the area reach out about different items and furniture in the house after they had spoken to my parents and they mentioned I might be interested in selling the place.

I gesture to the table and he takes a seat while spreading out the papers of the contract. I sit down in the chair next to him and try to pay attention as he goes over the contract. I understand most of it but kind of glaze over, looking at everything. Logan comes highly rated by Daniel and I have always trusted Daniel's opinion.

“Hey," I interrupt Logan. He looks up at me, a little startled that I interrupted. “Sorry, this isn't meant to be offensive but why do you still use paper contracts? You could easily get a tablet and have access to the contract, the different plans and layouts, and whatever else you need."

Logan chuckles and sits back in the chair. He eyes me for a second before he gives me an answer. “I don't know," Logan shrugs. “I like being able to hold a pen in my hand and make changes to the contract or proposal."

“Well, you can do all of that and more on a tablet, you know? They make pens to use on tablets now," I tease him, leaning toward him and putting my hand on his arm.

The act is intimate, something I would normally do on a date with someone to let them know I was enjoying their company. His arm is firm under my fingers, almost like carved marble. I run my fingers down his arm as the muscles ripple. I can't tell if he's tensing at me touching him, or if he is flexing to show off.

“I guess I'm old school that way." Logan looks down at my hand on his arm and then up at me. He smiles at me for a second, and I think he enjoys my touch but then his facial expression falls and he pulls back, causing my hand to fall away. I let it land in my lap.

“Speaking of," I clear my throat, moving forward and just decide to dive right in, “how old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

“Oh, no." Logan chuckles a little. “I'm 35." The look on my face must betray my silence because Logan laughs again but doesn't look annoyed or angry.

“Wow," I say and then quickly recover. “Oh my gosh, I did not mean that in a rude way. I'm sorry, you just don't look 35. I mean I figured you were older than me but 35, okay." I ponder the age, and it does make sense. He is a prominent businessman and it often takes a while to start and grow a business.

“It's fine. I'm not insulted by my age," Logan says, although he looks a bit uncomfortable now.

“Sorry," I repeat and try to think of something to say to make things less awkward. “I'm 22," I share and Logan raises his eyebrows. “Sorry, you didn't ask."

“You're 22," Logan repeats and the look on his face is very confusing to me. He looks shocked, confused, and a little upset. I start to feel embarrassed about the age difference. I don't want to scare him off.

“Yeah." I tap my fingers on the table and he looks back at me. “So, I think everything looks good here. I can go ahead and sign right now."

“That would be great and then we can go ahead and get started." Logan switches back to business mode and it's like the awkwardness has faded away.

“I actually have to run some errands today so are you okay if I leave while you get started?" I ask while I start going over the contract and signing in all the places where Logan has placed little sticky note arrows.

I smile at the arrows; they're neon colors and it makes me like Logan even more. Maybe I was wrong about him moving into this century and getting a tablet.

“Yeah, that's fine. Do you mind leaving a copy of the keys?" Logan pushes back from the table and stands up. He stretches a little before collecting all the papers and putting them back in his handy clipboard.

“Uhm, I think there is a copy of the key somewhere in here." I hop out of my seat and start going through some of the drawers in the kitchen. I eventually find the organized junk drawer. I grab the spare key and hoist it triumphantly into the air. “Got it! Here you go."

“Thanks." Logan chuckles as he takes the key from me.

“Okay, well, I have to run. You're sure it's okay if I leave?" I double-check with Logan and when he nods, I pick up my purse and get ready to leave.

“Do you need to borrow my truck?" Logan says as I am walking to the door and I stop short.

“Oh?" I turn back to look at him. “We just met and you're already trusting me with your truck? What's next? A marriage proposal?" I tease.

“Hah," Logan offers a short laugh and the mood seems to have shifted.

He looks uncomfortable and a little guilty. I look down at his hands and I don't see a ring but I do see a tan line where a ring once was. So he is or was married. I wonder why he isn't wearing it now. I want to ask about it but I don't think we're close enough for that, especially after his reaction to my comment.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. But, uhm, no, I'm okay. I'm just going to grab a few groceries and other errands, my car will hold everything. Thanks though," I say awkwardly and leave quickly before anything else can go wrong.

