Chapter 39
I turn around just in time to see her taking Logan’s bike helmet off her head.
I frown. I used to be the only girl he let ride with him on his precious bike.
She steps through the door as Logan holds it open for her.
And crap. She’s beautiful. Naturally blond, tanned, although I swear that’s a tanning bed tan, thin but curvy—her boobs got through the door a good two seconds before she did—and smiley. She looks the exact opposite of me; in fact, she’s the me I would dream of looking like in another reality.
And, of course, she and Logan aren’t alone.
A cameraman trails behind them, plus a small crowd of people.
Fans, apparently. And I know all of them.
Mr. Burger, my sixth grade teacher, actually approaches Gigi in the doorway and asks for her autograph.
She obliges with a smile that could easily win over the biggest curmudgeon.
She poses so the cameraman can take a few “natural-looking pictures” as he says, “for the Darcy Gazette,” and then he asks for one of her and Logan.
Logan shakes his head, but then Reverend Sands comes through the door and starts practically bowing to Logan and Gigi.
The cameraman manages to snap a photo of Logan smiling politely at the reverend and Gigi beaming at the camera.
“She’s eating this up,” I whisper to Ginny. “The attention.”
“No kidding,” she says. “It’s like the tabloid media have entered our world. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not liking it too much.”
“Because you and Dave have lost the attention?” I ask her.
Ginny scoffs. “We never had attention like this. When did a crowd ever follow me? Let’s face it, Macey. Everybody in Darcy thinks the idea of Dave and me being the couple to free Jane is a total joke.”
“Well, we’ll just have to prove them all wrong then, won’t we?” I say to her. “God, look at how excited everybody is. Gigi’s an instant star.”
Gigi waves the crowd off with a laugh and a shake of that long blond hair, and the mass of people step back.
And that’s when Logan looks over and sees me.
His face flushes like it does when he’s nervous, but he gestures confidently in our direction, and Gigi nods and heads right for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see George and Dye pretend to be busy with other things, but I know them better than that.
“The famous Austen Macey Henwood! Logan’s told me so much about you,” Gigi says as she reaches me and gives me a kiss on the cheek. Actually, she doesn’t touch my cheek with her lips. It’s an air kiss.
I smile politely. When she heads for my other cheek, I speak out awkwardly. “Oh, I’m a one-cheek girl, Gigi. Sorry.”
“Pardon?” She pulls her head back and stares at me.
God, she looks young. Certainly younger than the bunch of us. I look at her big blue eyes and pouty mouth, wondering just how old she actually is.
Blake jumps off his stool to introduce himself to her, and Gigi air kisses him and then Ginny.
None of them notice the measured look between Logan and me.
He steps closer under the pretense of taking a sip of my martini.
“My truck got a flat,” he says in a soft tone. “And she didn’t want to walk here in the heat.”
I tilt my head as I realize he’s explaining why they showed up on his motorcycle.
“It’s not a big deal,” I mutter.
“Yes, it is.” He turns away quickly and suggests we all get a booth.
Blake, Ginny, and I follow the two lovebirds to the corner of the bar.
As we walk, Ginny whispers to me about Gigi’s boobs and do I think they’re implants. “They look so perky,” she says admiringly.
“Oh, Macey, your bar is just lovely! So quaint!” Gigi turns back to me and gestures around the room with her perfectly-manicured hand, and it’s then that I notice the ring.
The diamond sparkles to me from several feet away.
Holy. Darcy.
That diamond’s got to be over two carats. Where in the heck did Logan get the money for that?
Ginny notices the ring, too. So has George and Dye, and I daresay Rusty’s eyeing it himself. In fact, I’d say pretty much all of Darcy will be talking about Gigi’s ring within the hour.
Logan sits down and gestures for Gigi to join him.
Blake and Ginny and I crowd in on the opposite side of the booth.
“Isn’t that beautiful?” Ginny takes Gigi’s left hand in hers and stares at the ring for a moment before giving Logan a pointed look.
Blake looks at the ring next. “Wow.”
“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Gigi giggles as she rubs Logan’s head. “I’m still getting used to wearing it myself. I have no idea where Logan gets his taste, I tell you! I was absolutely shocked when he pulled it out of his pocket—did he tell you we were on top of the Empire State Building?”
My stomach lurches.
“The Empire State Building?” Ginny says. “You two were in New York?”
“Oh, yes, for a week before we came here.” Gigi beams. “Daddy and I flew Logan there to meet my mom. She was worried, of course, so we had to make sure she met Logan. She knows what Texan men can be like…”
She cuts off and flinches like she’s been—
Kicked?
I glance at Logan, but his face is blank.
Blake doesn’t miss it, either. “You okay there?” he asks Gigi.
“Yes,” she says immediately. “I, um, I banged my foot against the table leg.”
“Texan men?” Ginny asks. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway,” Gigi continues quickly. “Logan had never been to Manhattan, and the whole weekend was fantastically romantic. We went on a midnight horse and carriage ride, and we rode the carousel in Central Park. And then we…”
“Wow!” I interrupt her. “That all sounds great, Gigi.”
“You must feel like Darcy’s too small for you, then,” Blake says with a glance at Logan.
“No. I mean, you probably think Darcy seems quaint for my taste.” Gigi flips her perfect hair over her shoulder. “But it’s so important to Logan’s family that we marry here. And we may do a destination wedding afterward as well.”
