13. Logan
Chapter thirteen
Logan
I didn’t think Tessa was going to text me back, especially not as late as she did.
I had started to think I came on too strong, but everything inside of me is demanding I pay attention to her.
It has been a long time since I’ve wanted to pursue a relationship, and go figure, the first woman who catches my attention has a complicated past. It’s not my place to ask her about it yet, but I’m hoping she will feel comfortable opening up to me the more we get to know each other.
We didn’t text much last night, only enough to set a date.
She wants to keep it casual and do something in the early afternoon, which is fine.
I can’t say I have ever been on a day-date before, but there’s a first time for everything.
We aren’t going out until next weekend because she needs time to find a sitter for her son, which gives me a chance to plan something properly.
The guys at the station have been giving me shit since hearing about the run-in at the store, but it’s Kinsley’s attitude that has surprised me the most. We aren’t close.
As one of the only women at our station, she mostly keeps to herself.
I’ve seen the rest of the crew try to include her in things outside of work, but more often than not, she turns them down.
Her comment about hoping that I know what I’m doing keeps popping back into my mind.
Like Cain and Gray, she has lived in town for most of her life.
It makes me wonder if she knows Tessa’s story. If they all know something I don’t.
Whatever it is, I want to hear it from Tessa.
Needing someone to talk to about my date and deciding against confiding in the crew for now, my brother, Luke, is my next best option.
Thankfully, he’s not a hard person to track down.
Without having to call or text him first, I can almost guarantee he’s at the bookstore.
He prefers to spend his time surrounded by fictional worlds and people rather than the real deal.
I don’t understand it, but he has always been that way.
Running a bookstore in a small town makes sense for him.
The store is never bombarded with an insane amount of people, and he automatically has something in common with every stranger who walks through the doors.
Even if they read different genres, he connects with them because of their shared love of reading.
His store, Blue Ridge Bookery, is located on the main shopping strip of town, not far from the diner.
The wooden exterior and the painted dark green window frame add to the small town charm.
With the entire town nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it looks like it has been pulled straight out of a magazine or postcard.
It’s a stark contrast to the city’s busy hustle.
You can hear the breeze as it flows through the tall trees, and if you listen closely, you would almost swear you can hear the river coursing through the hillside.
Popular books and new releases are displayed in the large windows, and a bell chimes above the door as I pull it open and walk through.
The dark, stained wooden floors and walls lined with white built-in shelves make the store feel like the kind of place where a reader could easily lose themselves.
The countless hours that Luke spent renovating the space seem to have paid off.
Music is playing softly over the store’s speakers, likely from one of his curated playlists for a specific book or series.
Luke is standing in front of one of the white wooden bookshelves, a paperback open in his hands as his eyes trail across the page.
His glasses are sitting lower than normal, like they slipped down and he’s too absorbed in the world unfolding on the page to notice.
“Where are you this time?” I ask, stepping up beside him and leaning over his shoulder to peer down at the page he’s reading.
When we were kids, he was an avid reader of adventure and fantasy, always absorbed in a different fictional world.
He closes the book before I’m able to read more than a few words, but I caught enough to know it wasn’t magic he was reading about.
At least not the fantasy kind. “Wait a minute. Were you just reading smut? At work? Damn, Luke. I didn’t know you had it in you,” I tease.
His lips twitch with the hint of a smile as he slides the book back onto the shelf. “I didn’t expect to see you today.” He adjusts his glasses as he turns to face me and folds his arms over his chest, leaning a shoulder against the bookshelf. “Is everything alright?”
I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “Why does something need to be wrong for me to come say hi?”
He shrugs. “It’s been a while since you dropped in.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, work has been a little busy.”
“Is everybody okay?” His brows furrow with concern.
“Everybody’s good, man. A lot of minor medical calls lately and some small fires but nothing major. I didn’t come in here to talk about work, though. How are you doing?”
He sighs as he pushes off from the bookshelf and moves toward the pair of lounge chairs that are set up near the large windows, sinking into one. “I’m fine. I’m always fine. How are you doing?” He nods at the chair across from him, gesturing for me to sit. “Clearly, something is up.”
For as many flaws as he thinks he has, and as much as he hates being around a ton of people at once, he sure is good at reading them. Or, at least, he’s good at reading me. I’ve never been able to hide anything from him.
“I met someone,” I say, dropping into the chair. A swell of nerves rolls in my stomach, and I run my palms over my thighs. “I went out after work last weekend with the crew. Gray is friends with one of the sisters who runs The Stampede, and they just started doing line dancing on Friday nights.”
He nods as he folds his arms over his chest, leaning slightly back in his chair as he watches me, waiting for me to continue.
“I saw this woman dancing. Or trying to dance, anyway. She was stumbling through most of the steps. I’m surprised she didn’t fall.