I hop in my car and turn it on, waiting for the AC to start blasting before I pull out of the driveway. The drive into town is quick and I could have walked but I need a few too many things and I don't think I would have fun trying to carry all of it back to the house.

I find a good parking spot in the middle of town and grab my purse before heading into the bank. An earlier-made appointment makes it easy to get into an office quickly. The banker is very polite and goes over everything that the loan includes and how to pay it back.

Everything is a little overwhelming but my parent's started their business with a loan and although this isn't for business, I chose to get an official loan from the bank rather than ask for a loan from my parents. It's a great opportunity to learn something new. Hopefully, the loan covers the whole budget. It looks like it will but who knows what hidden issues will pop up when dealing with the old plumbing, electric work, and anything else.

After the bank, I run across the street to the grocery store. I peek inside and see Maggie sitting on her stool behind the counter. I internally groan. I don't want to deal with Maggie today. I don't want to deal with Maggie at all during my time here but I guess I'll have to. Thankfully, she is pretty interested in the book she's ready so I am able to sneak past her on the way in.

Perusing the aisles brings back memories. Some of the memories are bad from my childhood about me wandering off from my mom when she was grocery shopping and being yelled at by Maggie for being alone.

I grab a basket and get some fruit and vegetables before moving to the next aisle. I grab some easy and quick options for food, like pasta and peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches. Then I find a section of pre-made meals. There are some options that I think look great so I load up on a few of them.

Since I will be so busy working, I need meals that will be easy to whip up and will hopefully be a lot cheaper than eating out. I scan a couple more aisles and pick up a few more things then turn to face the front of the store.

Taking a deep, I head to the front of the grocery store and set my basket on the conveyer belt. Maggie looks up and her face twists before a look of recognition takes over.

“Hi, Maggie." I put a smile on my face and start to unload my basket, placing every sticker and barcode facing up to make it easier for her. She grumbles and picks up the first item as the belt starts to move.

“Juliet," I offer my name with another polite smile. Maggie grunts again.

“I know what your name is," Maggie grumbles under her breath and I pretend not to hear her.

“So, how have you been?" I ask, making small talk while she slowly scans my items. It takes forever but I have less than 20 items so it shouldn't be too much longer.

“Fine," Maggie answers tersely.

“Okay, that's good." I try to keep the conversation going but can't think of anything else to say since I don't want to overshare what's going on in my life.

“Try to keep the noise down," Maggie says after she has bagged the last item.

“Excuse me?"

“I've seen Logan at your house. I know it's going to get noisy," Maggie says and I'm taken aback.

“Uhm, I don't know what…" I start to ask what she's implying but she interrupts me.

“Your grandparents hired Logan a lot too. He built that pool for them and it was a noisy racket for a month," Maggie says with a scowl on her face.

“Ah, that. Well, I'll make sure he and his crew are only working during normal work hours. Just let me know if they leave a mess on your property or anything like that. They should have enough room on my property but just in case, I think you already have my phone number." I try to be very polite and accommodating since I know how annoying it can be to live next to nonstop construction.

“Your property now?" Maggie looks up at me with narrowed eyes, not even bothering to form full sentences anymore.

“Yep, my grandparents left it to me," I tell her and she nods her head, soaking in the information. I'm surprised she didn't already know that since he usually knows every new piece of information and gossip as soon as it hits the streets.

“Hmph," Maggie grunts again. I pick up my grocery bags and Maggie picks up her book.

“All right, well, nice to see you again. Have a good day," I say even though Maggie has gone back to her book and is no longer paying attention to me.

I quickly exit the store, load my car, and head back to the lake house. When I get back to the house, I start unloading the car, picking up as many of the bags as I can carry in one trip.

“Hey!" a voice calls out and I look up to see a man on my roof, waving down at me with a smirk on his face. It startles me and I almost drop the grocery bags in my hands. I take a couple of steps back and shield my eyes, looking up.

Yeah, there is definitely a man on my roof.

“Who are you and why are you on my roof?"