“You interviewed him,” he went on. “They were doing that men's mental health hotline a while back.”
“I thought he was familiar,” Daisy said, forcing her voice to sound neutral. “Logan, isn’t it?”
If Russell sensed anything off about her remark, he didn’t show it.
“That’s right; the neurologist. Thought he had a thing for you, I did.”
Daisy pulled a face. “And why on earth would you think that?”
Russell shrugged, walking over to boil the kettle. “He used to ask a lot of questions about you. None that were relevant to the piece you wrote about him.” He turned to face her then, his eyes narrowing. “Did he ever—”
“God, no. Never.”
“Good,” he said, his gaze intensifying. “I’d have to kick his arse if he did. He has a reputation, that one.”
She didn’t ask for details because she didn’t need to. There was something in the way he said it, a possessiveness she hadn’t anticipated, that made her feel she was right to ignore Logan’s emails. But perhaps Russell was just looking out for her, like a father would for his daughter. He always had, even when she hadn’t asked for it.
VI
LOGAN
It was meant to be an uneventful night out with friends to see in the New Year, when he saw her from across the room. There she was, standing at the bar in a short black dress and a pair of red ankle boots. He’d grown so accustomed to the androgynous indie fashion she wore that he couldn’t help but stare.
“Who is that?” Tad asked, noticing his gaze.
“A reporter I know.”
“She’s cute.”
Jessamine glanced at him, her eyes narrowing. “Wait, that’s her…isn’t it?”
His stomach twisted. In a drunken moment, he’d shared with her about Daisy, labelling her as the mystery girl he couldn’tforget and his secret pen pal. Now, he wasn’t sure if he’d come to regret that choice.
Tad looked at her. “Her? What am I missing here?”
“None of your business,” Jessamine teased. “Come on, let’s go find a table outside and then order our drinks.”
They left him standing at the bar, and before he could stop himself, his feet began moving towards her, as if guided by something outside his control. His pulse quickened with each step.
What was he doing?He wasn’t even sure anymore.
“Miss Daisy,” he said with a smirk, sliding in beside her.
She covered her mouth in surprise, but it didn’t hide the way her eyes brightened. “We have to stop meeting like this,” he added, trying to sound playful.
She laughed, but there was a hint of something else in it—something sweet, maybe even a little tipsy. Then she touched his arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “You have to stop appearing then,” she replied, sipping her drink.
Before he could respond, Kate interrupted them. “You two can talk later,” she said, sending Daisy a pointed look. It was subtle, but Logan caught it. He’d heard the rumours; Kate had always been a bit too interested in him for comfort. She was attractive, and Tad labelled him mad for not taking the chance, but they moved in the same circles, and he wasn’t ready for anything messy to come from that.
“I need a drink,” she said to Daisy, “and he’s buying the first round.”
He watched Daisy's face flatten, almost as if she assumed Kate was his other half. “Sorry,” he mouthed to her. “Give me a moment.”
The others, after searching for a table outside with no luck, reappeared, and he introduced Daisy to them before quicklyordering a round of drinks. He had to know if she was alone, and just as he was about to ask, a guy appeared.
Logan knew his type. From the faded white Adidas shoes to the too-tight, cologne-soaked dress shirt, he was the epitome of someone who’d peaked in high school; the kind of narcissistic and self-righteous nobody who smiled like he owned the world, but underneath it all was just a boy trying to impress everyone around him.
He draped an arm around Daisy, pulling her closer in a way that made Logan’s chest tighten. It wasn’t the casual kind of arm-over-the-shoulder; it was possessive, like he had a claim on her. It had to be him—the boyfriend.
