“This is the guy that cheated on her, right?” Derek shoved another handful of chips into his mouth.
When Logan nodded, Derek continued. “No way, Loge. Claire’s not the kind of woman who would go back to a man she can’t trust. Besides, she never really loved him.”
“How do you know?” Logan demanded, feeling defensive.
Derek shrugged. “She told me the other day when we were watching a movie together.”
Logan didn’t like this turn of events, not at all. “You were watching a movie together? And she tells you things?”
His friend looked rather smug. “You were at work and she needed company. It was just some shitty Tom Cruise movie. You know, the older he gets, the worse he gets as far as I’m concerned. I’m a better actor when I’m smashed.”
“Get back to the point.” Logan turned back to his frying chicken and tossed it in the pan so that it wouldn’t burn. “She tells you things?”
“I’m sure she’d tell you things too if you asked.”
Hell. Logan had never thought of that.
“Never thought of it, did you?” There was a grin in Derek’s voice.
Logan didn’t answer. No need to give his friend further reason to gloat. He flicked off the burner and pulled some onions and red peppers from the fridge.
“So you didn’t really tell me why you don’t just tell Claire you love her.”
“Jesus.” Logan pulled a huge steel knife from a drawer and began slicing the onion with more force than necessary. “Would you stop saying that?”
“That you love Claire?” Derek’s tone was all innocence.
“Yes,” Logan gritted from between clenched teeth. “Shut the hell up about it.”
“I can’t help it. I’m enjoying seeing you squirm.”
Logan finished up the onion and moved on to the pepper. “You’re evil, you know.”
“While we’re talking about evil, was it you that I saw spying on Claire and the bastard ex-husband last night?” Derek inquired mildly.
Logan grimaced. “Spying is such an ugly word. It was more like hovering.” His knife thwacked against the cutting board loudly. “Besides, she saw me.”
“I’m telling you, all you have to do is ask her.”
“Ask her what?” Logan was feeling rather frustrated by the conversation. He didn’t, as a rule, talk with people about his emotions. On rare occasions, always with Claire, he had been persuaded to open up a little. But talking made him damn uncomfortable.
“Ask her how she feels, for starters.”
“And what makes you an expert on this?” Logan asked dryly. After all, Derek was on his way out of a bad marriage that had ended in a messy divorce. If he knew so damn much about talking and asking, then why was he here and not with Trina?
Okay, that was being unfair, he inwardly acknowledged. Derek wasn’t with Trina because she was a bitch and a cheater and hadn’t had the guts to tell him so to his face.
“You do have a point,” Derek allowed, his voice sounding strained. “I know I fuck up everything I touch.”
“Hell, that’s not true.” Logan turned to look at his friend. “I was being a jackass. I’m sorry.”
Derek shrugged. “It’s only the truth. But where Claire’s concerned, I do think that talking to each other would do you both a world of good. Maybe if I had talked to Trina, we wouldn’t be where we are today. She always wanted to talk in the beginning. I just thought it was that Dr. Phil shit, not to mention her therapist and her agent always in her ear, but maybe this whole thing, the affair, everything, maybe it was my fault.”
“Don’t lay all the blame at your door,” Logan advised. “I know you loved her, but Trina Wade has always been a selfish bitch.”
“True enough. I’ve begun to realize that selfish bitches are all a washed-up, ex-drunk, ex-actor can find these days. In fact, I’m swearing off all women.” Derek grinned. “But not you. You’ve found yourself a good woman and God knows a good woman is hard to find. I suggest you hold on to her.”
Logan nodded, the action a bit jerky. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I just wish I knew how.”
