I wince. “No way.”
“Oh, it gets even better,” Logan continues, getting up to grab us both another beer. “A few weeks ago I happened to see her when I’m working the Dunk-A-Hunk tank for my buddy Jax, who owns Skin & Ink Tattoo. They have this fundraiser every year.”
He hands me another beer. “Anyway… when she sees me, her face gets all stormy, and she dunks my ass with one fucking throw. Later that day, I’m helping Jax with the batting cages. He asks me about her, and tells me her name. Then he drops the real bomb—she lives in Lakeside, is a part-time aerial silk instructor and is going to be my new EMT.”
“Holy shit.” Unable to help myself, I bust out laughing so hard, tears form in the corners of my eyes.
“Not funny, asshole,” he growls, lips twitching as he shakes his head. “I’m going to be her boss. I still have no idea how I’m going to handlethatconversation.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Fuck off,” he mutters, shooting me a grin. “You wanna know the worst part? I can’t stop thinking about her. And now there’s going to be this whole professional boundary thing...”
“Maybe it’s fate,” I joke. “The universe bringing you two back together.”
“Fate my ass.” He takes a long pull from his beer. “Enough about my disaster of a sex life. What about you? Still breaking hearts all over Hollywood?”
I grimace, thinking about the studio’s ultimatum. “I was told that if I want a chance at the director’s chair, I have to clean up my image. That I’m too much of a liability with my ‘playboy ways’ to be trusted behind the camera,” I say using finger quotes.
“Well, they’re not wrong,” Logan teases.
“Thanks for the support,” I mutter-growl. “They want me to find a nice girl to date while I’m here. Be seen with her and be all lovey-dovey and shit.”
“Good luck with that,” he chuckles, flinging my words back in my face.
“I know. It’s ridiculous.”
Then Logan’s eyes light up with a mischievous gleam. One I know all too well. “I’m taking you to a party tomorrow night.”
“A party? I’m here to scout, Logan. Not go out. I don’t want anyone knowing I’m here.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a small get-together. Some close friends celebrating the new Summit Studio opening in town.” He elbows me. “It’ll be fun, super low-key. Promise.”
I eye him suspiciously. “Who all is going to be there?”
“Just some close friends,” he says a little too quickly. “Jax and Ryder—they own the tattoo shop—and their girlfriends.”
“Logan...”
“What? It’s just a party. You used to love parties.”
Still suspicious, I let it drop. “Fine. Would you be cool hanging out with me tomorrow? I’ve got a list of places I want to check out and photograph—Main Street, the high school, my old house. I want to see what’s changed, what’s stayed the same.”
“Sure thing,” Logan agrees easily. “I’ve got the day off. We can make a day of it.”
“Is the old treehouse at your parent’s house still there?”
Logan raises a brow in surprise. “Yeah.”
“Cool. Do you think your parents would be up for a visit?”
“Of course! They’d love to see you.”
We spend the rest of the evening catching up, ordering pizza and trading stories. He tells me about his promotion, about the changes to the town. I tell him about my latest film, and about the new script I’ve written.
What I don’t tell him is how much I’ve actually missed the simplicity of living in Lakeside. Swimming in the lake and hiking in the summer, going ice skating in the winter.
I haven’t been back once since I left fifteen years ago. Not even for high school reunions. And I sure as hell don’t tell him about how much I’ve actually missed Lizzy.
