It had been two weeks of Harper going over to Frank & Signs after school and then afterward, every evening, chattering on at dinner about the projects she and Frankie were doing. Logan felt awful that he hadn’t had more than a few minutes each day to say hi and thank you, but the blessing and the curse of his clinic taking off kept him busier than a squirrel in a walnut orchard, and just as scattered. Add the transition from staying at the Country Quilt Inn to their own place outside of town, and Logan had had no extra time to spend with the pretty work neighbor who preoccupied his thoughts.

Now there was something else going on through their shared wall: the bass of Frankie’s stereo thumping so loud, he couldn’t hear his patients with their answers to “One or two?”

“I think we’ve got it, Mr. Decker.” Logan’s throat strained. He’d spoken louder than usual the entire appointment. The elderly man probably couldn’t hear the music. Logan swung the phoropter away from Mr. Decker until it was next to the wall and out of the way. He’d double- and triple-checked the updated prescription for trifocals. “I’ll send Lucy in to finish you up.”

In truth, Logan was going to step out to have another word with his dear next-door neighbor. For what seemed like hours, he’d been trying to ignore the disruption, but doing so had strung out his nerves until they were ready to snap. If only he’d had more conversations with her, this wouldn’t seem so awkward or petty, but ever since she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in him, he’d dialed back their interaction.

Logan stalked into the alley and banged out his frustrations on her back door. Between songs, he heard an electric sander whining in the background and doubted his knocks were heard. He was about to give up and go to the front when Frankie finally opened the door.

“Hey, Logan!” The temporary look of curiosity as she opened the door was replaced by a genuine smile of recognition. Was she happy to see him? A cloud of aerated dust settled around her. “What’s up?” Frankie tugged off her goggles and settled them on top of her head as if they were an accessory.

Frankie was so genuine and so adorably attractive in her unawareness of herself. That he noticed, and even thought the word “adorable,” irked him even more, but with Harper there, he wasn’t about to yell at Frankie. Instead, he stepped past her and turned off her Bluetooth speaker. The silence was a relief, like setting down that heavy barbell after a good workout, until he noticed Frankie’s questioning look.

“I can’t hear my patients.”

“I have as much right to run my business as you do yours, Dr. Jekyll.” She picked up her sander, dismissing him and threatening to turn it back on.

Maybe he was acting out more of his evil Mr. Hyde side, but he wasn’t going to allow Frankie to convince him he wasn’t in the right. She was being unprofessional.

“Sorry, Dad.” Harper chewed on her bottom lip. “We were multitasking.” When did she start using that word? “She’s helping me learn this song for the audition, but we couldn’t hear it over the—what did you call it, Frankie?”

“Sander.”

It was amazing how much softer Frankie’s voice could be for Harper compared to the icy response he’d earned.

“We’ll turn it down, Dad.”

Guilt stabbed through him. His daughter shouldn’t have to smooth things out between them. He’d have to build up a thicker skin so he could be friendlier with Frankie.

He looked away to collect his control, his focus landing on the desk he’d noticed the previous week. So far, it was the only thing in the store that wasn’t cut apart, repurposed, or distressed. Several quarts of stain in varying shades were lined up on the worktable, the colors dabbed onto a piece of wood, the richness of the subtle differences more pronounced next to each other.

“Refinishing or upcycling?” He was almost afraid to ask. If this gorgeous piece of furniture was going to be destroyed, he might have to stage an intervention.

“Refinishing, for sure,” Frankie was quick to answer. “Some things can’t be improved upon.” Her own hand caressed the corner closest to her, and she earned another point in his estimation. “I figured I’d teach Harper the art of restoration.”

Logan became distracted in studying the patterns of sawdust on Frankie’s cheeks and the way it dusted her dark hair an ashy gray. So this is how she’ll look in thirty years.

“Frankie’s letting me choose the color. Which do you like, Dad?”

At his daughter’s question, Logan ripped his attention from Frankie to study the different stain colors for the wood. Any of them would be great for the desk. “Which do you like, Harps?”

“I was thinking either—” Harper was pointing to one when Logan’s phone rang, and he knew right off by the ringtone who it was.

“I’m sorry, kiddo, I’ve got to take this.” Logan fished the phone from his pocket and headed for the back door, not wanting Harper to overhear any of the conversation he’d been avoiding since the move.

“This is Logan,” he said by way of acknowledgment to his former in-laws. He wasn’t about to give them a friendly greeting.

“Oh, so you haven’t changed your number,” Kathy McAfee snipped. Apparently, she wasn’t offering any niceties either. “I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks. We need to discuss your long-term plans for Harper.”

As if the grandmother had any say in the matter.

“Well, let’s see. I’m thinking she should continue with her education, even after high school graduation, a prestigious career doing whatever it is she’s passionate about …” Right now that meant upcycling projects with Frankie and musical theater thanks to an upcoming fifth-grade production of Annie Get Your Gun, but he didn’t need to tell Kathy that. “Eventually she’ll run for office and become President of the United States, but only after curing cancer and being the first woman to land on Mars.” He couldn’t think of any more clichéd dreams to add on.

