7. Meredith
Chapter Seven
MEREDITH
I can’t believe Logan is infiltrating my life all over again–not just at work, but at Grayson’s. Hell, my father had even been there.
Why is he so buddy-buddy with my father, anyway? He had always thought he came from a bad family, told me all the time that I was lucky I was born a Whitlock instead of a Matthews.
I’m still a little angry about it when I get a call from Dean.
“I’m having a going away party this Friday,” he says brightly, and I wince.
I’m not much for socializing, especially if Logan is going to be there.
“I’m not sure if I’m free.”
Dean groans. “Come on, Meredith. It’s just one night, and you can show up and then leave early if you like.”
“I’ll think about it.”
He says okay, but he seems a bit down about it, and so on Friday after work, I find myself getting ready to go out.
Dina comes over to pre-game with me, and we have a couple of glasses of wine before taking a ride share to the bar. It’s at Bennigan’s, because of course it is. It’s like everything in my life right now is pointing me right back to the past, when all I’m trying to do is move forward and be my own person.
“You’re certainly in a mood tonight,” Dina points out as we head into the bar.
“I just hope our boss doesn’t show up,” I mutter.
We arrive early and have a drink with Dean, who seems to be in good spirits. He’s looking forward to his new life in Hawaii, and I can’t blame him.
Sounds like a dream, having drinks on the beach, laying out in the sun. Maybe I should move there instead of the east coast, like I’ve been planning.
Dina, Javier, and I are on the dance floor, tipsy and tearing it up, when Logan walks in.
He wears a black, long-sleeved, button-up shirt and a pair of charcoal gray slacks that seem perfectly tailored to his tight ass and thick thighs.
I completely freeze, losing all my rhythm, and Javier raises an eyebrow and smirks. “I think you have a crush on the boss.”
“Oh, hush, Javi.” Dina takes me by the arm, leading me to the bathroom as Javier looks on.
When the door swings shut behind us, she takes my hand leaning closer to me. “Did something happen?”
I look at her, wondering if I’m drunker than I thought.
“What do you mean?”
“With you and Logan,” She looks over her shoulder even though no one else is in the bathroom.
“No, nothing like that!” I huff out a breath. “Well, other than him showing up at a family dinner last night.”
She winces. “I never thought about how complicated dating your brother’s best friend must have been.”
It hadn’t seemed so complicated back then, but thinking about it now–well, it’s a logistical nightmare. Especially since I can’t tell my loved ones that he’s the one that ruined everything for me and put my heart in a blender.
“I just want to get out of here.”
Dina nods, opening the bathroom door and nearly slamming into a clearly drunk man.
“Sorry.” She tries to go under his shoulder, but he pins her against the wall.
“Where you going, cutie?”
I grab her hand, trying to tug her away, panic rising up my throat. Finally, he lets her go, and I drag her back toward the bar.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just annoyed.”
“Is Nate coming?” I ask, and her face falls. “Oh, no. What happened?”
“That’s just it–I don’t know. He just stopped texting me a few days ago, and I don’t know what to do.”
Tears appear in her brown eyes, and I hum comforts and hug her, feeling bad for feeling resentful earlier about her new relationship.
“It’s okay. I think I’m just a little shaken up.” She hugs me back, sniffling, and then pulls away, hailing the bartender for another drink.
Javier makes his way over to us, frowning deeply. “Everything okay over here?”
“Fine.” I don’t want him to go looking for the guy that accosted Dina. I know Javier is protective, and I don’t want him getting into a fight. “Nate just kind of ghosted her.”
He gasps. “How dare he?”
I snicker at his dramatic effect, and Dina even cracks a smile.
We manage to cheer her up over more cocktails and some wings to keep us from getting too inebriated.
My head is spinning when I catch sight of Logan.
The alcohol must be working, because my body heats up the second I see him. His dark hair hangs over his shoulders, loose and curling at the ends.
God, why has he aged so well?
