The girl gave her grandmother a contrite look before winking at Agnes and making a call-me gesture with her hand.
“You do realize I’m standing right here, don’t you?” Logan said. “And we’re going to talk about all of this tonight when I get home.”
“Bummer.” Darcy’s whole body slumped as she dragged herself from the room, leaving Agnes alone with her father.
“You were no help at all,” she told him.
“You didn’t need my help. But I do wish you’d asked how much was in the envelope every month because I’d like to know what Bernadette considered a reasonable tip.”
“That woman is more work than she’s worth.”
“Maybe, but I think you’re more than capable of sorting her out.” He stepped into her space, but Agnes retreated to the other side of her desk.
“You realize we still have the stolen jewelry and booze from the bar to account for,” she said, her gaze fixed on the desk. Not on the man who’d been kissing her senseless an hour earlier. “I don’t think your mother and her crew were responsible for those.”
“Probably not.” He folded his arms and considered her. “What’s going on now?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she lied.
“Aye. You do. One minute you’re melting in my arms, the next you’re an iceberg. I deserve to know what’s happening here.”
Sadly, he was right. “I can’t do this thing.” She motioned between them. “You have permanent written all over you, and I’m not staying in Scotland.”
“I’m not looking for anything long term.”
She gestured toward the door, where his daughter had disappeared seconds earlier. “Little Miss Curiosity says otherwise.”
“She misses having a mum, but that doesn’t affect us. When I say I’m not looking for long term, I mean that I’m not going to ask something from you that you aren’t willing to give. You’ve made it plain you don’t want to stay in Scotland. I respect that. The kids knowing about you doesn’t change anything.”
Oh, he was fooling himself more than she’d thought. “Yes. It really does. Maybe you should ask Lake to assign someone else to work with me. I think it would be for the best.”
“No.” He shook his head determinedly. “No. This is bullshit. You’re just using this as an excuse to retreat. I don’t know why, but I know you are. You might not believe me when I say I’m not looking for something serious, but it’s the truth.”
He rounded the desk to stand in front of her before putting his hands on her shoulders. And weak as she was, she couldn’t move away from him.
“Contrary to what my daughter told you, I’ve had my fair share of relationships since the divorce. The kids just don’t know about them. All of those relationships were casual and, if I’m honest, pretty empty. But I’m used to situations that end.” He cupped her cheek, staring into her eyes with such intensity she could see her reflection shining back at her. “Do I think there’s the possibility we could have a future together? Aye, I do. I think there’s something between us, something that could be special if we let it grow. But I also know that you have different plans for your life.”
“Logan,” she tried to cut him off before he cracked open her heart with his words.
He shook his head to stop her. “Before we married, my ex-wife told me she didn’t think she wanted kids. I thought she was too young to know her own mind, that she’d change it once she saw how good we were together. I was young, stupid, and wrong. It’s not a mistake I’ll make again. I believe you when you say you’re leaving and that you’re only here for the year. What I’m asking for is a chance to spend that year with you.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Our chemistry is off the charts, we have fun together, and I even appreciate that violent streak of yours. But I’ve grown up a lot since my divorce, and I won’t ask anything of you that you aren’t willing to give.”
Damn, listening to him offer her everything she wanted was agony. “The kids…”
“Let me worry about my kids. I’m their father. If you want to explore this thing between us, then we’ll keep it to ourselves—for however long it lasts. The question is, what do you want?”
Chapter 11
‘What do you want?’
Logan’s words tormented Agnes through the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. After he’d finished his speech, he’d given her the gentlest kiss, then told her to call him when she made up her mind.
Men.
They were genetically programmed to know exactly what to say and do to drive women mad. Now, instead of getting on with her work and straightening out Dougal’s hotel, she was spending her time thinking about Logan.
It just wasn’t fair.
Needing some fresh air, she took her late lunch down to the loch and stared out over the water, her brain replaying Logan’s question over and over.