The satisfaction of knowing his answer would annoy Kathy kept him going through the extended monologue. He leaned against the brick building, allowing the comforting heat to seep into his back.

“I don’t appreciate the lip, Logan. You obviously don’t appreciate the precarious situation you’re putting yourself in. My daughter never wanted her kids to spend time in day care being raised by strangers. She was very clear on the subject. I am concerned that you’re not taking this seriously—which has me worried you are putting my granddaughter in an unsafe environment. James and I have consulted a family practice lawyer, and we are evaluating our options to sue for Harper’s custody.”

Logan heard the door to Frank & Signs open beside him, and he glanced over to make sure it wasn’t Harper. When Frankie made to go back inside, he held up a wait-a-minute finger and returned his concentration to the call. It was comforting to have someone with him, even if she didn’t have any idea what was going on.

“Suing for custody?” He shook his head, exasperated. “You can’t be serious. As the grandparents, you don’t have the right unless you can prove I’m unfit, and I think you’ll have a difficult time doing that.”

He hadn’t meant to issue a challenge, knowing Kathy wasn’t one to back down. It had served Christina well, but he never wanted to be on the receiving end of that determination.

Frankie started to leave again, but Logan stepped close, stopping her with a hand on her forearm. “Stay,” he mouthed. “Please.”

“You’d be surprised, Logan. We have a very good lawyer.” Kathy cleared her throat, a gravelly sound over the phone. “You put us in the position, you know. We never would have had to do this if you hadn’t uprooted Harper from everything she knows. You took her away from her friends, an excellent school, and the only other family she knows.”

“Not to mention your after-school time together.” Kathy had been Harper’s caretaker every day for the past four years, and losing that had to be what bothered Kathy the most. And he couldn’t exactly blame her. He did feel bad about splitting Harper and Kathy up, but he’d had his reasons for that as well. “Kathy, I appreciate your concern for Harper. I really do. But I am doing what I think is best for our family. You have to trust me on this one. Harper is adjusting well, and I think this change is good for her. For both of us.” Would anything he said convince Kathy that doing his best as a parent should be enough? After all, Harper was his daughter.

“But Harper no longer has someone she can go to with concerns …” Kathy sounded like she was getting teary, and Logan’s chest ached for her. There was no way to make everyone happy.

“She has me,” he said as gently as he could. “And she has a safe place after school. A friend—the woman who runs the shop next door—has been doing projects with her.” His eyes searched Frankie for a reaction—good or bad—but he didn’t get one. Was he overstepping? “Maybe you should call Harper tonight, let her tell you herself.”

Kathy huffed. “If you answer your phone.”

“I’ll answer, but I have to go now, Kathy. I have patients waiting.”

Logan hung up, grumbling as he put his phone into his pocket. When he looked up, his eyes met Frankie’s, and he saw … concern, compassion, and … he hoped it wasn’t pity. He was fine. Really.

“If that was your mother-in-law, I think you were right in everything you said.” Frankie tucked a lock of hair back into her ponytail. “From what I can tell—and yes, I know my view is limited since I’ve only known you, what, a couple of weeks?” She didn’t wait for him to nod. “There’s no way she can find you unfit, Logan. Harper is a great kid, which means you are doing a wonderful job with her.”

That Frankie didn’t ask for details about Harper’s mom relieved Logan to no end. He certainly didn’t want to get into that today, not in the wake of Kathy’s bombshell.

“And yes, Logan, Harper has me until you figure out alternative after-school care.” A sly grin crossed Frankie’s face, bringing out her dimple. He was already getting to know her well enough to expect something devious to escape her lips next. “Perhaps this is the time to go out with Brooke. It might be just what the mother-in-law ordered.”

“How do you figure that?” While that was what Kathy had been hinting at—that Logan hadn’t dated, serious or otherwise, since Christina—the thought of starting a new relationship amidst the other changes felt like a bad idea for Harper’s sake. Yet Harper had said she was fine with the whole thing.

Maybe it was just a bad idea for him.

“What do you say, Dr. Wells? Give Brooke a chance. You have to admit she’s pretty, and she’s fun, and …”

He thought of blond hair tossed over a willowy frame dressed to the nines. She was beautiful, that he couldn’t deny, but in an uncomfortable way. He would never be himself around her.

“… she’s great with kids, and super smart …” Frankie was selling this hard. “A more loyal friend you’ve never seen—except you aren’t looking for a friend—”

Correcting herself was even more amusing than the hard sell. He couldn’t take any more. He put up a hand to stop the litany of Brooke’s best qualities and accomplishments. He wasn’t interested—especially not in what her best friend saw in her. Likely the two of them weren’t looking for the same thing.

