He nodded, his hair falling over his forehead. “She was my coach’s daughter.” He let out a puff of air. “You’d think thatmeant I should’ve stayed away from her, but he treated her like a princess. She got whatever she wanted, and what she wanted . . . “
“Was you,” I finished.
Logan sniffed. “Yeah.” He drew a deep breath and rolled onto his back, resting his head on his arm. His fingers were inches from mine, and the urge to reach out and hold them was strong enough, I had to shove my hands in my armpits.
“The other girl, she kissed me. I was drunk. I knew I was being flirty, but I wasn’t planning to do anything. It just felt good to be liked, I guess. And I was lonely, away from Shar and all. And then she was on me, and I didn’t stop it right away.”
I wondered how many people he’d talked to about this. Considering he hadn’t spoken much to Rob and the guys, I was guessing not many. “What did Rob say to you?”
Logan sighed. “Rob kicked my ass. At practice. He told me to stop making excuses and own the hell up.” He lifted his free hand and ran it through his hair. “I miss them, you know? Rob, Shar, even Rory’s dumbass jokes. I torched all of that.”
Pressure built behind my eyes. “Yeah. I know. I miss them, too.”
Logan tilted his head to look back, but he couldn’t quite meet my eyes.
I shifted forward and swivelled so we could see each other. “You weren’t totally wrong about me losing my friends. They’re still my friends, but it isn’t the same.”
He considered this. “Is she happy?”
We both knew who he was talking about. “She’s stupidly happy. It’s pretty gross, actually.” Logan chuckled, and I couldn’t tell if the look on his face was relief or hurt. “Areyouhappy?”
He looked away, staring at the ceiling. “I’m an NHL player. I’m all successful and shit.” He shot me a look, and I laughed.He remembered that from the grocery store?“Of course I’m happy.”
“Well, good. Then I guess?—”
The door to my room busted open. “Hey, do you know where—?” Jenna froze. She stared at Logan stretched out on the bed. “Um, Crystal? Why is Logan Kemp in your bedroom?”
Chapter
Nine
After attendingmy morning classes on Monday, I drove straight over to the warehouse. In Jenna’s car this time. Rob and Sharla were back from the tournament. Maddie filled me in when we met up outside the cafeteria. Douglas took third, which was right in line with what they’d hoped, considering all the new blood on the team. Of course, it had to be Maddie’s numbers that accomplished that.
My “orientation” had been about three minutes of discussion with Norman’s assistant and one gesture at a mountain of boxes. I found the supply closet and committed to being the world’s best art janitor.
By two-oh-five, I’d already inhaled enough dust to qualify for a miner’s pension. Norman’s warehouse smelled like wet concrete and old coffee, with a top note of varnish that made the back of my tongue feel weirdly minty. They’d have to mitigate that before the opening.
Thankfully, my Walkman made all my tasks manageable. After breaking down boxes for over an hour, I was in the process of flipping my mix tape when I heard footsteps.
I spun to see Logan approaching. “What are you doing here?” I pulled my headphones off.
His mom, Alice, walked up behind him. Hair neat, pea coat perfectly pressed. She carried a bag full of what looked to be blue painter’s tape and a label maker.
“Morning,” she said warmly. “First day. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” I shoved the tape back into its slot and clicked the Walkman tray closed.
She looked between the two of us and said, “Alright. Well, you two have fun,” then spun on her heel and walked back toward Norman’s makeshift office.
Logan bounced on his heels, all six feet and change of testosterone-fueled muscle. “Where do you want me?”
It took me a second to process the sentence. “Uh, right now?”
“Thought I’d pitch in. Norman’s got board people touring.”
“Your mom told you that?”
He smirked. “Technically, you did. Because why wouldn’t I want to spend time with my girlfriend after practice?”
