“I never have either… before,” he said.
Infuriatingly, he didn’t finish his thought. “Enough. Enough with the, the…”
“The…?”
I waved my hands between us. “The promise of anything. It’s just making it so much clearer that nothing can happen. Not while we’re in this study together.”
“It’s two hours once a week. Half of which was spent quietly writing. What? Do you think I’m going to start using it as couples therapy? Let the group in on how bad I want you?”
I laughed and he smiled, mood lightened. And then his words registered. Was that just part of the joke?
“I do, you know,” he said, answering my unasked question. “Bad.”
“As in bad idea,” I said.
He sat back, ate more burger, but didn’t argue my point. Jane and Stick returned from the table they’d visited and we quickly finished up and paid the tab.
On the drive back to campus, Logan put his phone in my lap, opened to a new contact. He’d named it Megan, and put the cursor in the field for my number. He’d skipped the field for my last name. I chided myself for wondering if it was because he was trying to observe the sanctity of privacy Marlo had talked about, or because he simply couldn’t be bothered with last names. How many one-fielded contacts did he have?
“Just to have. I’ll text you so you have mine, but I swear I won’t be a nuisance.”
If he was, it would only be until we slept together, I was sure of that. Then my name would surely either disappear from his contacts or have something added to the notes, some warning to him for when his memory failed.
Sexy as fuck, but crazy,it probably said under Ches’s contact.
If he even had her in his contacts. I was dying to go back and scroll, but instead I put in my number and started to hand it back, but then pulled it closer. I added my last name and something in the Company field, then handed it back to him.
“Megan Gaffney,” he said. Sucker that I was, I liked the sound of my full name in his throaty voice. Then he looked further and laughed. “Grief Inc.”
“Days like today, I feel like the CEO,” I said.
He tipped his head back on the seat, his throat strong and clenched with a deep swallow. “Ain’t that the truth. It won’t always be like this, right?”
I shook my head even though he was still looking at the roof of the car. Jane and Stick were quietly talking amongst themselves. “No. Not always.” He’d started to nod when I added, “Some days will be worse.”
Stick and Jane dropped us at the corner where Sturgess Street divided campus and town. Logan’s place was just a few houses down from the corner, on the town side. My dorm was the nearest building on the campus side.
We said our goodbyes and I headed to the sidewalk that led to Creyts. When I got to the double doors, I turned back to see Logan still waiting at the curb. He nodded at me and then turned to cross Sturgess.
I could hear Chloe speaking in her room but couldn’t be sure if she was talking with Abby or on the phone. Or recording a post. Regardless, I walked through the empty shared living area to my room, happy to see that Emily was not around.
I showered the day off me and put on comfy pajama bottoms and a loose Nebraska tee, making a mental note to stop by the bookstore and get some Bribury stuff. I had an old tee of my mother’s from her Bribury days that I’d brought with me last year to kind of be retro, but I hadn’t worn it.
As I was putting my phone on the charger, it lit up with a text.
If you’re CEO, can I be a VP or something? I know I’m not as experienced, but I’m a hard worker,Logan texted.
I smiled and literally rubbed my thumb and finger together, itching to answer the message.
VP it is. On a probationary basis.
He gave the thumbs-up and then theZZZs.
I curled into my bedding, surprised by how much I was looking forward to our next session. Board meeting of Grief Inc.
Chapter10
Thursday and Fridayclasses went fine. Marlo gave me a nod at Psych on Friday, but nobody else would have caught it. Not that it would matter, but still.
