Chapter 83
Logan
I’m doing the new normal for me—hanging out alone in my parents’ house—when Luke texts.
How are things going?
Good, I type back. How was your drive back?
Not quite there yet. Will be by tonight.
I watch the dots jump around on my screen before he adds—
Don’t bend on your plan. You’re nearly there.
Right. Luke may feel like I’m nearly there, but to me, the time spent being fake engaged to Gigi is interminable. My dream career may be taking off, but my personal life is stuck in neutral.
Another text comes in, this one from Blake.
Dude, I’m with Dave, and we’re heading to the lake. Let’s grab the girls and fish. No excuses. And Macey’s coming even if we have to drag her there.
Macey
Just after seven, I get a knock on my door.
When I go see who it is, Logan, Blake, and Dave are standing on my step. They’re dressed in t-shirts and ripped jeans, and all three are grinning.
“Looking good up on stage last night, Mace,” Dave teases.
“Ha, ha.”
“I thought your two lines showed great promise,” Blake says.
“Screw off, okay? I’m really not in the mood.”
But I open the door wide and let them all inside.
“What are y’all up to?” I say suspiciously. “Logan’s still recovering.”
“I’m doing better,” Logan says. “We’re going to the creek for a bit. Fish, light a fire, have a barbecue. We need your culinary skills.”
“You’ve got Blake for that.”
“The barbecue needs a woman’s touch, and you’re the best cook we know. Other than me,” Blake adds confidently.
“No. I’m taking Macey time.”
I go back to the couch and sit down with my latest afghan, a harmless blue and pink checkered pattern with nothing that can remind me of Logan in any way.
The three of them follow me into the living room.
“We’ve got chicken and beers in the cooler. You can bring the afghan with you,” Dave offers.
“Oooooh.” I roll my eyes. “Can I? ‘Cause that would be really super.”
“Please. We haven’t barbecued once this summer.” Blake looks toward the kitchen. “Did you make dessert? Smells amazing in here.”
“A blueberry pie.”
“Can you bring it?” Logan asks me, locking eyes. “I’ve missed your cooking.”
“Bring the pie, Mace. With these two losers getting married, we haven’t done enough hanging out,” Blake says. “Blasphemy.”
“Why do you want me to go to the creek anyway?” I say to Logan.
“Yes, Logan,” Blake says with a slow smile. “Why do you? And Mace, why are you so pissed off? You seem almost…what’s the word when you haven’t had any in a while?”
I glare at Blake. “Touché. I haven’t seen you with a woman in oh…a week or so.”
“Ha. Yet I’m still cheerful and sunny. You’re the one who’s acting all gnarly and like you need to get some good…”
“Why don’t you go find someone to date or something?” I say.
“I’ve got a date tomorrow night.”
“Well, then start thinking about that. Stop trying to figure me out.”
I grab my phone when it rings. “Mama, I can’t talk right now,” I say into the receiver.
“What’s all the commotion?” Mama asks as Blake laughs loudly while he and Dave start mock fighting in the middle of my living room.
“I’m being coerced into cooking—Logan’s here.”
“Fabulous idea, Mace.” I can hear Mama’s approval gushing all the way up the phone line. “You know the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Mama’s taken a decidedly strong stance against Logan and Gigi recently. I don’t know what fully tipped the scales, but she’s now acting like Team Ginny is really Team Macey, who Mama secretly wants to reunite with Logan.
“Mama!” I stomp my foot. “I swear to God…” I smile brightly at Logan as he raises his eyebrows at me.
“What?” Mama barks into the phone, and I press the receiver tightly against my ear, hoping her voice won’t carry like it seems to be. “I’m just saying, you’re such a fantastic cook, baby. If you’ve got it, flaunt it—that’s what I always say.”
“Mama, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I hang up and turn to the boys quickly taking over my house the same way they used to when we were all kids.
“Y’all need a timeout.” I put my hands on my hips and glare down at Blake and Dave still wrestling with each other.
“So let’s go fish,” Dave says from the floor.
I continue to glare at him and he leaves hastily for the car, calling back that he’ll see us outside. Blake goes too and shuts the door behind him, and I’m left alone with Logan.
“Where’s Gigi?” I ask.
“She and her sisters are going to join us later. She texted on my way here and wanted to meet up.”
“Where’s Gin?” I ask next.
“She’ll meet us there,” Logan says. “She says she needs distraction from something?”
“Nickel.”
“What?”
“Her wedding singer. She’s fallen for him,” I say in a low voice.
“Ginny’s fallen for her wedding singer?” Logan runs his hand down his face.
“She wants me to subtly spirit her away from him. Those are my words.”
“Does she expect she’ll figure things out before or after she’s been spirited?”
“Plan, Logan. Do you have one?”
“I told her to talk to him,” he says so quietly I have to lean forward to hear. “And I’ve told him a hundred times to talk to her. Dave’s been a part of our group since we were kids, but the two of them together? And neither one of them will speak up.”
“I know.” I lean back against the couch, feeling exhausted. “She asked me to make sure she marries him.”
Dave bangs on the door. “Hey! Y’all coming or what?”
“Fine then.” I get up and grab the pie.
Ben calls on our way out of the driveway, so we make a quick stop at The Cowherd for me to look over his new tracking plan for the bar’s finances. My brother is so enthusiastic about his idea, and I nod at everything he says and encourage him to keep going.
Our conversation takes longer than I’d planned, so by the time I’m done, Logan’s popped inside the bar to wait.
That was a mistake. As the two of us go to leave, Jon and another cameraman stroll into the parking lot. They immediately whip out their cameras and track our progress from The Cowherd’s front porch to Logan’s truck.
“Freaking camera crews following you everywhere,” Blake says through the open back window. “You love every minute of those flashbulbs in your face,” he teases Logan.
Logan turns his head away so the cameramen can’t get a clear shot of him.
They may not be able to see Logan’s face, but I sure can. And the stress and fatigue is written all over his face.
“Wait here,” I say before I walk over to Jon and the unknown cameraman.
“Hey y’all,” I say. “You know what? Logan’s not out with his bride-to-be right now.
He’s with me. So if I were you, I would save my film for the moments he and Gigi are actually together.
Do you think Logan and Gigi’s fans want to see him with another woman?
” I say. “You guys need to shape this story. You have the control here. Use it wisely, boys.”
Both men slowly put their cameras down.
I walk back to Logan, who opens the back door for me and then gets into the driver’s seat.
“All set,” I say as I jump into the truck.
“What did you say to them?” Blake asks as Logan turns the key in the ignition. “I’m both impressed and afraid to know.”
“I’m not the heroine in Logan’s story,” I say simply. “So as long as you’re with me, you’re safe from the cameras.”
Logan’s eyes fly to mine. “Not the heroine?”
“Not your heroine. Don’t be fooled—I’m a heroine in my own story. Apparently, you just aren’t a part of it.”
Logan keeps his eyes locked on me as he puts the truck in reverse, and if I hadn’t pulled my gaze away to glance behind us and warn him, we would have hit the back fence for sure.