Meeting His Match (Single In the City 1)

Logan nodded. “All I need is to clinch these endorsements, keep the spotlight on us, and I really think it’ll happen.”

“By that, I assume you mean—”

“Marti and I need another date.” He set his own mug down and gestured with his hands. “Maybe there’s something I could offer her.”

Brittney snorted. “Nice try.”

Logan pressed his lips into a tight line, unamused. “Head out of the gutter, pl

ease.”

When Brittney crossed her arms, he continued. “If there’s something I could trade, a favor she needs in return, it would be the perfect arrangement. She scratches my back, and I’ll scratch hers. Marti doesn’t want a relationship, and I don’t want one with a woman so jaded. So there is zero chance we’d ever fall for each other. What would she have to lose?”

“Uh, her job.” Brittney widened her eyes and splayed her hands over the table in front of her like she was speaking to a child. “I hate to point out the obvious, but her entire life, both professional and personal, is built on being single.”

“She dates guys for her column all the time. We’ll give them a few good stories to get the media hounds howling and their tails wagging, and then we can be done. In the meantime, Hidden Heartbeat gets more attention, and she’ll be out nothing.”

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine what she’d want from you.”

Logan shot her a glare, and she raised her hands. “No offense.”

Logan shrugged. “There’s got to be something she wants that I can help with. I refuse to think otherwise. She can spin it to her advantage in the end, for all I care. As long as she doesn’t make me out to be a complete jerk, or cause me to lose endorsements, she can do with it whatever she wants. If you ask me, her column could use a little shaking up.”

Brittney arched a brow over her coffee cup. “And how exactly do you plan on getting her to agree to this?”

That part he hadn’t figured out yet. Maybe he could guilt her into it with his sob story about losing his mom?

Eh, Marti didn’t seem like the guilt-riddled type. Besides, she already heard the story, and it wasn’t like she’d melted into a puddle of sympathy at his feet.

Although, she did a marvelous job playing the part for the rest of the evening. A notion that still perplexed him, which led him to believe she also had an ulterior motive. He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Logan snatched one half of his sister’s bagel and crammed a third of it in his mouth.

“Hey!” She batted at his hand, but it was half-hearted.

The fact she didn’t rip it from his fingers spoke volumes. He could practically see her wheels churning as she tried to come up with an idea.

Brittney chewed on her lip. “You’re right. It might work. You just need the right spin . . .”

“Of course I’m right,” he said in between bites.

“There’s no way she’d ever get attached to you.”

Logan grimaced. “Gee, thanks. You’re full of compliments today.”

“You know what I mean,” she said, but he could tell she wasn’t done yet. “What about you, though?”

Logan ran a hand through his hair with a growl. This was far too much talking for a Sunday morning. “What about me?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“How would I get hurt? I told you, she’s not my type.” Not after Allison. He’d learned his lesson there.

“You’ve seen her.” Brittney eyed the picture of Marti staring up at them.

Logan’s lips twisted. “And I’m Quasimodo?”

“You know what I mean. She’s . . .” She trailed off, then glanced up at him, her expression earnest. “She’s enigmatic. Special. Promise me you won’t fall in love with her.”