Page 64 of Break the Barrier

I point at her. “But not too much fun.”

Laughing, she nods at the computer screen. “What are you looking at?”

I had a well-known real estate site up on my screen, browsing through some options and deciding how much money I would need to get what I wanted. “I’m thinking of getting a house.”

Ophelia’s eyes widen. “A house? Really? I didn’t know you wanted that.”

“Well, it’s a relatively new idea,” I admit, scrolling to the next listing. “But I think it would be a nice thing to have for us girls. Enough room for everyone.”

She looks at me and frowns. “I’m so sorry I’m crashing on your couch. Maybe there’s a place I could rent a room for a few weeks.”

I pat her arm. “Not a chance. As long as you’re good with couch surfing, you’ll stay as long as you need to.”

“Thanks, Thea.” She clears her throat. “And thank you for being so cool about me dropping out. I was worried…” She trails off, and I wait as patiently as I can for her to finish. Finally, she looks at me. “I was worried you would be disappointed.”

My eyes track her expression, and I laugh lightly. “Disappointed? Phee, that’s crazy. You left your entire life behind to go pursue your dreams. You lived in one of the most populous cities in the world without knowing a soul there when you moved. I could never be disappointed.”

Her shoulders droop with relief, and I pull her in for a quick hug. “Thanks, sis.”

My phone takes that opportunity to beep, alerting me to a new text.

“Who’s that?” Ophelia asks, taking a sip of her coffee and clicking on one of the listings, browsing through the photos while I pick up my phone.

I smile a little when I see who messaged and sigh. “Someone important.”

Logan grins at me as he opens the door to his home. “Come on in.”

I follow the wave of his hand and take my bag off my shoulder, setting it on the cute little bench inside the foyer.

His hands land on my waist from behind, and his nose finds my neck. “I missed you.”

I smile and turn to face him, my hands going to his shoulders. “You saw me yesterday.”

“Church doesn’t count. I have to be on my best behavior there.”

I nod. “True.” I sniff the air and give him a dubious look. “What is that I smell?” Without waiting for an answer, I head into the kitchen, looking for the source.

On the stove is a big pot with freshly cooked pasta, another smaller pot with sauce, and I definitely smell chicken, but I don’t know where it is.

“Chicken and pasta,” he answers, coming over to stir the sauce. “I admit I got the sauce from my mom’s stash. I’m no pasta sauce expert.”

“You made me dinner.” The words are out before I can stop them, and I glance at him to see him already smiling at me.

“Yeah, well, you’ve made me dinner before. Plus, we eat at your place all the time.”

“I promise, I do not have a hand in any of the meals at our restaurant.”

“Even picking them?” he asks, moving around the kitchen and getting the dinner put together.

“Well, okay. I can admit I did help design the menu. But Malcolm is in charge of the food, and his staff is amazing.”

“Lucky find,” he says, winking at me and moving toward the cabinet. He finds a wine glass and lifts it in question. I nod, and he goes about pouring me a glass of red wine.

“None for you?” I question.

He smiles. “I’m more than happy to provide you with wine whenever you need it, honey. But…” He pulls open the fridge and grabs a beer. “I’m going to have to opt out of drinking it.”

“Ah, not a wine guy.”