Can't Let Go - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,25

of her success. She shrugged her shoulders, tearing her eyes away from him and shifting her gaze toward the front of the truck, staring out the windshield without really seeing anything. “Aren’t you working at Rumor?”

“That’s nothing to really be proud of, Logan.” She was vaguely reminded of her fiancé as she spoke. Her words sounded like his, like something she’d heard him speak before. She frowned, saddened that his disapproval was beginning to frame her own opinion about her job.

“Hey, I think it’s quite an accomplishment. I mean—Abby, you worked your way up pretty quickly, didn’t you? I don’t care what the subject matter of the magazine is—you’ve worked hard. You deserve some credit.” The praise in Logan’s words brought tears to her eyes and she turned her head, staring at the passing scenery through the passenger window now. She’d always longed to hear something like that from Eric. Some off-handed comment that proved that he took her seriously—that her work mattered. Anything would have worked, really.

But she’d never heard anything more from him than negativity. She had gotten so used to hearing the demeaning comments that it almost pained her to hear someone commending her.

The fact that it was Logan Sheppard only complicated things that much more.

“Thanks,” she whispered, cursing the way her throat constricted and the way her heart fluttered in her chest. Abby had always had a hard time taking compliments, but especially so when they came from Logan.

It wasn’t until they had reached Hayley and Blake’s simple ranch home that she spoke again, lost in her thoughts.

“Truth be told, Logan, I don’t really like my job all that much.” It was the first time she’d ever spoken the words aloud.

“Then why stay?” he asked. There was no judgment in his tone. Just simple curiosity.

“Because I need it.” She turned to him, hidden behind the tinted glass of the sunglasses, but still searching for his eyes. “Hayley called it my way of rebelling.” Logan chuckled, shaking his head. She almost felt relieved, as if a small bit of weight had been lifted from her chest.

“Hayley knew all about that, didn’t she?” Abby nodded, cracking a very slight smile. It felt nice to have someone to talk to.

“That she did,” Abby agreed with him, glancing away again. After a moment, she continued on, shrugging her shoulder, suddenly overwhelmed by a longing for some sort of emotional connection. “Really, though?” She lifted her eyes once more so that she could meet his. “It’s just something that I can actually have a say in. I feel like—like I’ve never had control over one thing in my life. Except this.” When their eyes met, she knew he understood her. She could see it in his eyes—a quiet sadness for the girl he’d fallen in love with all those years ago.

“You’re a strong woman, Abby.” He spoke. “I don’t have to have seen you every day for the last six years to know that.” Logan looked away for a moment, as if ashamed of himself, before returning to her eyes. “If you’re not happy, you’ll change it. One day, you’ll realize you’ve got a lot more control than you think.”

They held eyes for a long moment before Abby turned away, her heart hammering loudly in her chest now.

Why did Logan have to have so much faith in her? Why did he have to make her feel as if he was the only person in the world who could understand her? She sighed, turning to look at the house, her hand resting on the door handle.

It was a nice house—smaller, but it was big enough for Hayley and Blake to start a family. Hayley had planned on moving somewhere down the line, or maybe building on. Abby remembered how thrilled Hayley had been when she called with the news that Logan had graduated—her very own personal architect!

“You ready?” His voice startled her, but she nodded, pulling on the handle and letting herself out. Logan came to stand at her side, the two staring up at the house—different memories flashing through each of their minds. Each had spent some time here with their friends—each had their own laughs and smiles.

Abby took a deep breath before she stepped forward, leading the way toward the house. Logan followed behind her, and Abby was grateful to have him there with her. When they reached the door, she pulled out the spare key Hayley had insisted she keep, even though she was on the other side of