“Most good stories are,” I blurt out and am flabbergasted at myself. Since when do I flirt withanyone,let alone my freaking tenant?
Chewie brushes past my leg and sits directly between myself and Logan, and I look down at him to avoid the sizzling staring contest Logan and I have accidentally started. And then Boss trots over and tries to mount Chewie. I groan and reach for my domineering mutt. Boss wiggles in my arms.
Logan points at the open door and Chewie wanders out. Our eyes meet again but his aren’t smoldering anymore. That’s good, so why do I feel disappointment? “I’m only a phone call away.”
“Thanks.” I wave like a dork and close the door behind him.
What the hell was that?
I put down Boss and force myself to walk back into the kitchen instead of leaning against the door over-analyzing the spontaneous flirt-fest I accidentally started there. I sit at the kitchen table, Boss sits at my feet, and Stevie wanders off to her food dish for a morning bite. “Apparently snuggling the tenant all night works up an appetite, eh old lady?”
My snark is ignored, of course. After my coffee, I take some ibuprofen as he suggested, and I shower. I think of Logan the whole time, which is crazy. He was nothing but professional and kind but…the fact that I showered with him and it felt so damn good despite the trauma I was in the middle of makes my cheeks turn red. And now that I’m past the worst part of my concussion, and I think back on last night, other things besides his bedside manner come to mind.
Like his body.
Logan has tight, lean muscles, perfect alabaster skin, a thick treasure trail a shade darker than his hair color, a rippled stomach and tattoos.
I read the words on the left side of his torso this morning, but last night I saw more ink on the right side. I just couldn’t read it with my vision problems. He also had a triangle in a circle on the inside of his right bicep with words there too. I don’t have tattoos, but I’ve always been mildly obsessed with them. Picking something to be permanently etched on your body takes balls I’ve never had. But I’ve always found that kind of confidence and conviction attractive.
I push thoughts of him out of my head as I step out of the shower and towel myself dry and then examine my reflection critically in the full-length mirror behind the door in my bedroom. Thank God I had that modest one-piece bathing suit. It covered my scars perfectly so poor Logan didn’t have to see them. I mean, I’m sure he’s seen scars before, but mine…I am horrified by them, so I expect everyone else to be too.
I twist my body, dropping the towel so I can examine the ones on my back. I have a perfectly straight scar down my spinal column from my shoulder blades to my lower back and then another curving one that moves from the top of my butt across and over my right hip where they fixed my hip and another on the left side, moving toward my abdomen where they put in screws to hold my pelvis together. Then there’s a few bullet hole looking ones on my sides where drains and tubes were. I haven’t been intimate with someone since the surgeries, so no one has seen them. Maybe I should have worn a bikini in the shower so he could see them because my vision would have been too blurry to register any horror or pity in his expression.
I close my eyes and move away from the mirror and push thoughts of Logan and my battered body from my head as I get dressed. It doesn’t matter anyway. Last night was weird and unexpectedly brought us closer into a quirky, not at all unpleasant friendship.
I call Aspen and tell her what happened.
“Why the hell didn’t you call me?” she asks. “I could have come to the hospital.”
I sigh and lie back on the couch. “Because you’re pregnant and need all the rest you can get.”
“I’d take care of you over sleeping, Chloe. Besides then you’d owe me and you’d have to babysit when I ask, which I’ll be doing a hell of a lot,” Aspen announces firmly and I smile.
“I’ll remember that next time I knock myself out in a snow storm,” I reply.
“That said, if I were you, I’d totally rather play doctor with Logan over me,” Aspen says and pauses. “How did that go? Did he think it was crazy you called him?”
“He was understanding and professional,” I explain and bit my bottom lip. “Even after I barfed on his shoes.”
“Oh Chloe!” Aspen bursts out in a fit of giggles.
My cheeks get hot again. “I know. I’m the worst landlord in the history of landlords. Anyway, are you busy later this afternoon? Logan said I shouldn’t be alone all day and night if I can help it in case I get dizzy or barfy again. And I am not bothering him anymore. He is spending time with his kid today and then working.”
“I would love to come over,” Aspen replies. “I’ll waddle over in a few hours. I just have to buy some crap for the nursery and I promised my brother Abbott I would run over to his place and check on the work he’s having done. He thinks the contractor put the light switch in the master bath in the wrong spot. He needs me to double check with a tape measure. The fact he’s doing renos when he’s playing hockey in Boston and can’t oversee it is super annoying. But if you need me sooner, just let me know and I’ll skip the Abbott crap and come right over.”
“A few hours is good,” I smile. “I’ll make homemade pizza and we can watch a movie or something.”
“I’ll bring dessert,” she announces. “See you in a bit.”
“See you later.” I hang up, make some toast and another cup of coffee and then decide to start a fire in the fireplace and read. The fire building is more exhausting than normal and reading makes my headache worse, so I take a nap.
I wake up two hours later to the sound of a car in the driveway and walk over to the window. Logan is getting out of his SUV and walking around to his apartment door. He glances up and stutter-steps when he sees me in the living room window. He smiles and waves. I smile and wave back, but I feel sheepish, almost embarrassed. He mouths the words “How are you?” and motions for me to come out on the porch.
I shove my feet half into a pair of sneakers and step outside, making sure to lock Stevie and Boss in the house so they don’t bother Logan. “You doing okay?”
I smile down at him and lean on the railing. “Yeah. Tried to read but got a headache so I napped. How about you? You must be exhausted.”
He smiles, and I swear the sky should be jealous of how blue his eyes are. “Nah. Hanging out with River always energizes me. I’m sure I’ll hit a wall later tonight, but it was totally worth it to hear him squeal with delight while we careened down the hill. My boy loves adventure. Wasn’t scared even when we caught a little air.”
