Unsettled (20 page)

“Come in,” I responded groggily, turning over in my bed.

“You’re already sleeping? Are you okay?” she asked, coming in to sit next to me on the bed.

“What time is it?” I asked, sitting up to look at the clock.
Eight fifteen.
I turned on my bedside lamp.

“No I’m fine— I just needed a nap. I was exhausted.”

“Oh okay. So…did you talk to him again?” She had a fanciful smirk on her face that lit up her hazel globes.

“Who are you talking about?” I pretended I didn’t know she was explicitly referring to Logan, who was coincidentally great in bed.

“Don’t play with me! And before you try to lie to me, I know he was here last night,” she said. Her eyebrows disappeared under her sideswept bangs.
Shit! How did she know?
I guess we were louder than I thought.

“Glad to see I got your attention. So now that we’re on the same page, please do tell.”

“Um…after we got off the phone I e-mailed him to say thanks for the sushi, but he was already on his way over. He said he didn’t like the way I’d ended our conversation. So he came in and we talked—”

Alex cut me off mid-story, “Get to the good stuff! I know there was more than talking going on Brooklyn. Quit stalling!”

“Okay…okay. Well unfortunately we did the deed, but it wasn’t good,” I lied.

“Really? Why not?” The eager anticipation on Alex’s face deflated like a balloon. She was so easy to wind up.

“Because it was—great, amazing, or any other adjective that you can possibly interject into that sentence,” I said, throwing my head back and laughing.

“You’re evil! I was just about to start feeling sorry for you. I’m glad that when you finally got back on the horse it was actually worth it—and I mean that in the most literal sense!” Alex said eyeing me.

TGIF
I THOUGHT AS
I responded to Trent’s latest insolent e-mail. The day was winding down and I’d managed not to let his foul mood get to me. I only had to deal with him for another fifteen minutes and then I’d be homeward bound.

My cell phone chirped next to my keyboard, breaking my train of thought. I was giddy when I saw Logan’s name pop up on the display screen but let his call go to voice-mail. Instead of picking up I decided to text him:

Hey. Can’t talk right now—will call you in fifteen, okay?

A few seconds later my phone beeped with a response:

Okay.

At five o’clock I jetted away from my desk. I was tired of suffocating on my floor from breathing in the recycled air that blew through the withered vents. It was a nice day out and I was eager to be in the sun.

Newfound energy ran through my veins as I thought about seeing Logan again. I hiked my lunch bag and purse on my shoulder.

“Bye Marci,” I called as I walked through the overbearing foyer doors. I stopped in my tracks.

“Hey pretty lady,” Logan said, standing near the entrance holding a bouquet of gerbera daisies.

“Hey,” I said. A shy smile slid across my face at the sight of the bright fuchsia and orange flowers in his hand. “I see someone has been busy,” I said, referencing the flowers in his hand. Seeing the pretty blooms reminded me that I’d received more flowers from Logan in a matter of weeks than I’d probably received in my whole life. That thought made me broaden my smile until I remembered where we were.

“I was just about to call you. I assumed we’d meet at my place. I don’t know if it’s the best idea for you to meet me here. ” I dutifully stepped out of the line of sight of the lobby. Nobody outside of Marci knew that Logan and I were seeing one another—and I wanted to keep it that way. I wasn’t exactly sure how the news would be received by colleagues, specifically Trent or Anna for that matter. She had made it devastatingly clear she was all too eager to get her paws on Logan.

“I seem to remember being issued a strike because I had Merick deliver flowers to you. Now you don’t want me to deliver them personally? I can’t catch a break,” he joked.

“Well being that I already lied to the marketing manager today, and slandered your name with words like ‘womanizer’ and ‘gay’ ” I said, crooking my mouth to the side as an apology. “I’d rather not be caught out front entertaining your company.”

When he saw how uneasy I was, he stopped teasing. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I parked around the corner,” he said reassuringly.

“I figured we could have dinner,” he said, handing me the flowers. It had only been two days since the last time we’d seen one another and he looked delectable. I couldn’t help but notice that he was considerably dressed down for a work day. Rather than a suit and tie ensemble he was wearing low rise jeans and a fitted V-neck shirt. He even completed the look with a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses atop his head.

