"Whoa there," he said, his voice carrying its typical steady calm. "Let's get you back on course."
Nadine blinked up at him, recognition dawning slowly through her alcohol haze. "Logan," she proclaimed with exaggerated enunciation. “Harbor House savior and island hero."
"Just Logan is good," he replied with a small smile, helping her regain her balance as his gaze met Jess's over Nadine's head, concern evident in his expression. "And maybe we should get you some water.”
“Good idea,” Megan jumped up and headed for the bar.
"Water is for boats and rainwear," Nadine slurred, attempting to stand up straight but listing noticeably to port. "I am perfectly - " She hiccuped suddenly, interrupting herself. " - fine."
"She okay?” Logan mouthed at Jess as he kept Nadine in check.
"Just celebrating a little too enthusiastically," she murmured, moving to her friend’s other side.
"I was just giving Jess here some marital advice," Nadine announced, leaning heavily between them. "Important stuff about careers and sacrifice and protein smoothies."
"I'm sure it was illuminating," Logan soothed, his tone gentle as he adjusted his grip to better support her. "But maybe the rest of this wisdom should be delivered sitting down. Preferably with some hydration."
"You know," Nadine said then, squinting up at him with sudden intensity, "I always liked you. Even when you broke her heart. You were honest about it. Didn't pretend. Didn't lie." She swayed slightly, despite their support. "Unlike some people I could mention who think I'm too stupid to notice lipstick on a collar. Actual lipstick. Like a bad movie cliché."
Sloane’s gaze flickered briefly to Jess's face, a question in them that she had no answer for.
"Let's get you home," she suggested quickly, redirecting the conversation before Nadine publicly elaborated further on her marital troubles. "We should all call it a night."
“But the night is young!" Nadine protested, though her drooping eyelids suggested otherwise. "We haven't even danced yet. Or done karaoke. Is there karaoke? There should be karaoke."
"Next time," Jess promised, guiding her friend through to the exit with Logan's help, just as Megan returned with a glass of water.
33
The night airhit Jess's flushed skin like a gentle slap, clearing her head slightly as they emerged from venue's stuffy interior. Overhead, stars punctured the velvet darkness in familiar patterns that hadn't changed since her childhood, despite everything else that had.
Logan continued to support Nadine, one arm around her waist while his other hand steadied her elbow. His movements were careful but confident - the same quiet competence he'd shown that morning when showing Jess around the hotel, now applied to their inebriated friend.
"I'm not drunk," Nadine announced to no one in particular, her voice carrying in the quiet night. "I'm just... illuminated. Enlightened even. Speaking my truth." She attempted to stand straighter, nearly toppling in the process. "Why aren't more women speaking their truth, Logan? That's what I want to know. Maybe I should lead the charge.”
"An excellent question," he replied with gentle humor. "Maybe save the great feminist manifesto for tomorrow though?”
Jess stepped to the curb, scanning the street for available taxis. The boardwalk that fronted this section of harbor was nearly deserted now, most of the evening's revelers having already departed for home or moved on to other venues. A couple passed by arm in arm, their voices low and intimate against the background symphony of waves and night gulls.
"I need to finalize everything with the florist tomorrow,” Nadine continued, her wedding concerns resurfacing even through her intoxication. “Need to ensure the peonies are the right shade and the exact Pantone we selected. This could be a disaster, Jess. A disaster of..." she frowned, searching for the appropriate scale, "...floral proportions."
"The flowers will be perfect," Jess assured her, catching Logan's eye over Nadine's head.
“Bah! Nothing's perfect," her friend muttered, momentarily sagging against Logan's support. "That's the other big lie, you know. Perfect flowers. Perfect dress. Perfect wedding." She hiccuped softly. "Even perfect Logan Calder isn’t, not really."
"I've been saying that for years," he agreed amiably, adjusting his grip as Nadine shifted her weight.
"But you are a good guy though," she continued, jabbing a finger against his chest for emphasis. "A good guy who notices things. Who shows up." Her expression clouded. "Unlike some others who shall remain nameless because I am in fact, a lady, despite current appearances to the contrary."
Jess spotted a taxi turning onto the harbor road and enthusiastically flagged it down. The yellow car pulled up smoothly to the curb, its headlights illuminating the three of them in harsh white light that seemed to strip away all pretenses. In its unforgiving glare, Nadine looked suddenly vulnerable - her carefully-applied mascara running down her face, lipstick smudged, her designer outfit rumpled, but most ofall, her expression unguarded in a way Jess had rarely seen. If ever.
"Let's get you home," Logan said gently, guiding her toward the waiting vehicle.
"Home," their friend repeated, the word carrying a weight that belied its simplicity. "To my beautiful, empty house with its beautiful, empty marriage." She turned suddenly to Jess, her expression shifting to urgent sincerity. "Never settle, Jess. Not even for something that looks perfect on paper. Definitely not for someone who checks all the right boxes."
Before Jess could respond to this heartfelt response, Logan had helped Nadine into the taxi's back seat, arranging her with careful consideration before stepping back.
"I'll ride home with her," he assured her. "Make sure she gets inside the house okay."
