The Christmas Deal

Dale opened his mouth, but Seth quickly offered, “We’ll walk you out!” Between beige partitions, he could feel the eyes of coworkers, the floor unnaturally hushed as he and Jenna guided Angela and Dale back toward reception.

“How did you and your fiancé meet?” Angela asked as they passed Becky’s immaculate desk and approached the glass doors leading to the elevators. Becky sat almost comically straight, smiling with gleaming white teeth.

“We—Uh, we met through Jenna, actually.” Seth debated whether to dart ahead and open the door for Angela. Was that anti-feminist? Or rude not to? Dale wasn’t opening it for her. Should Seth—

In the time he was trying to decide, Angela had already pushed open the glass door. “Oh, here’s your fiancé now!”

As Seth attempted to process the cheery, absolutely horrifying words ringing in his ears, he stared at Logan Derwood. Logan was all scruffy and—wow, gorgeous—in his black leather jacket, somehow standing there in the flesh. In real life.

Seth prayed the polished tile beneath his feet would open up and swallow him whole in one merciful gulp.

Chapter Three

As the elevator doors slid shut behind him, cutting off the damn cheery instrumental version of “Jingle Bells,” Logan gripped Jenna’s car key in his pocket, the metal digging into his palm. At least if he dropped off the key early and bussed it back, he wouldn’t have to make conversation and pretend everything was fine and that he wasn’t about to be homeless.

“Oh, here’s your fiancé now!” a woman exclaimed. Small and aggressively blond, her teeth flashed in a blinding smile. Beside her was a tall, slim man with dark brown hair and blue eyes gone comically wide. The vaguely familiar man gaped at Logan as the woman stuck out her hand. “Logan, wasn’t it?”

He automatically shook her hand. “Uh, yes. Logan.” That part was right, although he sure as hell wasn’t anyone’s fiancé, least of all this stuffed shirt’s. Clothes perfectly ironed and tucked in, not a hair out of place. Although at the moment, the man’s face was bright red, and he looked as if he might puke all over the woman’s fancy stilettos.

Jenna and another man trailed them, Jenna’s frozen expression of horror making Logan tense. He hated seeing her upset. That’s when it clicked into place—the tall guy was Jenna’s co-worker. Her boss, maybe? Logan recognized him from the odd Facebook post.

Since Jenna and her boss didn’t seem able to do anything but stare mutely, and the short man only came to stand beside the blond woman with a passive expression, Logan was forced to speak. “Um, good to meet you…”

“Angela Barker from Dallas, Texas. President and CEO of BRK Sync, which owns Greenware now. I’m getting out in the field and meeting the family, like your fiancé. Seth was telling me about your wedding plans.”

“Was he?” Logan asked. Behind Angela, Jenna nodded frantically at him, making a rolling motion with her hand, gaze imploring. Logan tried to smile, glancing at this Seth, who appeared close to hyperventilating, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

What the fuck is all this?

Angela beamed. “I think it’s so wonderful you two will be creating a family with your son. Family first, I always say. Gay or straight!”

My son? He wanted to scoff as he thought of Connor’s hunched shoulders and hateful scowl. Shit, Logan just wanted to be alone, but Jenna pleaded with her eyes, and he couldn’t deny her anything.

He bit down the knee-jerk denial that he was gay and kept what he hoped was a friendly expression on his face. Clearly he’d been roped into some kind of weird scheme, although for the life of him he couldn’t guess what the hell it was about. Seth stood beside Angela with a rigid smile.

“And what do you do, Logan?” Angela asked.

There it was again, the shame somehow jaggedly icy yet burning as it ripped through him. I don’t do anything. I’m a useless waste of fucking space. He cleared his throat and said, “Railway work.” At least it had been true for more than ten years.

“Oh, how fascinating!” A gleam entered Angela’s eye. “You know, I have been on the road so much lately, and I would kill for a home-cooked meal.” She glanced at Seth. “What would you two say if I shamelessly invited myself over for dinner while I’m in town?”

Logan would say he had no fucking idea what was going on, but he only raised an eyebrow at Seth, who said, “Uh, th—that would be wonderful, Angela! It would be our pleasure.”

To the short young man in the suit, who was probably her assistant, Angela said, “Talk to Seth and schedule something for next week before the retreat.” She turned back to the rest of them. “I hope you’re as excited about the retreat as I am! Going to be fun for the whole family. I know I’m springing it on y’all, but I hope you can make it.”