“Fine. I forgive you. So... What? Is he sticking around?”
“He’s leaving tomorrow. Heading back to L.A. to prep for filming. But he’ll be back in a couple of months.”
Logan nudges me with an elbow. “You gonna be okay with that?”
I stare out the window. “Not like I have a choice.”
“True.” Shifting to put an arm around my shoulders, my brother puts me in a gentle headlock and presses a kiss to the crown of my head. “You probably won’t see him much, anyway.”
“I hope not. Shit is just awkward, you know?”
“Yeah. But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna hold out hope you two will eventually work your shit out.”
“Don’t hold your breath, brother.”
A deep laugh rumbles from his chest. “We’ll see.”
seventeen
TWO MONTHS LATER
Pans clangin Logan’s kitchen as he cooks breakfast. I arrived back in Lakeside yesterday afternoon. Didn’t think two months away would’ve been as hard as it was, but the whole time I was gone I couldn’t stop thinking about Lizzy. Every thought, every dream, every damn moment she kept popping into my head. The memory of her reaction to seeing me at Jax’s party has been haunting me, and I’ve been powerless to exorcise her from my mind ever since.
“Hope you’re hungry,” Logan says, sliding a plate piled high with bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast across the counter. “Made enough to feed half the fire department.”
“Thanks, man,” I nod, grabbing a fork. “Smells amazing.”
Grabbing his own plate, Logan sits down next to me and dives into his food as if he hasn’t eaten in days. It makes me grin into my cheesy scrambled eggs. Some things never change.
“So,” he says between bites, “I’ve got some good news.”
Mouth full of bacon, I look up, popping an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Remember how you said you needed a place to stay during filming?” He takes a swig of orange juice. “Well, I talked to Ryder.”
My fork pauses halfway to my mouth. “Ryder? Is that the same guy who owns the tattoo shop?”
“Yup. He also owns the building where Skin & Ink is located. There’s a loft apartment above it that he sometimes rents out as an Airbnb. Mostly for friends and family. I asked him if you could stay there for the next few months.”
I barely avoid choking on a mouthful of food. “Above the tattoo shop,” I deadpan. “As in, where Lizzy works?”
Logan has the decency to look somewhat guilty. “Look. It’s a great location, right downtown. Walking distance to a ton of restaurants and shops. There’s even a private entrance in the back. Plus, it’s fully furnished.”
“Jesus, Logan.” Appetite suddenly gone, I set down my fork. “You realize your sister hates my guts, right? And now you want me to stay above where she works?”
He shrugs. “It’s not like you’ll be sharing a bathroom or anything. Besides, like I told you before, rental options are limited right now with tourist season ramping up. Everything else is booked solid.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “This is a terrible idea.”
“It’s actually a perfect idea,” he argues. “You need a place. The apartment’s available. And honestly? Maybe being in close proximity will finally force you two to work through whatever the hell happened between you.”
“Nothing happened.” The lie is automatic; my words hollow even to my own ears.
The look Logan is giving me tells me he’s not buying it. “Right. Is that why she bolted the second she saw you at the party? And why you moped around like a lovesick teenager afterward? Becausenothing happened?”
“I didn’t mope,” I protest, though we both know it’s bullshit.
“Whatever you say.” He shrugs, shoveling a forkful of hash browns into his face. “Anyway, Ryder’s expecting us at noon to sign the paperwork and pick up the keys. Unless you’d rather stay in a shitty motel forty minutes outside of town?”
