His cheeks turn pink. “I may have Googled you before we met up. There aren’t a lot of Pippas in Toronto, it turns out.”
“I was always the only Pippa in my class,” I admit.
“Lucky. There were five other Logans in my high school. Lots of turning around when someone’s talking to a totally different guy.”
Overall, the date goes pretty well. Logan tells me about his real estate job, fully admitting that buying and renting out office buildings isn’t the most interesting job in the world. He seems more interested in me than talking about himself, which is refreshing. He asks question after question about my work atBelladonnaand adopting Waffle. When I tell him I’m staying with my stepbrother for a while, he cocks his head.
“How’s that going?”
“Terrible. He’s a total manwhore, so there are always girls cycling through the place.” Although, now that I think of it, I haven’t actually had to deal with one of his conquests since The Giggler. “He’s a slob, too. I had to threaten his life to get himto throw his empty cans in the recycling. And I can’t say a word without him giving me shit about it.”
Logan shakes his head. “He sounds like he sucks.”
“Hopefully it’s temporary. Once I find a new apartment, I can go back to avoiding him as much as possible.”
When the waitress comes by to ask about a second cocktail, Logan takes her up on it, and I ask for sparkling water instead. At the end of the night, he insists on paying for our drinks and walking me home. Cute and a gentleman. Even though I’m not bowled over by his personality, he’s probably worth giving a second date.
So when he reaches for my hand on our way home, I let him hold it. Why not? With his hand soft and warm in mine, and the streetlights casting his features in sharp contrast, I think maybe I could even go for a third date. The walk feels much shorter with him at my side and I’m a little sad when I pull him to a stop on the sidewalk outside the front entrance to the House of Cards. “This is me.”
Logan looks shyly at the ground. “Thanks for coming out with me. I had a really nice time.”
“I did, too.” I squeeze his hand.
“I was going to text you later, but—what the hell, right? Would you want to go out again?” His eyes meet mine, his face flushed in a boyish way that I can’t help but find charming.
“Yeah. I’d like that. Actually…” I pause. I hadn’t planned on inviting Logan upstairs, but he’s acted like a gentleman all night. My instincts tell me that if I have him up for a nightcap, he won’t push. “Do you want to come up to my place for a beer or something?”
“I’d like that.” He flashes me a crooked smile. “I have to meet your famous cat.”
“Were the two dozen pictures I showed you at the restaurant not enough?” I tease him as he opens the door for me.
I’m already mentally drafting my article about the date when we walk into the House of Cards lobby.At Toronto’s cheesiest Christmas bar, I learned that not all dates have to be Scrooges…
“Who’s this? Did the guy actually stay till the end of the date this time?”
My hair stands on end when I hear an unwelcome voice. I turn to see Ryan walking out of the downstairs nightclub, Velvet and Vice, in his usual half-unbuttoned shirt. I can practically smell the whiskey coming out of his pores. He smirks at Logan, and my hand curls into a fist. How has Ryan managed to crash yet another date?
“Logan, this is Ryan,” I say through gritted teeth. “My unfortunate roommate.”
Ryan claps Logan on the back so hard, he lets go of my hand. “Great to meet you, Logan. Now, I’m dying to know how your date with my annoying stepsis was.”
I cross my arms. “Oh, screw off, Ryan.”
“I’m just trying to get to know your new boyfriend,” he says, wrapping his arm around Logan’s shoulders. Logan cringes uncomfortably.
“I see what you were talking about, Pippa,” he says.
Ryan freezes. “What do you mean?”
“Pippa told me all about you,” Logan says. “I’m not surprised to see you can’t respect her boundaries.”
“Well, she just looooves to talk about me on her dates.” Ryan glares at me, his displeasure evident in his downturned lips. “Guess she doesn’t have that much else to say.”
He curls his arm tighter around Logan’s shoulders, and I’ve had enough. I shove Ryan away, making him let go of my date. “I told you to leave us alone!”
“Dude, I was just joking around. You don’t have to freak out.” Ryan puts his hands up in mock surrender.
Logan takes my hand again, and something like anger flashes in Ryan’s eyes when he clocks it. Leaning in toward me, Logan says in a low voice, “You really shouldn’t be stuck with this guy. We have to get you out of this. You know, I have a vacant condo you could use while you look for a place.”