“Are you sure you don’t have a crush on our boss?” Javier’s teasing voice makes me turn around quickly, hoping that Logan hadn’t seen me.
So, why am I slightly disappointed when he doesn’t come right over?
Javier gets a call from his ex-boyfriend and disappears.
“We should have taken his phone,” I say idly to Dina, and she’s looking down at hers.
“Nate’s messaging me,” she whispers, almost in awe, and I chuckle.
“Does he want to meet up?”
She looks up at me. “Doesn’t matter. I’m not giving him the time of day.”
Dina sounds so sure of herself that it makes me laugh out loud when she keeps checking her phone.
“Make him sweat for a couple of hours, and then you can meet up with him.”
She beams at me. “You think that’ll be good enough?”
“He’ll be shaking in his boots.”
Dina and I switch to water, and I do my best to avoid Logan.
I catch him glancing at me every once in a while, but nothing serious. And I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed. He said he wanted to be friends, but he’s not even trying to reach out.
It’s not like I want him to. Definitely not.
At least Dina and I are the only two females on the staff, because I don’t know what I would have done if I caught him flirting with someone else.
I may not want him anymore, but my possessive streak is a mile wide–almost as big as his is. Or was.
I swallow hard, trying not to remember.
“Did it end badly?”
Dina’s question seems to come out of nowhere, and I blink slowly at her.
“Did what end badly?”
She gestures to Logan, and I glance at him before turning back to her with a groan.
“You could say that.”
“You ended it?”
I shake my head, and she nods knowingly.
“Maybe you’re the one that got away.”
“I didn’t get away. He dumped me.”
She shrugs. “You know how guys think. Losing you was probably his biggest mistake.”
I glance over at him again, and Logan’s looking at me, his hazel eyes almost amber in the dim lighting.
He gives me a slow smile, and my heart skips several beats.
“Yeah, it should be.” I blow my bangs out of my face. “I think I need some fresh air.”
“You want me to go with you?”
I shake my head, smiling. “Call Nate.”
Her face brightens, and she hurries to the bathroom.
I step outside using the back-alley exit, and no one is outside, which is unusual because it’s a common smoking spot.
I lean against the brick outside, letting the cool air clear my head. I’m dressed somewhat warmly, so I’m not too cold.
When a hand touches my arm, I’m so sure that it’s Logan that it takes me a second to open my eyes.
It’s not Logan. It’s the guy from earlier, the one who cornered Dina.
I open my mouth to tell him off, and he claps his hand over it. I can taste tobacco on his palm.
“Let me go,” I scream, muffled behind his hand.
“You’re the one who took away that girl,” he slurs, clearly out of it. But he’s half a foot taller than me and has a hundred pounds on me, so I can’t move.
I’m trapped between his body and the brick, and no one but Dina even knows I’m out here.
I start to scream again as I jerk my head, trying to dislodge his hand, hoping it’ll startle him even behind his palm, but he just presses closer.
The back door swings open, and my eyes dart over there, but all I see is a body hurtling toward me.
My scream finally hits the air when the man is tackled off me.
I straighten up, shell-shocked, as the two men scuffle around on the floor.
When the other man stands, his hair bounces around his face, and I know it’s Logan who saved me.
“Meredith, are you all right?” He puts his arms out.
It doesn’t even occur to me to run away. I go into his arms immediately, pressing my face into his chest, and his arms go around me tightly.
He leans down to murmur something into my ear.
But I don’t hear him. I don’t hear anything around us because I’m taken back in time.
“So, it’s over?” My voice cracks. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
His voice is flat, his expression blank.
“Can I... can I have a hug?” I hate myself for asking, but I need some kind of closure, and a big part of me is hoping that when his arms are around me, he’ll forget all the reasons he wants to break up with me.
He nods shortly and holds out his arms, and when they go around me tightly, it feels like I can’t breathe.
Just like now. I rip out of his arms.
“Thank you. For helping me. I’m going back inside now.”
“Mere…”
I shake my head, turn on my heel, and head back into the bar, my head spinning and my heart aching.