Seven of Hearts

3. Leah

3

LEAH

I hurried through the lobby of the Taylor Creek Inn to attend the send-off brunch for Kylie and Bryan. Only six hours had passed since I left Logan’s bed.

My stomach lurched.

I, Leah Holloway, vow to never drink again.

I was fashionably late, and anything but fashionable. Last night’s makeup was still on my face, and bobby pins were still hanging from a nest of hair, since I had opted for sleep rather than detangling the mussed curls.

The entrance to the open courtyard came into view as I rounded a massive pillar. I was so distracted by the pounding in my head that I missed the person exiting the elevator.

“Crap—”

Steady hands shackled my arms, keeping me upright as I bounced off the man’s body. I looked up and found a familiar set of sharp eyes staring down at me.

“Oh—” I blinked once, then twice, as Logan set me upright.

He looked the slightest bit sheepish. “I, uh...I forgot about the brunch this morning. I overslept.”

“That makes two of us.” I brushed a crunchy, hair-sprayed curl away from my face.

Logan shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted uncomfortably, rocking between his feet. “I didn’t think about the fact that we’d see each other today. You know...after...”

“There y’all are! We’re starving and waiting for you.”

We jumped apart at the sound of Kylie’s voice. Logan snapped to attention as his sister approached. They shared the same dark brown hair, the same eyes, the same—well—everything.

“Sorry. I slept through my alarm,” he muttered before dipping into the courtyard.

Kylie watched him disappear into the cluster of her hungover bridal party before turning to me. “So...last night.”

Oh no. She knows I slept with her brother. This was it. Kylie could read people like a book. I didn’t know why I thought I could get away with it.

“What about it?” I squeaked. Way to go, Leah. You totally sound guilty.

Kylie shrugged. “You kind of disappeared there at the end. I looked for you before everyone lined up for the send-off.”

My heart sank. “I was there. I was just in the back of the crowd because?—”

She reached out and touched my forearm. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad or anything. I know this week was probably a lot for you, especially because Joanne was supposed to be here with you.”

The comment stung, and I couldn’t help but wince.

“Shit.” Kylie pressed her fingers against her eyes. “I’m a horrible friend. I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”

“It’s fine,” I said, trying to reassure her. “We were together for a long time, and now we’re not. That’s life. People date. People break up. It’s been that way since the beginning of time. I promise I’m fine.”

In all honesty, I hadn’t minded the wedding week. There were enough things that needed to be done that I had been blissfully distracted from spontaneous crying sessions.

And then the big distraction last night . . .

Getting tipsy with Logan, hooking up, and leaving him alone in his bed had been just what I needed to get my mojo back.

I still felt deliciously sore from our tryst. Admittedly, it had been quite a while since I’d been with an actual human man, and not a silicone substitute.

Kylie cocked her head.

Oh no.

I saw her super-sleuth senses tingling again. She studied my hair, then my day-old makeup.

“Let’s get some food,” I said at the exact moment my stomach lurched from the smell of bacon.

Kylie tapped her lips with a manicured finger. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh my God.”

I cringed. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

She grabbed my arm and yanked me away from the courtyard door, pulling me behind a pillar. “ You totally got some! ” she squealed. “You had rebound sex!”

“Will you keep your voice down?” I hissed. “The entire hotel doesn’t need to be privy to my sex life.”

“So, you did have sex?!”

I pressed my fingers against my temples. “Don’t act so shocked. It’s not like I’m sixteen. I’m a very single twenty-eight-year-old woman. I can do as I please.”

“Leah!” Kylie shrieked as she bounced on her toes.

I clapped my hand over her mouth before she could make a scene. “I’m also very, very hungover. So, keep it down.”

Kylie peeled my palm away. “This means you’re officially over Joanne, and I can totally set you up with someone!”

Well, she kind of facilitated Logan and me being in the same room ...

“Wait,” Kylie said. “Did you hook up with someone from my guest list? Who? Was it Bryan’s cousin, Emily? You know—the woman he’s been trying to set you up with? I’m trying to think of all the single people we invited...Was it someone from the vendor staff? I mean, the bartender is single and he’s super cute.”

There was no way in hell I was telling her that I had hooked up with her brother.

I waved my hands to clear the air between us. “It wasn’t about the other person. It was about me. I had some fun. That was it. One night. No strings. I’m not seeing them again.”

Kylie lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, Fort Knox. Keep your secrets.” She let out a breath and smiled. “Are you happy?”

I wasn’t quite back to being happy, but today I was feeling neutral. We were on the post-breakup uptick. “I’m not sad today.”

“I can tell.” She squeezed my hand. “Do what you need to do to get back to yourself. And if that means getting under someone else, I hope you at least share all the dirty details.”

I laughed nervously as she dragged me to the courtyard. “Absolutely not.”

“Please,” she begged.

“You’re about to go on your honeymoon. Enjoy blissful married sex, and I will be happy when you return.”

Kylie arched an eyebrow. “And then you’ll let me set you up with someone?”

I glared at her. “You and my mother set me up with the last one.”

She cringed. “Yeah...Sorry about that. I thought you and Joanne would go the distance.”

“Don’t be sorry. It was good for a season.”

From across the room, I caught sight of Logan manhandling a cup of coffee, opting to sip some caffeine rather than dive into the breakfast spread.

I couldn’t blame him.

Kylie wanted to know who fucked me last night? It was definitely the whiskey.

I picked up a plate from the end of the buffet line and scanned the options. Toast was probably safe. I should probably try to down some protein, but the sight of it made me queasy.

“I’m never drinking again.”

I looked over my shoulder as Logan reached around me to grab a plate. I took a deep breath and decided that toast was the safest option.

“That makes two of us,” I agreed.

Logan trailed his palm across my lower back as he moved to the other side of the buffet line. “Damn good night, though,” he mumbled under his breath.

We shared coy smiles as we made our way down the line, carefully choosing what to put on our plates to curb the nausea, but not to raise suspicion.

We stood shoulder to shoulder at the coffee bar, him topping off his mug while I poured mine.

“So...Tuesday,” I said as I reached for a packet of sugar.

“On a plane, bright and early,” he said.

I mindlessly shook the packet into my mug, debating whether texting him Tuesday morning to wish him a safe trip back would go against the time-honored rules of the one-night stand.

We had been texting all week, managing the logistics, as we helped Kylie and Bryan put the finishing touches on their big day. We had even driven around town together, picking up the tuxes from the dry cleaner and putting out little fires to keep Kylie calm.

It wouldn’t be out of the blue . . .

I stared into the coffee, my hand lingering on the silver spoon sticking out of it.

Texting Logan after this was too much, I decided. I hadn’t even slept in his bed. When we had finished, I freshened up, dried my dress with the hairdryer, then slipped out and drove home completely sober.

Logan set the carafe of coffee back on the table and picked up his mug, discreetly clinking it against mine. “Thanks for the memories, Holloway.”

Now I really want to throw up . Because that’s all I would ever be to Logan Solomon.

His sister’s best friend.