She saw me watchin’ her, and I tried to make it obvious that I was interested.
I got pulled away by one of the guys and didn’t see her finish the dance, but I ended up running into her at the bar.
” Laughing, I add, “Well, she ran into me. Spilled her drinks all over my shirt.”
“And how exactly did that lead to more?” he asks, his words laced with a hint of amusement. “Only you would have a woman spill something on you and turn that into taking her home.”
I scoff. “Why do you assume I took her home?”
He raises a brow and waves his hand out in front of him. “Because I know you.”
“Ass,” I quip, then groan as I admit, “You’re fuckin’ right, but it wasn’t like that. We both went into it thinking it would be a one-time thing, but there’s something about her. I can’t let it just be a one-off.”
He glances out the window, a smile slowly spreading across his face before he pushes himself up to stand, and his eyes flick back to mine.
“I thought you were serious when you said you met someone,” he murmurs, glancing toward the door as the bell above it chimes and a man walks in.
He scans the shop, looking toward the register, before his head turns and his gaze settles on Luke’s.
He smiles before he notices me, then turns away and heads toward one of the shelves of books.
“Who’s that?” I ask, tipping my chin up toward the guy, and then his words hit me. “What the hell. What do you mean you thought I was serious? I am serious.”
“You’re just hooked on her because the sex was good,” he states, his gaze following the man as he scans the shelf in front of him and pulls a book down.
“First of all, fuck you,” I say with a laugh as I stand.
“This is different. It was great, but only because she was. I’ve never connected with someone that fast before.
We didn’t get too deep, but we had chemistry.
Plus, she was giving me shit all night.” I don’t know how to explain what I’m feeling. I don’t know if I can explain it.
All I know is I need to see her again.
Luke doesn’t seem to be paying attention to our conversation anymore.
He’s standing with his hands slipped into his pockets, staring at the man who’s currently flipping through one of the books he pulled down.
I’m half tempted to snap my fingers in front of his face to bring his attention back to me, but I resist.
“Hey,” I say softly, closing the slight distance between us as I step up beside him. “Who’s that?” I nudge his arm in an attempt to get his attention. Luke has always been open with me about his sexuality, but I can’t recall ever seeing him show a true interest in dating.
His head whips toward me like he suddenly remembers I’m still standing here. “Nobody.” He winces slightly as the word slips free, but he seems to shake it off as he asks, “What are you going to do about the woman from the bar?”
I let his question mull over in my mind for a minute, not sure how to answer.
I have no fucking clue what to do for an early afternoon date.
Spending the evening at a nice restaurant has always been my go-to.
This is outside of my wheelhouse. I pull in a deep lungful of air before I blow out a breath and say, “Not sure. What the hell do I plan for an afternoon date?”
“You think I know?” Luke asks.
“C’mon, man. I know you read romance books. What do those guys do?”
His cheeks turn a light shade of red at my question.
“I don’t want to fuck this up. You gotta help me,” I plead.
He sighs, glancing toward the man who has since moved to a different bookshelf. “What about a picnic?”
“A picnic? Really?” I can’t help the disdain lacing my words. A picnic sounds so… boring.
He lifts one shoulder in a half-assed shrug. “Going to see a movie doesn’t give you a chance to talk. Find out what her favorite food is and plan a picnic. Find a park or—”
“What about the botanical gardens?” I ask.
I’ve never been, but when I looked up things to do in Hartridge and nearby towns, the garden was one of the top things listed.
I didn’t give it much thought at the time, because again, it sounds kind of boring, but between the two of us, Luke is the romantic one.
He at least reads enough to know a thing or two about romance.
I also found a winery not too far away from town, but planning a small day trip doesn’t seem like something you do on a first date.
From the pictures, the botanical garden seems pretty big, with several different trails that wind through various areas.
“Exactly. Take a blanket to sit on and pack her favorites if you can. It’ll be quiet enough that you can talk, and it shouldn’t be too busy.”
Smiling, I clap a hand on his shoulder. “Who knew reading smutty romance would come in handy someday?”
He brushes my hand off and steps away from me. “Ha ha,” he deadpans. “I’m sure you have better things to do than hang around here all day.”
He’s really trying to get rid of me. Or he’s hoping I’ve forgotten about the guy who seems to keep pulling his attention away from our conversation, which only makes me want to bug him about it that much more.
“You gonna tell me who the guy is?” I nod my head toward where he’s standing, pretending to read. Unless he knows how to read upside down, I highly doubt he’s actually reading the book in his hands.
“Nope. I’ll see you later.” He says it so matter-of-factly, I know the conversation is over. Luke turns away from me and crosses the room toward the register, glancing over his shoulder with a frown when he sees I’m still standing here.
Message received. I’m leaving. I’ve got a date to plan.