She stared back at him. “I guess I’ll run this package up to my apartment before Logan arrives.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure to keep your fake date company when he arrives.”
“Please don’t.” Brooke balanced the box in her arms. “In fact, please don’t talk to him at all.”
“Sorry,” George smirked. A glint in his eyes made Brooke uneasy. “It’s my job to greet the guests of the people who live here. I can’t shirk my duties.”
“Fine.” Brooke whipped around and walked across the lobby to the elevator bay. “Have it your way.” Her voice vibrated acrossthe tile floors. She used the corner of the box to hit the elevator button.
“I usually do.” Then George chuckled and sat back down behind the lobby desk.
She entered the elevator and went up to her apartment to drop off her package. A few minutes later, Logan texted letting her know he had arrived. She shot him a quick text, gathered her purse and went back down to the lobby. When the elevator opened, she heard the laughter of Logan and George.
Logan leaned over the desk, looking much too dapper in his jeans and navy henley tee under a Carhartt jacket. She questioned her outfit. For a second, she wavered. Too late, they turned in her direction when she stepped off the elevator. George whistled, making her cheeks warm. Logan straightened himself and walked toward her, meeting her halfway across the lobby.
“You look nice,” he said as his hungry eyes ran down her, making her skin tingle. “I like your hair that way.”
“Oh,” Brooke fluffed her hair. She actually washed it this morning, which she hadn’t done in almost a week. Her schedule at the hospital had been a bit chaotic. So, this morning she enjoyed the luxury of lathering thick shampoo into her locks. It lifted her own mood immensely. “Thanks,” she managed. “I like that blue on you, it makes your eyes pop.”
“This?” Logan smiled and peered down at her his T-shirt. “I’ve never had anyone tell me that but thanks.”
With a nod, she shifted and placed her purse over her shoulder. “Should we go?”
“Yes.” Logan clapped his hands together then rubbed them back and forth dramatically. “Let’s do this. Let’s get our fake date on.”
Brooke’s lips twitched with amusement. “Alright.”
They walked the rest of the lobby, passing George as they headed outside. They said goodbye.
George yelled at the back of them, “Fake dating— yeah right.”
She waved him off, but his comment made her stomach swim. Her palms sweated. Even though this arrangement was beneficial for both, she wanted Logan’s parents to like her. She tried to remind herself she’d never see them again so it didn’t matter, but her jittery hands begged to differ.
They wandered around the side of the building to where Logan had parked in one of the designated guest’s spots. He held her door open to his sporty sedan, and she climbed in.
When on the expressway toward his parents’ house, Brooke shifted in her seat to face him. For a moment, she found herself distracted as she stared at his sharp jaw and broad shoulders. The inside of the car swirled with his spicy aftershave.Geez, this guy smelled good and looked even better.
“So,” Brooke leaned over the middle console. “Tell me what I need to know to impress your family. I remember their names from our study session, but I’m still worried they won’t like me.”
Logan glanced over his shoulder and changed lanes. “I already know they’ll love you.”
“What about Danielle?” Brooke adjusted her seat belt where it dug into her. “Shouldn’t I be worried about her since she wants to see you back with the queen?”
“Shelby.”
“Shelby,” she repeated. “It does sound like a queen name.”
He shrugged but didn’t comment.
“Danielle—how do I get in her good graces with so many things stacked against me?”
His gaze darted quickly to her then back to the road. “You have nothing to worry about. Danielle is easy to win over. If you show some love for her twins, maybe ask to hold them and playwith them, I think she’ll warm up to you in no time. And acting head over heels in love with me would help too.”
“Ok.” Her stomach twisted. She wondered if her acting skills were up for the challenge. “I’ll try my best.”
“Hey,” Logan lightly touched her forearm, “you don’t need to be nervous. I know everyone is going to love you. Just be yourself, and it should be fine.”
Brooke tilted her head away and stared out the passenger window, watching the mile markers as they passed by. If only he knew how many versions of herself, she had to be over the years to survive. Growing up, she learned to be invisible. Her main goal was to move undetected to avoid her mom’s alcoholic rages and drug-induced abuse. In college, she learned talking about her less than perfect family life made people uncomfortable. People didn’t want the nitty gritty. She once again molded herself into a version that made her likeable. Survival. Only those who lived with no safety net, knew what it was like.
