After placing our orders, simple burgers and fries, we were left alone once again.
“So, I wanted to thank you, for hiring the men to help with the tree house. I’ll admit, at first I was planning on sending them away, but they were great and I couldn’t have done all that work on my own.” I looked down, heat rising in my cheeks. “That was why I came over that night, to thank you. I didn’t mean to interrupt your—” I shook my head, chewing my bottom lip and quickly added, “Oliver said he’d be coming back over.”
Hesitantly, I looked back up and caught a flicker of something clouding his eyes before he blinked it away. He looked down at the table, and slowly back at me with his usual smirk firmly in place.
“My pleasure. Oliver enjoys it over there. I’ve been meaning to check it out myself, but didn’t want to intrude, especially after the other night considering your run in with—” Tilting his head in thought, his eyebrows lowered, he continued. “Did you hang his artwork?”
I nodded and he gave a tight, almost uncomfortable smile.
“Oliver was excited to show you his pictures. I took him to pick out the frames the moment he came home from school. He told me you painted the inside of the tree house green and blue, I hope they matched well.”
“They did, thank you. He was thrilled to see them hanging up. And just for the record,” I leaned in to whisper, “you having prostitutes over is something I’d like to forget and place in the start-over-clean-slate file.” I made a face, sitting back up in my seat.
The waitress appeared beside our table placing a glass of Coke in front of Logan, and water with a slice of lemon in front of me, then walked back toward the kitchen.
Logan watched me intently for a few sort moments before asking, “We’re friends, right?”
“It seems like we’re getting there,” I said, not looking up from my glass.
“Then as your friend, I want you to know that you can ask me whatever it is that’s on your mind. Even if it pertains to my sex life.”
My cheeks flushed, my stomach clenching in a tight knot. What was I supposed to ask him? How often do you pay for sex? The man shouldn’t be paying anyone for that. Every woman in town wanted to sleep with him—including myself at times. I blinked the thought away the instant it hit me.
“All right, why pay for sex?” I whispered, embarrassed to be speaking the words.
He chuckled, “I have never paid for sex, Cassandra. Those ladies were old friends I met overseas, and occasionally they visit the States on vacation.” His eyes took me all in, causing my throat to go painfully dry. I swallowed, loudly unable to pull my gaze from his. “They know what I like. What I am willing to offer. There are no strings attached, just consenting adults having a pleasurable time. They called me that afternoon saying they were in the city and were interested in coming by.”
He waited for me to say something, but I just sat, stunned at how quickly I had jumped to the conclusion of prostitutes right out the gate.
He continued, “I called my brother to make sure Oliver could spend the night there, which he was more than happy to do. He gets along great with his cousin.”
I nodded, slowly understanding. “So they weren’t—”
“No, they were friends. No money involved. I did however buy them takeout and a few bottles of fine wine.”
I laughed coyly, unable to meet his eyes as I fiddled with my straw, relieved he wasn’t as much a pig as I made him out to be, but still far from a saint.
“Now tell me, have you dated anyone recently?” he asked.
The waitress set down our plates and he lifted his burger, taking a bite.
“My last relationship didn’t end very well.” I dipped a fry into the small bowl of ketchup. “What about you?”
“I don’t date, sweetheart”
“So I’ve heard.” I laughed biting into the hot fry.
“Will you come out with me again if I schedule more houses to look at?”
“On one condition.”
He smiled, waiting for my demands.
“I pick the listings we go see. No more golf course-sex dens.”
“Fair enough. I would hate to waste your time.” He smirked.
We both sat there, silently enjoying our meal, no longer needing the small talk. It was a comfortable silence I don’t think either of us was in a hurry to end.
“You ready, sweetheart?” he asked after the waitress removed our plates.
I nodded, taking one last sip of my water, before sliding out of the booth.
“Logan!”
I turned to the voice I immediately recognized and saw Julia…with Mark at her side. My stomach sank at the sight, but it was his hand wrapped around her waist that sent the blood rushing to my ears, muffling the voices around me. Every inch of my body stiffened, my skin buzzing to life.
“Cassandra, hi.”
My voice abandoned me, leaving me standing painfully still searching my vocabulary and drawing a blank.
Her eyes flickered to my split lip. “Oh my God! What happened?”
The urge to speak was overwhelmed by my stunned disbelief that Mark was truly standing in front of me. It had been so long and now…of all the days…and with Julia. I couldn’t breathe. In a moment of panic, I inhaled a sharp ragged breath, which only worsened my struggle.
Logan spoke but it was only mumbles in the background. Whatever he said, Julia offered me a sympathetic smile that only added to my torture. Mark was really here and seeing me with a busted face. He would probably laugh when it got around town that it was my own fault, I practically walked right into Kurt’s fist. My shoulders began to ache from my rigid posture and it took all my strength to lift my foot and shift my weight. I needed to move, do something to prove this was really happening.
Julia’s high-pitched voice broke through my agonizing haze and I managed to hear at least a part of the conversation going on around me.
“…introduce you guys,” Julia was speaking to Logan, at least I assumed she was.
“Logan this is Mark. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now.” I swallowed my throat painfully dry. Breathe, in and out. I reminded myself over and over again as Julia continued. “Mark this is my wonderfully sweet, big brother, Logan.”
Mark held out his hand for Logan to shake and my gaze fell upon it. The mere thought of Mark and Logan ever touching caused my stomach to plummet. Suddenly lightheaded I reached out to brace myself on the end of the booth. Logan’s warm hand was instantly on my back, steadying me, but I couldn’t pull my stare from Mark’s extended hand to look up. Oh God, I must look like an idiot, I realized.
“Glad to finally meet you. Julia talks a lot about you.” Mark’s voice ripped through me. Memories of that once soothing tone haunted me, drawing out my fury.
Logan never shook Mark’s hand but I was too queasy at that point to read into why. The moment Mark pulled it away and tucked it back around Julia’s waist, my legs began to quiver and shake. I couldn’t stand there any longer.
“I gotta go,” I blurted out and raced past them, my heavy heart pounding against my chest, head blaring for me to move faster.
As I pushed with all my strength against the door, I stumbled, nearly falling to the pavement. A giant gulp of air washed through me and filled my lungs.