“Those fuckers threatened legal action, then tore it down,” he said. “I’ll never forgive them.”
Petra spread the other photos out on the island. I pored over them. “Logan’s not smiling in a single one.”
“Smiling’s for people who save trees,” he said.
“He was our little crusader,” Petra said fondly. “Never met an animal he didn’t take care of or a hurting person he didn’t want to help. And mind you, Odejo was full of people like us, struggling to make ends meet on farms that didn’t stand a chance against the Tex-Ags of the world. He had a lot of causes. I think that’s where he grew his heart for justice.” She winked at me. “Still can’t believe the two of us made a kid like him.”
“Oh my goodness.” I snatched a picture out of the pile. In it, Logan crouched next to a large, fat pig with brown spots. “Is this Wilbur?”
Logan’s eye twitched. After a moment of grudging silence, he growled, “That’s him.”
I looked at young Logan’s face, unsmiling but still shining with pride. “It’s even better than I imagined.”
“He was the one to beat in the 4-H shows,” Kit said proudly. “For a while we thought he’d go into agriculture, but we should’ve known it would be politics for him. Logan’s always had a single-minded drive.”
“So while the rest of his friends from high school went off to A&M like proper country boys, he went off to Cambridge,” his mother said. “And came back to us allHarvard.”
Logan rolled his eyes and I grinned. His parents teased, but the love was obvious.
“I know you’re busy this weekend with your hen party,” Kit said to me. “But you can come back anytime. We’d love to put you up and show you the whole place from top to bottom. Cook you a big dinner with wine pairings.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said. “Count me in.”Stop making promises you can’t keep, a little voice warned.
Petra leaned close to me and spoke softly. “I could tell by the way Logan talked about you that you were someone special.” She glanced at Logan, who was describing something to his dad. “Now, seeing him around you, the way he looks at you, how much he smiles... I’ve never seen him so happy. Thank you for being so good to him.”
I smiled at Petra, hoping my deep well of guilt didn’t shine through. Logan’s parents were lovely and I hated lying to them. “I just want him to be happy,” I said quietly. At least that was the truth. I wanted more than anything for Logan to get his victory, the goal he’d been working toward since he was ten years old, guarding that tree. “I should probably get back to my friends,” I added, and Logan looked over.
“Of course.” Petra rubbed my arm.
“I’ll be out in a minute with some reserve bottles,” Logan promised. “And hey, Lex.” He tugged me away from the island and I saw his parents smile at each other, charmed at the thought that he couldn’t keep his hands off me. He lowered his voice. “Later tonight, can we talk?”
My stomach dropped. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded, but his gaze shifted to his hands. “Yeah. I’ve just been doing a lot of thinking—” He stopped, then laughed at himself. “Actually, I’ve been doing a lot of torturing myself. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
The pit in my stomach deepened. He’d said bombing at the debate had given him clarity. He was going to end our fake relationship, wasn’t he? Tonight, despite introducing me to his parents, Logan would sit me down and explain it was more prudent to call it off. Or maybe he’d ask to scale us back to a single appearance a week. Something to keep up the ruse but insert some distance.
This is why you’re giving Will a shot, I reminded myself. Even though it wasn’t the most charitable thought, it comforted me enough to take a deep breath and say, weakly, “Great. Can’t wait.”
28
Everything Gets Twisted
“Zoey, off the top of your head: five celebrities you would let stepon your neck. If you don’t answer, you drink.”
“Lee!” Annie squealed. “You weirdo.”
“Sandra Oh,” Zoey said, holding up a finger. “And for that matter, Jodie Comer. Oh, hell, the entireKilling Evecast.”
Claire swirled her wine dramatically. “Does anyone remember when being a politician used to mean something? Like when it came with gravitas?”
“That’s whatIsaid.” I shot Lee a look lest she forget the Belle sex costume incident.
“It’s a bachelorette party!” Lee threw up her hands. “This is my time to shine.”
“What happened to politicians exhibiting decorum?” Claire asked Logan.
He grinned. “Hell if I know.” Then his attention caught on something over Claire’s shoulder. “Oi, wait a second. What’s that in the corner?”
