Simply Scandalous (Simply 2)

If she’d seen the news, Catherine had to minimize the damage. If Kayla had missed the local broadcast, then Catherine wanted to be the person to break the newest scandal to her sister. And to Kane. At the thought of the overprotective cop, Catherine winced.

She grabbed her purse and bolted outside. Until she’d made sure Kayla was okay, Catherine couldn’t think of the ramifications to herself. But she’d have to, and soon, she thought, fingering the tie still on her finger.

Not to mention the ramifications to her relationship with Logan.

* * *

“She’s not answering the phone, but I’d lay odds she’s there.” Logan muttered a frustrated curse.

“I don’t like this.” Emma paced the linoleum floor of his office. She’d arrived soon after him, shared coffee, and commiserated over his stint on television and social media. With his friends and colleagues ribbing him, he appreciated her support.

The sun shone brightly through the battered blinds, but Logan barely felt the heat. “I don’t like it, either,” he muttered.

“Call her again.”

“I’ve been calling on the hour since last night.”

Catherine hadn’t answered the phone. She hadn’t returned his calls. And he didn’t think she was coincidentally busy or out of touch.

His once-solitary life had become a recipe for disaster. Catherine, the only woman he’d ever fallen for, was the one woman who shouldn’t be subjected to the indignities of the media. The photo of Logan and Catherine on the beach had gone viral—all in record time. Logan hadn’t realized the public had such a raging interest in his sex life. It would almost be funny if the consequences weren’t so dire.

He grabbed for the phone and punched in her number once more.

“Is she in labor?” To his shock, Catherine’s concerned voice answered after the first ring.

“Cat?”

“Logan. I didn’t check the screen before I answered,” she said.

“You were expecting Kane.” It wasn’t a hard guess.

“Yes.”

He anticipated a strained silence to follow, but she continued to speak instead. “To be honest, now’s not a good time.”

Not that he liked what she had to say. “Gossip stinks, Cat, but it has nothing to do with us.”

He heard a distinctive beep and knew she’d gotten another call on the line. He muttered a curse.

“What’d she say?” Emma asked, leaning too close to the phone.

He shooed her away and she went gracefully, seating herself in the old chair across from his desk. One good thing that had come out of this fiasco was Emma’s new-found grace, dignity, and respect for his private life.

“I’ve got to go,” Catherine said.

“Take the call and come back to me. I’ll hang on.” He knew how important her sister was in her life. Although Logan wouldn’t stand in the way of her obvious fear and concern, he wouldn’t cut her loose without a fight, either.

“I can’t think about myself now.”

The question was would she think about them later or would she use this time to retreat further away? He drew a deep breath, then another, ignoring his hovering grandmother.

He had no choice but to grab opportunity when he had the chance. “Then think about this. I love you.”

Her soft gasp of shock was cut off by the damned insistent call-waiting. “I can’t do this now. I’m sorry. Goodbye, Logan.”

“Just think about it, Cat.”

“I can’t.” The phone intruded again. “I’m hanging up now,” she said before severing the connection.