“Okay,” I agreed apprehensively, “but let’s go before someone notices me getting in the car with you.”

I let out a sigh of relief as Logan helped me into the Range Rover and drove away from Copple.

WE MADE IT OUT
of the area and onto I-50 in a short amount of time. The morning grey from earlier had burned off and the sun was filtering through the clouds. Sunset was on the horizon. As he drove north I took in the plush greenery. The natural landscape beat smog-ridden Los Angeles any day.

“How was your day?” I asked as I dropped my name badge into my bag.

“Pretty mundane until now,” he said, the corner of his mouth turned up into a smile. “How about yours?”

“Oh I don’t know, let me see. I brought Trent his coffee, paid his cellphone bill, responded to dozens of e-mails regarding sales numbers. I’d have to say it was an average day in the life of a marketing assistant, but enough of that. Where are we going?” I asked, looking over at Logan in the driver’s seat. Logan turned his head away from the road for just a minute, and I caught a clear glimpse of his ocean green eyes.

“Surprise,” he said tight-lipped. I could tell he wanted to spill the beans, but didn’t want to ruin his plan.

“Can I have one hint?” I asked, hoping he’d take pity on me. I wasn’t a huge fan of being in the dark.

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, baby. I’m sure there are other things we can talk about other than where we’re going.”

“Well that was informative,” I retorted, failing to hide the curiosity in my voice.

I sighed and hoped that wherever we were headed was not entirely too far. I had never been one that enjoyed absurdly long drives. For me, anything over four hours required a plane flight.

Thankfully, Logan jumped into stories about his childhood and the chaos that ensued in a house with three kids. For the briefest of moments I thought I heard sadness in his voice as he talked about Scott. Scott had actually been at the meeting a few weeks ago, and I hadn’t even known. He didn’t walk with a limp that I could see. I chimed in with my own antics of growing up with Danielle and our impromptu runway model photo shoots.

By the time we finished reminiscing Logan was pulling onto a long tree-lined dirt path. I took my camera out of my bag to capture the lake in the distance.

“You carry your camera in your purse?”

“When I remember,” I responded in between shutter clicks, hoisting my camera strap over my head.

Logan slowed the car a bit so that I could take pictures more easily without craning my neck life a giraffe.

“Where are we?”

“Just outside of Cape Saint Claire—Mezick Ponds. The bridge over there is one of our latest projects,” he said, pointing to a massive bridge in the distance. “You asked me the other night what I did, so I thought it would be more interesting to show you.”

“Your company is working on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge? That’s awesome!” I replied in astonishment. The fading pink and blue sky provided a gorgeous backdrop against the bridge.

“The one and only,” he said, bounding from the car coming around to my side to let me out. My eyes roved over the natural landscaping. It was so peaceful and astoundingly quiet.

“Thanks,” I said as I hopped from the truck.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and headed toward the clearing with my camera plastered to my face.

“My company has been commissioned to perform structural tests since it’s almost sixty years old and needs a little TLC.”

I sat down in a patch of grass. Logan took a seat next to me.

“You know I wish I would’ve known we were coming here. I could’ve worn something a little more suitable,” I said, adjusting my white wrap around eyelet dress.

“Don’t worry—I got you covered,” he said. He headed to the car and returned a few seconds later with a blanket in his hand, along with a picnic basket and a bottle of wine in the other.

“Are you sure you weren’t a boy scout?” My wisecrack put a smile on his face.

“The boy scouts have nothing on me,” he responded, setting the basket in the grass and waving the blanket in the air to create a perfectly flat square in the grass. He plopped down on the blanket leaning back on his elbows. The sinking sun hit his side profile perfectly. He looked so relaxed lying about.

“There is a space on this blanket that looks pretty lonely,” he said, eyeing me seductively. He patted the fabric to extend his invitation further.

I stood up and joined him on the blanket.

“How long does that take to do—restore the bridge I mean,” I asked curiously.

“It depends on how much damage the structure has sustained underwater. Our crew has only done a preliminary inspection, so it will be a while longer before we know the extent of the repairs and what will be required.”

