“I guess.”
He sat and wiped sweat from his brow.
“You can lose the coat,” Tess said. “Unless you want to die of heatstroke.”
“And the shirt,” Mrs. Schlesselman yelled. “Lose the shirt. It’s very hot. Better to be cautious.”
“That’s not ‘quiet,’” Tess said over her shoulder.
Logan chuckled nervously and removed the coat.
Two and a half piña coladas had left Tess a little muddled, but not enough to wonder how he’d ended up here.
“How did you find me?”
“Oh,” he said. “Faith texted me the moment she found out where you were.”
“That was like three hours ago,” Tess exclaimed. “How’d you get here so fast?”
“Flew.”
“Impossible.”
“On a private jet that was waiting on standby, ready to take off as soon as I had a location.”
Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. I was desperate to find you. When I heard what Faith told you? Well, I couldn’t have you thinking I was married on top of everything else.”
“That was pretty shocking. But it’s not the only reason I’m upset.”
“I know.” He sighed. “I also needed a chance to explain about The Outpost debacle.”
She flapped a hand through the air between them. “Let’s hear it.”
“I’m here to apologize. The song’s not technically from the eighties, but it says what I want to say,” he said simply. “You’re mad I withheld information, and I totally understand. I shouldhave told you about the deal the second you agreed to go out with me. Maybe even before that.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I came to Green Valley Falls to do due diligence on The Outpost. The campout was sort of half research, half vacation.” He put vacation in air quotes. “It was supposed to be a business trip like any other—strictly business. I never intended to get personally involved.”
“But then you decided to stay and help Max? And inadvertently got ‘involved’?”
“Yes. Once that happened, once we started dating, I didn’t want it to mess up what we had going. Then, for a while, the deal was in limbo, and I didn’t know for sure weweregoing to buy it. And I thought, if the point was moot, why invite trouble? Once I finally decided I had to tell you, we kept getting interrupted. I was about to bring it up in the hotel room when you kissed me—I wasn’t about to pause for conversation then.”
At her withering stare, he cleared his throat and kept going.
“Then at the ice cream shop, I started to tell you just as Faith came in with news about your mom. It wasn’t something I could just blurt out with no time for explanation. It had to be more than a two-minute conversation.”
“There were so many chances, Logan.”
“I know. I know. I’m an idiot. I couldn’t stand the idea of you breaking up with me over it. And the longer I put it off, the deeper the hole got. The harder it was to climb out and come clean.”
She paused, mulling over his excuses and apologies, deciding how to react to them. She wanted to forgive him so badly. Wanted to move past it and jump into his arms. Did that stemfrom budding love or naive stupidity? He noted her silence and pushed on.
“Thesecondyou mentioned wanting to buy it—I mean, literally, right after you left with Faith for the hospital—I called my brother and told him to get it taken out of the deal.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But by then it was too late. Moody had signed the contract and taken off on a four-week honeymoon. I wish you’d said something before Monday.”
“Iknowyou are not implying this is my fault.”
