“Sorry, Gwen,” Faith said. “Yes, that would be great. There’s the four of us and Juliet’s coming soon. Thank you.”
Nick and Brody helped the waitress pull a couple of tables next to Logan’s, and they all sat.
Logan stared at his burger, which had lost all appeal. He was desperate to get to Tess. To explain what an idiot he’d been, to beg for forgiveness, and to do whatever he could to salvage their relationship.
“Can any of you track her phone?” Logan pleaded. “Or will she tell any of the rest of you where she is?” His raw desperation seemed to cut through the wall of accusation built by Tess’s gang.
Juliet had slipped in quietly and had a hushed conversation with Alex, which Logan assumed meant she was up to speed.
“I called earlier, but only got voicemail,” Juliet said. “I think she turned her phone off.”
“Maybe she went up the mountain,” Logan said. “She’d have no signal up there. I’m going to see if her car is at the trailhead.” He stood.
“There are a million trails around here,” Alex said. “And if Tess doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be.”
“That’s totally unsafe,” Logan said, plopping back into his chair. “No way she’d do something dangerous.”
“Tess is tough,” Faith said. “You might just have to wait until she comes home.”
“Oh my gosh!” Cooper said. “You really like her.”
Logan had gotten himself into this mess by trifling with the truth. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. “I think I love her.”
Faith, Alex, and Juliet’s heads snapped his direction. They stared at him intently, as if trying to discern whether he really meant it by reading his mind.
“No,” Logan stated firmly. “Idolove her. I love Tess.” The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.
Nick’s eyes widened, but he seemed to “read” Logan easier than the others—probably his FBI training—and verified in seconds that Logan was telling the truth. He gave a curt nod of approval. At least, that’s what Logan took it to mean.
“You guys have to help me,” Logan begged. “Please. You know her better than anyone. We gotta figure out where she is, so I can make this right.”
“I do feel a smidgen responsible,” Faith said. “That my secret family accusation might have pushed her over the edge to flee. So, I’ll do whatever I can.”
“She really likes you,” Juliet said. “That’s why I’ll help too.”
Alex nodded. “I texted to ask where she is. I’ll let you know if she responds.”
“Thanks, guys.” Logan turned to Cooper. “Bro, is the jet still in Meredith?”
“Yeah,” Cooper said. “We were gonna head home tomorrow. The pilot’s hanging around town.”
“Call him. I want to go back now.”
“Okaaaay.” Cooper pulled out his phone, stood, and walked away from the table.
“You have a private jet?” Alex asked. “With a pilot on standby?”
“Yes. There’s something I’ve got to do in Houston, but will you call me the second you find out her location? Day or night. I can be back here in four hours.”
The three women agreed.
“Pilot will meet us at the hangar in thirty,” Coop said, returning to the table. “That’ll give us time to grab our stuff from the inn. We might as well just go back with you.”
Logan only had the barest of ideas about what he could do to win Tess back, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of never seeing her again. And he didn’t want to simply patch things up. He wanted to commit and try a real relationship.
There would be obstacles, long-distance logistics to deal with, but Tess was worth the effort. He just had to find her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
