Blair clears her throat beside me. “Jess, we should probably finish up. We’ve got that thing…”
“Right,” I agree, never breaking eye contact with Logan. “Senator, Diane, enjoy your weekend. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again soon.”
As we walk away, I can feel Logan’s eyes burning into my back. The moment we’re out of earshot, Stella explodes in a whispered frenzy.
“Oh, my God, was he having an affair? Did we just witness?—”
“We don’t know that,” Sophia cuts in diplomatically, though her expression is troubled.
“We don’t,” I agree, though everything in me suggests otherwise. “But I know what I saw.”
“Are you going to tell Lucas?” Blair asks quietly.
I nod without hesitation. “Of course. He should know his father is here.”
“It could just be work,” Sophia offers, but her tone lacks conviction.
“Maybe,” I concede, though I’m already mentally replaying the body language, the guilty start when I called out, the way Diane’s hand had lingered on Logan’s arm. My reporter’s instinct rarely steers me wrong, and right now, it’s screaming that there’s more to this story.
“What are you thinking?” Blair asks, studying my face. She knows me too well.
“I’m thinking,” I say slowly, “that I’ll tell Lucas I saw his father with a colleague and let him decide what to make of it.”
“Just the facts?” Stella asks, sounding disappointed by my restraint.
“Just the facts,” I confirm. “It’s not my place to make accusations or start digging into his family without his permission.”
As we’re checking out with our groceries, my phone buzzes with a text.
LUCAS
Can’t wait to see you tonight.
I stare at the message, with warmth and dread coiling together in my stomach. Four months ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to pursue this story, to expose Logan Carmichael’s hypocrisy. Now, with Lucas in my life, the boundaries have shifted.
“You’re really not going to investigate?” Sophia asks gently as we load bags into the car, knowing me well enough to read my internal struggle.
“I’m going to tell him what I saw,” I say firmly. “Just the facts, that I ran into his father and a legislative staffer. What happens after that is Lucas’s call, not mine.”
“That’s surprisingly restrained for you,” Blair observes, her eyebrows raised.
“He’s my husband,” I say simply; the word still feels strange on my tongue. “His family, his decision.”
As we drive back to Brandon’s, I can’t shake the image of Logan’s face when I mentioned telling Lucas about our encounter. For a man who’s spent his career controlling narratives, he’d looked genuinely afraid.
I respond to Lucas.
JESS
I’ll be there soon
His response comes quickly.
LUCAS
Whenever you want. Door’s always open for you.
I smile at his message, even as I’m wrestling with what to say when I see him. Just the facts, I remind myself. No accusations, no journalist digging. Not unless he asks.
