Ice spread through my chest.
He swallowed. “I’m glad you have someone.” He twisted to the side, then paused, looking back at me. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight so you and Will can...if you want...”
“No,” I said quickly. “We just started seeing each other. And—I still don’t want to blow our cover.”
Logan nodded. Then, as if he’d come to a decision, he took a deep breath. At his sides, his hands flexed against his jeans. “I want you to be happy,” he said. And before I could react, he swept out of the room.
I sat for a long time on the bed, still gripping the comforter, wondering why those kind words had me spinning.
29
This is Happiness, Right?
Three sleepless nights later, I ran to my front door at the sound ofknocking, flinging it open to find Will on my doorstep, holding a bouquet of pink roses. He grinned and thrust the flowers at me. “These are for you.”
I took them gingerly, taking care with the petals. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” I kicked the door open wider. “Come in.”
Will bent and grabbed a brown bag full of groceries. “Is it weird I’m nervous to meet Patches? Ben and I didn’t have pets growing up. I hope she likes me.”
When Will asked me out on a second date near the end of Zoey and Annie’s bachelorette—which had turned into a long, torturous weekend—he’d promised to cook again. Since our options for privacy were limited and we’d already been to his place, I’d invited him to mine. That was before I’d remembered that having company—of the sexy variety, not pop-ins from Zoey or Lee—meant deep cleaning. Leading Will to the kitchen, I looked around and admired my handiwork. At least I’d been able to channel my anxiety into a sparkling apartment.
“Patches loves everyone,” I assured him. “It’s part of her charm.” I flung out my arms, presenting my kitchen. “Ta-da. It’s tiny. Sorry.”
Will slung his bag of groceries on the counter. “Are you kidding? My kitchen in med school was like a single hot plate on an inch of counter. An actual refrigerator? Pure luxury.” He dug in his bag and pulled out a black apron, then tied it behind him. “See? I’m a pro.”
I bit my lip as I looked at him. Will was so handsome, all dark hair and sharp cheekbones.
“Why are you giving me that look?” His mouth quirked. “Do I look silly in this apron?”
I shook my head. “You’re just...really great.”
He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek, lingering for a beat. “You’re great, too,” he said. “For the record.”
Something warm and soft brushed my legs. I bent down and seized Patches. “Will, meet the lady of the house. Patches, meet Will, the...”
“Suitor,” he supplied. Will took Patches from me carefully and held her against his chest, rubbing her ears. “Hey, kitty. That’s what you say, right?”
“You’re a natural.” I stepped back and cleared my throat. “Do you need any help?”
“Nah.” He put Patches down and waved me in the direction of the living room. “You’re the one who actually went in to work today. I’m not due back to the hospital until tomorrow for a double shift. So you relax. I’ll cook. Want to cue up a movie? I’ll hear it from the kitchen.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“What?” he asked, pulling out a handful of parsley from his grocery bag.
I slunk in the direction of the living room and sat on the couch, testing the concept of relaxing. “Suspiciously nice, is all.”
As Will got busy washing his hands again, I picked up the remote. I was the last twenty-something in America still paying for cable, but I liked to see my sister on the news. I flipped through the channels:Price is Rightrerun, old Western, infomercial, Lee, supermarket gameshow—wait,what? I flipped back and turned up the volume.
Lee stood outside her office with a handful of other women I recognized as fellow state legislators Lee was close to. Next to her stood Logan.
“I’m delighted to endorse Logan Arthur for governor,” Lee said. “As are my colleagues in the women’s caucus. While I have respect for Governor Mane and the ways we’ve worked together, I believe Logan represents the future of Texas. For any voters still on the fence, here’s my pitch: you may not have expected the perfect fit to come in the shape of a sharp-tongued thirty-three-year-old policy wonk who’s as at home in the halls of Cambridge as he is on a farm in Odejo, but that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? Sometimes the unexpected thing is the right thing. And that’s Logan Arthur in a nutshell.”
“Is that Lee endorsing Logan?” Will called. “Guess her relationship with Governor Mane is over.”
I couldn’t speak because it felt like a boulder was sitting on my heart. “I couldn’t be more grateful for Senator Stone’s endorsement,” Logan said, “or the endorsements from her fellow senators in the women’s caucus.” He’d smiled politely through Lee’s words, and now he offered the camera that same congenial look. But I could see through the performance. There was no light in his eyes. His words were rote and hollow.
“Pasta’s cooking for a few minutes,” Will said, flopping down next to me. “Good for Logan for getting this endorsement. Underneath the short fuse, addiction to swearing, and competitive drive that at one point made me suspect he legitimately wanted to kill me, he seemed like a pretty nice guy.”