Ginny clears her throat and nudges my foot with hers.
“And thank God Logan is officially divorced…” Gigi giggles in my direction, and I fight to hide the surprise I must have momentarily revealed in my widened eyes.
Logan tenses next to Gigi, and his whiskey eyes lock onto mine.
But Gigi’s oblivious. “There can be so much red tape in legal matters. I wouldn’t want anything to hold up our wedding, especially since it’s right around the corner!”
“No,” Blake says slowly and purposefully. “You definitely wouldn’t want anything like divorce papers holding up a wedding. Would you, Logan?”
Logan’s jaw is so tight now I’m surprised he can move it to say, “Nope. Sure wouldn’t.”
Gigi smiles at us. “And of course I have to have my Warren in the wedding. I’m thinking maybe she can be the ring-bearer.”
“Who’s Warren?” I ask.
“My Maltese. She’s like my child. My first-born.”
“Oh!” I smile sweetly at Logan. “So Logan’s a daddy already.”
He frowns. “It’s not like that.”
“It is!” Gigi says. “Logan’s tried to shirk his responsibilities a bit, I have to say. I’ve been a little disappointed he hasn’t bonded more with Warren.”
“Well, you know, Logan’s a guy,” Ginny says. “Guys disappoint us all the time.”
Logan narrows his eyes at her.
“And Warren is named after me,” Gigi continues. “So she’s even more special.”
“Is Gigi your nickname?” Ginny asks her.
“Gigi is one of my middle names,” she explains in a patient tone. “My full name is Warren Gigi Princess Phillips.”
She abruptly turns to me then and says she’d like to get to know Logan’s ex-wife a little better.
“Oh,” I say awkwardly. “There’s not much to me, really. Nothing fancy like you’re probably used to.”
“Right,” she says with wide eyes. “Your life sounds tragic. So difficult. I heard your father just got out of rehab.”
Jesus. I can’t believe Logan told her that.
“Mace,” he says quietly, but I purposefully avoid eye contact with him.
In my effort to appear unaffected, I do the opposite and knock my drink over.
“Oh no.” Ginny grabs a napkin and wipes up the spill.
“I mean, I do understand addiction,” Gigi continues.
I glance up, and for the first time, I see sincerity in her eyes. But they gloss over so quickly. “But my mother’s habit was so brief, and now she’s fine! I mean, how are you ever going to keep your father off the bottle when he owns a bar?”
“Well, somebody’s gonna run it for him,” I say.
“Who?”
Logan opens his mouth to interrupt, but then he shuts it.
I take a deep breath. “Me, for now. I’m the oldest child, I’ve been working here for years, and Daddy’s passing The Cowherd on to me.”
“But Logan said you want to be a writer. You must want to have time for yourself.”
“Um…” My cheeks warm. “I’m planning to…”
“Her father’s going to take the bar back,” Logan jumps in.
Gigi glances around the bar like it’s a foreign land. “What about this ghost legend? Sounds like it’s a very big deal in town.”
“It is,” I murmur. “But it’s not real.”
“Real or not, the legend is the reason those cameras are outside and why people are chasing you around town.” Ginny points to the bar. “The exhibit up there explains everything about why you two will wear a Mr. Darcy cowboy hat and a Ms. Bennet bonnet as you exchange vows.”
“Mrs. Wild mentioned that part,” Gigi says. “Macey, could you please be sure to have the bonnet dry cleaned? God only knows whose hair that hat has sat on over the years.”
Ginny giggles. “Can you do the same for me, Ms. Henwood? I’ll also be wearing the bonnet.”
I elbow her in the arm.
“Well, Logan and I are a little bit different than you and your fiancé,” Gigi says to Ginny. “I’m sure your boyfriend feels special to you, but this town is just eating Logan and me up!”
I bite the inside of my mouth and give Logan a hard look. His neck turns red, but he does his best to avoid my stare.
“This town prefers their heroes polite and humble,” Blake says pointedly.
“Oh, I certainly don’t mean to offend. But you know...” Gigi bounces up and down on her seat, “Wealthy New Yorker about to get hitched to a local cowboy is like something out of a romantic film.”
Now, Logan’s whole face is redder than I’ve seen it except when he’s fought with his father.
“Gigi…” he says in a low tone.
Gigi goes quiet and cuddles into Logan’s side. But he keeps his eyes on me.
We stare at each other for over ten seconds in silence while Gigi watches us warily.
I don’t know what I’m looking for exactly, maybe for Logan to reveal to me that he’s caught up in an infatuation, not love.
But he closes down before I can read anything.
His eyes stay open, but they recede into his face, and I lose connection with him.
Ginny nudges my foot underneath the table and types something into her phone.
When mine dings, I glance down at the screen and see her text.
Nightmare. Let’s please leave?
I raise my head. “As great as this has been meeting you, Gigi, Ginny and I really need to go…”
“Wait. Macey, I’d like your help with something for my engagement,” Gigi says. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Gigi, being my maiden of honor is actually taking up a lot of Macey’s time,” Ginny says, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Plus, she has a lot of other things going on like running this bar.”
“Please, Macey?” Gigi asks me.
“Um…” The last thing in the world I want to do is get entangled in Logan Wild’s relationship to this woman.
But saying no to a request for help isn’t my strength. I stand up. “Excuse me for a moment while I run to the ladies.”
I dash out of the booth without looking back.