Years passed. Louise graduated in the top twenty five percent of her class, a feat everyone was impressed she could pull off. She had immediately rejected the idea of going off to college like Tina, knowing that without any helping hands present her aging parents wouldn't be able to handle to restaurant. From the day she graduated she worked in the restaurant, side by side with her parents. Every so often a guy that was feeling particularly brave would ask her out and she'd say yes. The dates never really went anywhere. Movies, dinner, to the wharf... no matter what they did no one could compare to the phantom of Logan.

She tried to forget him, but he proved harder to replace than she originally thought. His easygoing attitude to her fire, his smile, the way he stood up to her, his entire being was just impossible for anyone to measure up to. Finally, and what she thought was ironic, she ended up on a date with the guy her and Logan had broken up over.

His name was Sam and while he wasn't Logan, he was the closest she had found. He stood up to her attitude, he was tall and lanky, and his hair was the wrong color but the right level of softness. He had taken her to the movies for their first date, and they had a second one planned for dinner. She was just beginning to accept that this was her life.

XxX

Logan stood in his office on the executive floor of the building, smirking as he filled in the blanks of the next buyout that would make his company millions. The years had been good to him. At twenty five he had more money than he knew what to do with, and being single allowed him the freedom to go wherever they needed him.

"Logan Bush!" a familiar voice Logan hadn't heard in years pulled him from his document. Logan looked up to see a very aged Fishoeder standing in the doorway of his office, white suit and white eyepatch as bright as ever.

"Mister Fishoeder," he walked over to him and held out a hand, "how have you been?"

"Well honestly I haven't been good," he admitted as they walked over to the chairs by the desk. "The doctors all say that I need to stop working, that the stress is just too much... And at this point I'm honestly going to have to agree with them," he settled himself in the plush chair and folded his hands on his lap. "That's actually why I'm here today."

"Oh?" Logan raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Indeed. You see, I own half of that town and I need someone I trust to take over for me."

"You mean-"

"I want you to buy all my properties young man," Fishoeder gave him a warm smile and Logan couldn't help but frown.

"All of them?"

"Yes yes, the wharf, the businesses, the residential buildings... I don't want to overload you but I've followed your career and out of all the young ones I know you're the only one I trust with the empire that I've built."

"Wow," Logan coughed a laugh. "I uh, I don't know what to say."

"Well not to put you under any severe pressure here but I'm hoping you say yes. You see, I have my eye on this beautiful little condo down in Florida that I can really see myself growing old in... well older," he let out a self deprecating chuckle and Logan couldn't help but smirk.

"How much would this cost?" Logan asked after a moment and Fishoeder waved his hand in the air dismissively.

"A few million, but you're not exactly hurting for cash now are you?" Logan smirked despite himself and the man nodded. "That's what I thought. You know when your father told me they had disowned you I thought you'd end up at a dead end job. Now that's nothing against you," he said quickly, "it's just that people raised a certain way sometimes have a hard time adapting to other lifestyles. You are literally the embodiment of the modern American success story Logan, and I know from my dealings with your CEO that they're thinking about building an office right where we both will always call home." Logan swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, having heard the rumors himself. "Scuttlebutt is that you're on the top of the list for running that entire building so what's a few dozen more?"

"I uh," Logan cleared his throat and looked Calvin Fishoeder in the eye, "I'd like to discuss this over dinner or something, I've got a meeting in twenty-"

"No doubt about you having to move back home," Fishoeder cut in and Logan shrugged.

"We'll see... If that's the case then I'd be happy to buy your properties." Fishoeder smiled and stood up, Logan following him to the door. They shook hands and Logan watched the man walk to the stairs, his mind trying to remind him of who exactly lived and worked in one of his potential new properties.

XxX one year later XxX

"Hello Belcher family!" The voice of Calvin Fishoeder pulled Louise from scrubbing down a booth and she gave her mom a nervous glance. If this was about the rent they were a day overdue on they were in trouble.

"Mister Fishoeder," Bob's voice wavered on the name as he came around from the kitchen. "What brings you here today?"

"Today Bob I come with news," he said as he sat at the counter, "but first, I'd like for you to make me the burger of the day."

"You don't eat at your renter's places," Linda said in disbelief and Louise felt her eyes widen as Fishoeder laughed.

"My dear Linda I most certainly do not, but I am no longer the owner of this nor any establishment in town."

"What?" Louise asked in shock and the man nodded.

"Indeed I've been told by enough doctors over the course of a few years now to know that enough is enough. I've sold all my properties and come to you as a customer," he spread his hands out before him and Bob immediately scurried off to make the burger.

"You have health problems?" Linda asked with as much tact as usual and Louise rolled her eyes. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out.

'Me and you, tonight, my place. Hope you're ready ;)' She groaned at the text from her boyfriend Sam and responded with a quick affirmative before shoving it back in her pocket. They'd been dating for awhile now, almost a year, and he was getting a little pushy on the whole topic of them having sex. Her mind unwillingly flicked to the man she remembered that had insisted on waiting, to the point of stopping the one time he had lost a little control when she was uncomfortable, and she had to forcibly grit her teeth against the thoughts. Logan was long gone, never to be a part of her life again. Her mind also went to how much trouble innocently texting Sam had caused, how telling him to leave her alone, that her boyfriend wasn't imaginary, that she was taken... every text had been in defense of her relationship with Logan. She thought back to that fateful day and internally cringed. It didn't take a genius to figure out how bad her reaction looked, in fact if Logan hadn't come to that conclusion she would've been surprised.

