Meeting His Match (Single In the City 1)

o whatever she wanted because I liked seeing her happy. I guess it kind of stuck. After I left for college, she was alone. I don’t know, it’s the least I can do.”

Logan’s gaze softened. “What about your dad? Will you see him?”

Marti glanced away, uncomfortable, her throat inexplicably tight. She never talked about him. Not with anyone. Even with Caroline and Mel, she avoided diving in too deep. “Probably not.”

“Because . . .?”

When she didn’t answer, Logan spread his arms out. “Marti, come on. Give me something here. It’s been three weeks since we’ve been together; I think you can do better than two-word answers.

Not really together, Marti wanted to tell him. “We don’t have a very good relationship. I guess you could say it’s strained. When he tried to come back into my life after high school, I didn’t even want to talk to him. I ignored him mostly. But after a while, I gave in. My mother convinced me to at least talk with him, so eventually, we established what I’d consider a cordial relationship. We talk.” Rarely. “And see each other for big events. Birthdays and Christmas, but Thanksgiving is spent with my mom, always my mom.”

Because her mother was the one person she could always rely on, the one in her life she was most grateful for. Spending even part of it with him would feel like a lie.

“Do you think it’s expected that you and I spend it together?” he asked, gesturing between them.

He brought up a good point. If they were truly serious about each other in real life, they would certainly see each other over the holiday. Wouldn’t they? For the sake of her column, she should, but she was starting to rethink whether this was a good idea. Maybe the whole fake-relationship thing had gone on long enough. More and more, she found herself thinking about Logan throughout the day when her mind should be elsewhere. And since the day in Central Park, she found his company to be less grating, welcome even. And those kinds of feelings were bound to lead to trouble.

But she wasn’t the one calling the shots. Blue was. And before she could change course, she needed her approval.

“I think it’s fine if we spend it apart,” she said, screwing up her face and shrugging off his suggestion.

Logan nodded as if he expected this answer, which annoyed her. “Well, just try not to miss me too much McBride.” He smiled. “But if you do, just picture me as one of those guys in those movies you love so much, preferably a tall, dark, and handsome one with swagger.”

Marti snorted and threw a chunk of cake at him. “With swagger? You’re such a dork,” she said, but she appreciated the levity, and it wasn’t lost on her that Logan always seemed to know how to open her up just enough without her shutting down.

MARTI FINISHED TYPING her latest article and sent it off for approval. With a sigh of relief, she packed her messenger bag with her favorite mug, her keys, and wallet, then turned to leave.

A scream ripped through her lungs. Laying her palm against her chest, she sucked in a breath and looked up into Blue’s scrutinizing gaze. “Crap. You scared me.”

“Congratulations.” Blue’s red lips cracked, forming a small smile and allowing Marti some relief. “You did it.”

“I did it?” A spike of adrenaline ramped up her spine.

“These last few weeks, especially, your ratings have soared. Your following has increased, your page reads have gone up, and even more people are following you on social media. Readers can’t get enough of Logarti.”

“Logarti?” Marti’s face twisted in confusion.

Blue sighed. “Logan and Marti, Logarti. It’s your ship name.

“Oh.” Well, that’s . . . Horrifying.

“I’m glad it worked,” Marti said. Though, a part of her hated that it had. Because it meant Blue was right. People had grown tired of her and her solo-act. Marti wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It was a little depressing and a lot disconcerting. What did that mean for the future of her column?

“I have to tell you; I wasn’t sure you had it in you. But you proved me wrong.”

“About that,” Marti said. “I’ve been thinking . . . maybe it’s time to call it quits, you know, now that we’ve got everyone’s attention, go back to the kind of content the Queen of Single is most famous for.”

Blue’s mouth parted and she leaned back from Marti like she had the plague, looking horrified. “Are you daft? It’s barely been a month. You can’t just end it now. You need to see this through.”

“Through to what?” she asked, trying to smother her panic.

“Well, I don’t know, but you need to let things run their course. It’s too soon to call it quits now. We’ve got new endorsements, thanks to you. We have jewelers beating down our door with requests for ring ads and—”

“Ring ads?” Marti’s stomach sank like a giant rollercoaster plunge.

“Engagement rings,” Blue said with a sweep of her hand. “And there are others. New opportunities are opening up, so as long as it benefits us, this remains. Logarti stays.”

“But—”