“Okay, okay.” He waited while Frankie closed her mouth, satisfied she didn’t have to come up with anything else to tempt him. “I will go out with Brooke. Once.” He felt his heart squeeze in disappointment at the way his promise made Frankie smile. Why wasn’t he good enough for her? “But I’m warning you. I don’t think she’s my type. It’s not going to go anywhere.”

“You said that last time when you were adamant you wouldn’t ask her out. You never know, you might change your mind on this too.”

Not when Frankie had caught his eye. Not only was she incredibly attractive, she was talented and creative, and she respected his daughter. Not once had he seen Frankie dismiss Harper as just a child or patronize her in any way. He liked that Frankie and Harper had this relationship independent of any possibilities between the two adults.

“Thank you!” Frankie gushed, reaching out and grabbing his forearm with both her hands, their faces only inches apart. His heart went into hyper speed. Her touch only intensified what he’d been feeling. He tried to mentally shake it off, frustrated that he enjoyed their closeness so much when it meant nothing to her.

“Hey, I’ve got to head back.” He knew Lucy was going to rightfully give him an earful for his disappearance.

“No problem, we’ll see you later.”

“And if you don’t mind, remember the walls are thin …”

“Gotcha.” She walked off as happy as ever—one of his favorite things about her. She could take anything in stride, even a surly neighbor who policed her decibel levels.

I should go back in there and tell Frankie she’s the one I want to go out with. See what happens then. It was the only fair thing to do for all three adults involved, not to mention Harper.

He’d convinced himself to do just that, had even started opening the door when he overheard Harper mention him.

“This will be good for Dad. Grandma and I are the only girls he’s ever around, and I can tell he’s lonely. He doesn’t smile as much as he should.”

“Are you really okay with him dating someone, then?” Frankie responded.

Distracted by trying to figure out what Harper pictured when she thought of him dating—what did the kid know about that stuff, anyway?—Logan paused. Should he head back to work, or was this even more reason to ask Frankie out before Brooke and her feelings got in the way?

“Yes.” He could see a sliver of Harper as she smiled, a dreamy look on her face. “I think he misses laughing with my mom. I want him to be happy like that again. Get married. Like the moms and dads you see in the movies, you know?”

If only real love were anything like the movies.

“Married?” The shock in Frankie’s voice intrigued him. What did Frankie think dating was about if not heading toward the ring? “Umm …” She took too long to finish that sentence. “We’re talking one date here, Harper, not marriage.”

How Logan wished Frankie knew he’d heard that; he was sure he could use it against her at some point—if he had to.

“Don’t you want to get married, Frankie?” Harper asked in her innocence.

Logan was frozen by his own interest in the subject. What did the lovely Frankie want out of her own personal relationships?

“I guess someday I do.” There was a pause. “I’ve dreamed about it as much as the next gal. I even know where I want the reception, and I’ve always wanted a Christmas wedding. I know I want to wear my mother’s cowboy boots with my wedding dress, and most of all, I want the one I marry to be the one person who ‘gets me’ most in the world. Someone I can laugh with, create with, go on adventures with. Someone who can see around all this clutter and pick me out as the treasure he wants to spend forever with. The problem is finding that guy …” There was a pause, and Logan started to worry what Frankie would fill his daughter’s mind with next. He cringed as Frankie continued, “You know, Harper, someday you will find that, and your dad will too, when the time is right for him again.”

Logan shook his head. It was a good thing he liked this Frankie woman, or he’d be ticked that she filled his daughter’s head with all this wedding fluff. Then again, everything Frankie had said about a partnership—now those were wedding dreams he agreed with wholeheartedly and were exactly what he wanted for his daughter—eventually.

“There’s something you need to know though, kiddo.” Frankie sat next to Harper on the couch and looked her straight in the eye. “While it’s nice for you to want your dad to find love again, don’t ever feel it’s your responsibility. I may not have known you two very long, but I can tell you a couple of things: first, your dad is a happy man. I can tell. He smiles, he jokes, he pays his bills”—Logan tried not to chuckle at that one—“and you are part of the reason he’s so happy.”

Frankie paused long enough for the idea to sink in. “Second, he loves you very much. You will always be enough for him in his life. If he chooses to marry again, it isn’t because you’ve done anything wrong—or right. It’s a completely different thing. Does that make any sense to you?”

Harper nodded, but Logan wondered if she understood the wise advice Frankie was giving her. “He’ll find love again because he’s a happy person, and it may be with Brooke, it may not. It may be next week; it may be after you’re in college. But it will happen.”

Frankie stopped talking, and for a few seconds, she stared blankly at the desk they’d been working on. She blinked and turned back to Harper. “Sand or sing?” Apparently doing both made it too loud.

Logan stepped back, allowing the door to close soundlessly, his mind and heart a jumble. That had been one serious, mature conversation, and he’d been relieved that the person his daughter confided in handled the situation with aplomb.

At the same time, it ripped his heart apart. He had to get it through his thick skull that Frankie was not interested in him. To keep from obsessing over it, he forced himself to hurry back to his office and his next patient at the clinic.