Chapter 18
The jog over from Stella’s apartment to the EcoPlay office was great fun. Logan had allowed his cardio to drop off in recent times, but it felt surprisingly great to hit the streets again and see what his body could do.
Oh, and the fact that Logan had stopped off for a super-quick espresso with Leo and Eddie had probably improved the experience too.
Both Leo and Eddie were delighted to hear that Logan and Stella had made everything right between them after the drag race.
And Eddie was keen to report that a friend of his in the Blue Rock Police Department told him that they were very close to locating Cole and then putting him behind bars for quite some time.
This was comforting to hear – Logan knew that Stella would benefit from knowing that Cole was going to serve some serious jail time.
That said, Logan had been so impressed with how Stella had gone into work with a fresh optimism that he was beginning to see that Stella was a lot tougher than he once thought.
Just before finishing off his second espresso, Leo and Eddie had asked Logan whether he would consider investing some of his sizeable race winnings in an investment that they had been working on.
Leo and Eddie’s proposition was interesting, and Logan was certainly going to give it some thought. After all, if he was going to be putting down some real roots in Blue Rock it made sense to have business interests to keep him occupied and tied to the community.
However, Logan also had earmarked some of the money for something very special that he knew Stella would be super-keen on too. It was still a surprise, so Logan decided to tell Eddie and Leo only on the condition that they kept it quiet for now at least.
‘You’re barking mad!’ Leo had said in response to Logan revealing his idea.
‘Don’t listen to him,’ Eddie replied. ‘I think it’s a dog gone great idea!’
To the sound of laughter from his friends, Logan finished his espresso and continued with his run. Leo and Eddie had busy days ahead too, not to mention a potential double-date later that evening.
But as far as Logan was concerned, there was only one babygirl who had his attention now – and that was Stella.
As Logan pounded the streets in his battered old sneakers, he began to feel the sweat drip down the back of his classic white t-shirt. Running was fun. It gave Logan the space to let go of his old demons and thoughts and focus on simply putting one foot in front of the other.
The closer Logan got to the EcoPlay office, the more excited he became to see Stella.
Of course, the possibility of seeing Lauren Treen was on Logan’s mind too.
That toxic individual needs to be taught a lesson.
No one messes with my Stella.
Lauren Treen needs to be put in her place…
As Logan rounded the corner that would take him directly to EcoPlay, his mind had drifted away from thoughts of Lauren Treen and back onto Stella.
Logan knew that he had been on quite a journey. With his shoulder now almost fully healed, Logan recalled the feeling of how much it hurt in the hours after waking up in his crashed car.
For so long, Logan’s life had been about living on the edge and not giving two craps about the consequences. But that was changing now, Logan could sense it.
Having Stella back in his life truly meant something to Logan. Yes, Stella was younger and her commitment to all-things health and eco could be irritating at times. But Logan had learned a lot from Stella too.
The kind of education that Stella had given Logan wasn’t the kind you would get in college or in an office. It was a lesson in learning to be happy with a calm life, one based on enjoying simple pleasures and not needing to seek the most dangerous, out-there thrills.
Logan felt a sense of tranquility as he stood near the entrance to EcoPlay. It was a building that looked like many of the Blue Rock business quarter blocks. It was tall, mostly glass, and was surrounded by lush greenery.
As Logan looked up to the top floor, he imagined Stella in the CEO’s chair, running the organization and loving every second of it as she helped to change the world.
Stella is the true wild one.
The girl’s got what it takes to reach the top.
And nothing will stop her…
But just as Logan was indulging himself in a little fantasy of the kind of explicit naughtiness that he and Stella could get up to in the CEO’s office, he caught sight of something far less appealing.
‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Logan muttered under his breath. ‘If it isn’t the office asshole herself.’
It was Lauren Treen.
Even if Stella hadn’t shown Logan a photo of Lauren online, Logan might have guessed it was Lauren. Maybe it was her ultra-flashy appearance, her smug grin, or her extravagant electric scooter that gave her away.
