Logan laughs. He’s shaking his head at me. My answer wasn’t the right one, apparently. “You want to know the actual problem?”
I lean against the back of the barstool and resist the urge to clasp my hands behind my head. “Yes, please tell me why I don’t have a girlfriend, oh wise one.”
“Women love you.”
“Ah, yep—there’s the problem. Can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
He holds up his hand. “Let me finish.” I nod for him to go ahead. “Every woman you meet falls at your feet and worships you from the minute you’re introduced. Take those three ladies, for instance,” he says, nodding to somewhere over my shoulder. “They’ve been undressing you with their eyes since we sat down.”
I glance back, and yeah, a small group of women in low-cut dresses have their eyes locked on me. Their targets are set, and I probably have a little red dot in the center of my forehead.
When I accidently make eye contact with them, all three ladies sit up straighter and toss their most sultry smiles at me. They might have all arrived together, but they’re sending out some serious I-will-ditch-you-for-him-in-a-heartbeat vibes. I don’t want to be rude, so I give them a tight smile and lift my glass in silent cheers. The middle one licks her lips, and I make a mental note to keep a wide berth of her on my way out.
“See what I mean? Beautiful ladies are smiling at you, and you’re scowling at your glass. You hate it.”
“What are you trying to say, you think I’m gay?”
He chuckles. “No. I think you want a challenge, and women like that bore you. I think you’ve never been able to get over the one woman who would rather slap you than kiss you.”
And I think he’s right.
Women like the ones who fill the bar tonight don’t appeal to me. Never have. And as girly as it makes me feel to admit it, I don’t appreciate being hunted for my looks or my success. Eyes up here, ladies. I need someone who challenges me. Someone who makes me want to come home from the restaurant early at night. Someone who calls me out when I’m wrong.
And I don’t think I need to tell you whose face pops in my mind when I ask myself if I’ve ever met a woman like that.
“Why haven’t you visited her before now?” Logan asks because he can read my mind.
I rub the back of my neck. “I don’t know. It never seemed like the right time.”
“But you’ve thought about visiting her before?”
“I mean…yeah. I’ve wanted to see her. Does that shock you?”
“No. So why haven’t you?”
“I’ve just been focusing on my career and…”
“And what?” Goodness, he’s inquisitive today.
I sigh before I speak again, because there’s nothing I hate more than admitting my feelings when they make me sound like a coward. “I guess, I knew she wouldn’t be happy to see me. It was hard to convince myself to face a woman that I crushed on for years that only hated my guts in return.”
“Well, in all fairness, she’s always thought you hated her, too.”
Logan downs his drink, and I want to keep talking about June and find out what she’s been up to all these years, but he closes up the subject, and it feels weird to force it. So, instead, the conversation moves to his and Stacy’s plans for the future. I do a pretty good job of avoiding any thoughts of June until Logan tells me they are moving to California after the wedding and Stacy is selling her half of Darlin’ Donuts. My mind is all too happy to race back to June, and I wonder if she’s feeling crushed right now. I know how much Stacy means to her.
Maybe I’ll go by her place and see how she’s doing. Although, she’ll probably just think it’s some kind of trap and I’m actually only there to set a mouse loose in her house. I did that once in high school, so her guess wouldn’t be all that misguided. But then I look down at my phone and see that it’s almost eleven o’clock. Too late for house calls.
“Are you going to go after her?” Logan asks.
“Will you stop reading my thoughts? It’s annoying.”
He laughs. “Then stop wearing your feelings on your face. You’re smirking like the devil. The only time I ever see you look like that is when June is around. So, are you going for her?”
“Am I insane to say yes?” Even without Logan answering, I know the answer is yes. Nuts. Out of my mind.
I still have to decide if I’m going to take the job in Chicago. If I do, I won’t even have any time for June. I’ll barely have time to eat and sleep. Is that what I want? I’ve been working my butt off to get to this exact place in my career, but it doesn’t feel like I thought it would now that I’m here. Turns out, it’s lonely at the top.
“Insane? No. Unlikely that you’ll succeed? Yes. The way she’s talked about you over the years, I’d think drowning puppies is you