“Is it safe for people to drive on in the meantime?” I asked, warily eyeing the car currently passing over the bridge.

“The integrity of the bridge hasn’t been compromised yet…that’s why our firm was brought on—to take precautionary measures.” I listened to Logan as he explained what the repairs would entail. I snapped a picture now and again when the moment struck.

“It would be interesting to see the full process from start to finish. So many people are oblivious when it comes to public infrastructure upkeep. Maybe I’ve developed a soft spot since I know how hard my father worked; he was a power lineman for the Department of Water and Power. The general public doesn’t realize how dangerous of a job line work is, they just want their power functional at all times. I know the risk though—he has had a few close calls over the years. My mom used to get nervous when he’d get called out on emergency jobs,” I smiled at the fond memories of my father.

“The closest I’ve ever got to working with live electrical was helping Scott run a line from his house to the spa in his backyard, and to be honest, it was more Scott’s doing than my own. I leave electrical work to the pros,” he said, giving me a look that said “luckily I know people in the right places” and I laughed. Logan relaxed back onto the blanket.

“It’s beautiful out here,” I said sighing. I raised my arms above my head and fell backward next to him.

Lying in the grass, I couldn’t remember the last time I was so close to nature. Damon never ventured to take me out to places off the beaten path. At that moment, a butterfly flittered past my face and landed in the tall blades of grass in the distance.

We were silent for a while and I just kept looking out at the bridge and the setting sun.

“Are you ready to eat?” he asked, looking at his watch. “It’s past six o’clock. I can’t keep this well-oiled machine running on a single Denver omelet,” he said, sitting up beside me and waving his hands up and down his torso like a hand model.

“Sure—what did you have in mind?” I asked.

“Let’s see what’s packed in here,” he said, opening up the picnic basket.

He pulled back the flaps and started taking the items out one by one. “We’ve got…figs, salami, ham, turkey, I think this is Havarti cheese,” he said with a questionable look, “some type of cracker, Dijon mustard, grapes, and strawberries.”

“Who packed all this stuff?” I asked in awe. There was more than enough food for both of us.

“The kitchen staff at the Trumont,” Logan admitted, pulling a face that said “don’t blame me if it tastes like crap.” I started laughing at his antics.

Wanting to play along, I said, “Is this a bad time to tell you I’m a vegan?” I deadpanned.

“Well um…” he looked over the mound of food and drew in his eyebrows. “I mean crackers and fruit don’t provide much sustenance but um…we can just go somewhere if you want to get a salad or something…”

I could tell he was pondering my statement. “Wait a minute…you just ate meat-filled lasagna last weekend!” he exclaimed as he flipped himself over the food to try to tackle me, I scurried off the blanket into the grass.

“I guess I’ve improved my poker face!” I exclaimed. My squeal echoed through the surrounding trees.

He rose like a Phoenix from the ashes and stood authoritatively on the blanket in his Tevas. I couldn’t help but give him the once-over. All jokes aside, I was sure Meredith Grey would agree with me that Logan Colton would give Major McHottie a run for his money.

“I think you owe me an apology, Ms. Caldwell. I was really worried. It took me nearly an hour to figure out what to request from the kitchen and where to bring you, and then you go and make me think it was all in vain? First the flowers, now this?” he asked, creasing his eyebrows and shaking his head. “I thought you would be more appreciative of my efforts.”

Immediately I felt remorseful. I hadn’t thought of the fact that Logan was doing things outside of his comfort zone— for me.

“Oh—you’re right. I’m sorry,” I said, apologetically.

“Oh well, I don’t know if I feel like accepting your request for forgiveness. My fingertips are itching and I’ve been known to tickle people to death,” he said mischievously, his features lighting back up. Had I just been played like a violin? My eyes became as wide as saucers when the realization that I’d been duped washed over me.

“Interesting information,” I taunted as I gingerly stepped back slowly, putting more space between us. Luckily I was wearing a pair of royal blue velveteen flats, so I was able to navigate through the grass easily. “When I’m running for my life I am quite fast,” I warned as I continued to step back, slanting my eyes wearily.