With their savings and Mary’s income keeping them afloat, he decides to seek a different way to work with children. He gets in touch with a family shelter to volunteer and tutor kids. It’s a new start, one he hopes will rekindle the joy and passion he lost.

Chapter 68: Cade and Logan

Five days before Logan leaves for Georgetown University:

A cemetery. Only Logan would consider Oswego’s historic Riverside Cemetery a great place to hang out. Cade stands back, shakes his head, and laughs to himself as Logan examines headstone after headstone as if she’s taking in artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Glancing over at Cade, she says, “Isn’t this place inspiring?” Obviously, it’s a rhetorical question, so he doesn’t respond. Though the temperature is in the mid-eighties, goose bumps rise on Cade’s arms. With only a few days left to spend together, Cade can think of a thousand things he’d much rather do with Logan in a thousand less creepy places. But she’d said there was something important she wanted to show him before she left for college. It so happens to be in this graveyard. Logan turns to Cade, lifts an eyebrow. “Well?” Apparently, the question wasn’t rhetorical.

“Inspiring, no. Depressing, sad, morbid, haunting. Any of those will do.”

Logan scoffs and playfully shoves Cade. “But there’s so much history. It’s even on the National Register of Historic Places,” she says. “Famous people are buried here.” She lists a bunch of names that Cade has never heard of and their political accomplishments.

Boring under normal circumstances. But this is Logan. Like the first time she walked into the inn, Cade’s drawn to her, drawn to her passion, the way it lights her face. He’s going to miss her, miss moments like this.

As Logan goes on talking about the cemetery’s history, Cade’s mind wanders. So much has changed since Mr. Bartley gave them the assignment.

The HUMANKIND WELCOME HERE signs are all over Riviere—a reminder and a promise. People from across the globe, displaying the sign, have sent them photos. Folding to community pressure, all but one Confederate flag came down in Riviere. Although it’s become less frequent, Cade and Logan continue to be recognized around town. Someone will whisper, Those are the kids who…Cade and Logan pretend they didn’t hear.

“Look around,” Logan says, sweeping her arms wide. “One hundred and forty acres of beauty.”

She’s the only beauty he wants to see. But, of course, he doesn’t say it. Scanning the horizon, Cade tries to see the acres of rolling hills, old oaks, sugar maples, and manicured lawn through Logan’s eyes. He inhales freshly cut grass and turned soil.

Nope. He can’t do it.

Still a cemetery with so many dead people underfoot.