Whatever it was, Logan knew it was time to have a word with Lauren – and make it a word or several that Lauren wouldn’t be forgetting in a hurry…
‘Yo! Lauren?’ Logan hollered, immediately drawing the attention of the woman. ‘Yo! Wait there.’
Logan began to walk toward Lauren with a look of cold vengeance on his face. The thought that he was approaching the woman who had put his darling Stella through so much unnecessary pain was making Logan’s blood boil.
Don’t lose your shit.
Stay in control.
Keep it respectful but firm…
The closer Logan got to Lauren, the more he could see that Lauren looked nervous.
Did Lauren know who he was?
Whether Lauren did recognize him or not, Logan knew that he was in total control of the situation.
‘The name’s Logan Rain, and we need a serious talk about Stella,’ Logan said, his voice gruff and firm. ‘I don’t like how you’ve been treating Stella. You need to wise up, and wise up pretty fucking fast.’
Logan could tell that Lauren was panicking.
‘I… um… who the hell are you again?’ Lauren said, clearly trying to worm her way out. ‘Stella? Um… I don’t think I know a Stella?’
Logan was seeing how much of a sneak Lauren was.
Of course Lauren knew who Stella was.
But before Lauren could answer, Logan felt a hand on his shoulder.
The hand however wasn’t a EcoPlay security officer, it was in fact Stella’s…
‘It’s okay, I’ve got this from here,’ Stella said, a look of steely determination on her normally so sweet and angelic face. ‘As the new VP For Stuffies, Toys, & Games, I want to have a real serious chat with one of my employees.’
‘W-w-w-what?’ Lauren said, a look of shock and horror on her face. ‘But…’
‘Of course, I welcome you onto my team wholeheartedly,’ Stella said, a cold, calm control in her voice.
‘But I’d understand it if you wanted to consider your future too, Lauren.
Whatever you choose, I’m cool with. Just know that I’m here to stay and I’m not going to tolerate any negativity or selfish behavior from my staff.
We’re in this to help the world, not look after our own interests.
Why don’t you take the morning off to have a think about what you want to do Lauren? ’
Logan stood with a big smile on his face.
It was impressive to hear Stella talking with so much authority and confidence – so much so that it was clear that Stella was born for this role.
‘Screw you!’ Lauren blurted out, prompting both Logan and Stella to chuckle. ‘You can take that as my formal resignation letter!’
With that, a seething Lauren turned and ran back to her scooter, never to be seen at EcoPlay again.
It was no loss.
And it meant that Stella would be able to bring in a new hire who cared about the work over their own career ambitions.
‘Thank you, Daddy,’ Stella said, turning to Logan.
‘Hey, you did that all by yourself, Miss Vice President,’ Logan smiled, bringing Stella in close and kissing her softly on her forehead.
‘Okay, sure. But thank you for being there for me and giving me the belief that I could do this,’ Stella said. ‘Not just confronting Lauren, but making my voice truly heard at work. I love you so much, Daddy! So much that my heart feels like it might explode and shoot out rainbows!’
‘And I love you,’ Logan replied, planting a kiss on Stella’s soft lips. ‘Now, tell me something…’
‘Yes, Daddy?’ Stella replied, curiosity in his voice.
‘As VP, does that mean you can duck out of work for an hour or two?’ Logan said, more than a hint of intrigue in his voice. ‘I’ve got a special surprise in store for you that I think you might just love.’
‘Well, it is my first day as VP,’ Stella said, a little uncertain. ‘But, yes, of course I can!’
As the pair of them walked away from the office, Logan felt a warmth inside him that he hadn’t known in many, many years.
Without doubt, he had become the Daddy that deep down he always knew he was.
All that was left was to show Stella exactly what this surprise was.
And if Logan knew Stella as well as he thought he did, there was no way that Stella was going to be anything less than incredibly excited about what was in store for the both of them…