“Is that why you wanted to be my wedding date?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. What exactly is he getting out of our arrangement?
He stops swimming and so do I, like we’re both suspended in this weird moment of truth telling. “Enough about me. It’s my turn to ask questions.”
“Okay, lay one on me.”
“Why are you going to a wedding you don’t even want to attend?”
I float toward the middle of the pool where the water coils warmest around my shoulders. The first stars have begun to blink into existence overhead, tiny pinpricks of silver in a velvet canvas. “Andy and I used to date.”
Logan’s brow furrows in concentration. “Andy . . .” He strokes his chin like he’s auditioning for a detective role. “Morrison?”
“Yep.”
”Icannotbelieve you dated that guy.“ His laugh erupts so loudly that a small flock of birds takes flight from nearby tree. “He was such a crybaby in kindergarten. Like, full-on wailer if a juice box slipped from his hand and spilled all over his white shoes.”
“Well, by high school he grew out of that. Kind of.” I shrug, sending small ripples outward. “It wasn’t some epic love story—we were friends hanging out all the time. Eventually it felt like the next logical step.”
“And he broke your heart?” Logan asks, his gaze intense as it locks with mine.
The memory wrings my stomach like a dishrag. “I walked in on him. With Lindsey. After the breakup, I couldn’t stay alone at myapartment in Unity Grove. That’s why I’m living with my parents in case you’re wondering.”
“Makes sense.” His eyes narrow suddenly. “Wait,LindseyLindsey? Your best friend Lindsey?”
“Former best friend,” I correct. “She acted like it was some competition she finally won. When I saw her at the diner that day, she practically rubbed it in my face. And I guess . . . I couldn’t let her win again.”
“So you invented a boyfriend.”
I nod, feeling slightly petty now that the words have been spoken out loud by someone other than me. If only I’d had better impulse control that day.
Logan swims closer, the water smoothing aside around his shoulders as if it had decided to make room for him. His eyes meet mine for a moment before they drop, quick and unmistakable, to my mouth. My heart responds like it had received a starting gun, sprinting into a frantic rhythm it had never rehearsed.
Without thinking, I plant a foot firmly against his stomach to halt his advance, then push off, my toes grazing the ridges of his abs as I propel myself backward until the back of my shoulders press against the rocky edge of the pool.
He raises his eyebrows, surprise and amusement mingling on his face.
“Let’s not forget we’re under a contract,” I say, half warning him, half reminding myself that this isn’t real. No matter how many times my stupid heart might temporarily forget.
He nods and swims backward to the other end of the pool, his gaze holding mine continuously. “Of course. All business.”
The sun has completely dipped below the horizon, shadows deepening around us, and a sudden breeze weaves through the trees, cool against my damp skin. My teeth nearly chatter as Imutter, “It’s cold. And I forgot to bring my emergency blanket I usually keep in my trunk.”
Without hesitation, Logan hauls himself out of the pool in one fluid motion. Water cascades down his chest and arms in rivulets that highlight the ridges of his muscles. My eyes trace the impressive veins running along his forearms before I catch myself and look away.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get it,” he declares, voice brimming with certainty.
“Wait—Logan, the keys—”
He’s already rummaging through my neatly folded clothes, completely unbothered by his near nakedness. He snags my keys, tosses me a wink, and takes off toward the car, his bare feet slapping against the dirt path.
By the time he returns, ten minutes later, his body is gooseflesh, shoulders hunched against the cold. He’s shivering noticeably but clutching the blanket in his hands like he’s won Olympic gold.
“Found it,” he announces through chattering teeth, undeniably proud of his chivalrous mission.
“Why didn’t you use it on the way here?”
“I didn’t want to get it wet for you.”
I climb out, wrapping my arms around myself as the cool air blasts my wet skin. He immediately drapes the thin fleece around my shoulders, his fingers brushing against my collarbone in a touch so brief I might have imagined it.