She forced her attention back to the conversation between her mother and Fishoeder, "...my brother's been wasting all the money I send him so I just decided that I couldn't in good conscious sell the properties to him, or really give since he has no money. Also, because I have no children I can't just will everything to anyone so I had to sell."

"Who did you sell to?" Bob asked over the sound of meat hissing on the grill.

"Oh a very good young man, he's richer than most but has a good head on his shoulders... He's moving to town in a day or so and I demanded that I bring him around to my old tenants to introduce him." Louise scowled at the vague description of their new landlord; to Fishoeder everyone, even her parents, were young.

XxX

Logan stared out the window as they lazed down the too familiar streets of his hometown. He had purchased a lofty apartment on the top floor of the finest complex in the city... which he technically now owned. He snorted at the bizarre thought. Logan Barry Bush, the disowned disappointment, was now in control of over three quarters of his home town. "So why'd you lie to old Fishoeder?" Jacob asked from behind the wheel and Logan snorted.

"I just wanted a night to myself you know? Get settled in my place, have a few drinks... If I told him I'd be in town tonight he would've forced me to go out tonight and I just don't want that."

"So... You own almost everything in this town right?" Jacob asked and Logan nodded.

"Practically," he verbalized and watched Jacob's hand tighten on the wheel. "Talk to me Jacob what's up?"

"You're not gonna do some stupid crap right? Like... you won't raise the rent on my mom's apartment?" Logan clapped a hand on Jacob's shoulder and gave his friend a reassuring smile.

"I'd never do that man you know me better than that."

"Holy shit man," Scotty spoke up from the backseat and Logan looked back at him. "You own Wonder Wharf."

"Are you just now realizing that?" Logan asked dryly and Scotty flipped him off.

"Dude," he leaned forward between the two front seats, "we can do that thing we always talked about doing."

"No," Logan laughed, shaking his head, "we are not going on the roller coaster naked."

"Come on Lo!" Scotty slapped his arm and Logan gave him a disbelieving look.

"We came up with that when we were in middle school," he reminded his friend and Jacob laughed.

"We so should," he chimed in and Logan shook his head.

"You two weirdos want to? Be my guests."

XxX

Louise was not comfortable with the situation. Not. At. All. Sam's hands were all over her and while they had done the whole make out thing a dozen times before... this felt different. There was a goal in his mind and he was obviously adamant about it. As he kissed a trail down her neck and his hands fumbled their way under her shirt, Louise let her mind wander to a certain Christmas morning. A necklace, a kiss, him wanting more but stopping the second she was uncomfortable...

"Stop Sam," she pushed his hands away and he gave her a pout.

"Louise come on," he insisted with a whine. "It's almost been a year and I love you so much and-"

"I don't want to Sam," she said firmly as she sat up on his bed. "I like you a lot but I'm not ready for that-"

"Why can't you say it back to me?" he asked with anger in his tone. "I pour my heart out to you, I trust you with all my life's biggest issues, and you're telling me that you don't love me?"

"Sam," she chuckled nervously and tugged on the end of her messy ponytail, "it's not that I don't trust you-"

"I didn't say trust I said love!" His tone was sharp and put Louise on alert. "You don't do you?"

"Sam I-"

"I can't believe this," he shook his head and stood up from the bed. "You should go, we're done. I can't be with someone incapable of love." Louise felt her heart ache at his resigned tone.

"Sam I-"

"I should've known right? I mean, you still wear that necklace from your imaginary boyfriend," he chuckled at that and then shook his head. "Just go alright?" Louise nodded numbly and left the room, walking in stunned silence to the front door. There she paused and pulled the silver necklace from under her shirt. The inscription was worn from her rubbing it, but the initials were still legible. 'LBB & LLB'

XxX

Logan collapsed on his new bed in his new apartment, his eyes heavy. He looked around the dimly lit room and let out a sigh. Years of doing everything possible to not think about this town, more importantly who lived there, and yet he was right back where he started. He sat up on his bed and pulled the long sleeve shirt from his body. The brief thought of taking a shower flicked through his mind but he dismissed it when he laid back down and his high thread count sheets met his bare skin.

With a content sigh he went to put his arms behind his head, the small tattoo on his arm catching his attention. The long eared Kuchi Kopi he had gotten years ago to remind him of Louise. He touched the skin gently, remembered the times when he thought of getting it removed, remembered always talking himself out of it with excuses that were flimsy at best. The truth of it was simple. He still had feelings for Louise. He had tried to move on, he'd dated several women who would be considered a win in any man's life, but none of them were right for him. The truth of it all was quite simple, he just never let himself admit it. Louise had been exactly what he wanted, and he still wanted that. The fire, the attitude, the teasing...

"God Logan," he groaned aloud and rolled over, burying his face in his pillows, "get a grip."

XXX

A time skip for you guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter... I tried to explain a little why she kept texting Sam but if it's not super clear to everyone don't worry, that's one thing they're going to discuss in the future. I love you all for reading and reviewing! I'll update as quick as I can. Much love, Leigh