He has an athletic build with well-defined muscles from what I can see. And the longer I sit across from him, the more he looks exactly like Lola. I can’t quite work it out, perhaps it’s the light eyes or the way their faces are contoured.
Emerson and Logan have something unique about their relationship, something I haven’t seen before, like he knows what she’s thinking, or she pre-empts his next move when grabbing the last turkey sandwich. They constantly argue, laugh equally, and despite the occasional heated tension, I enjoy being in their company.
I let out a yawn unexpectedly, covering my mouth and apologizing for my poor manners.
“Late night?” Emerson grins while ripping a piece of lettuce out of her sandwich.
“Just a tad over my bedtime.” I don’t want to appear rude or grouchy, offering a weak smile before pouring myself a much-needed coffee and adding a double dose of sugar, hoping for a rush.
Logan begins to tell us about his trip to Brazil, what it’s like to coach a bunch of teenage boys and the pressure of mentoring them. Somewhere during the conversation, I zone out.
Last night wasn’t what I’d expected.
He didn’t touch me.
Not a single time after the moment he asked me to stay.
We sat in his den, watching a black-and-white movie play on the screen. It wasn’t romantic, it wasn’t sexual, it wasn’t anything.
We had moments when we watched quietly, engrossed in the storyline. Moments when we spoke about the scene that had just finished or some random topic he would bring up, and somewhere during the night, I fell asleep on the brown leather sofa only to wake in the early morning covered by a blanket.
Wesley was nowhere to be seen.
His housekeeper woke me up, speaking her native Spanish. I couldn’t understand a word. It took me ten minutes to figure out she was offering me breakfast, and that’s only because she dragged me to the kitchen.
Wesley didn’t leave a note, nothing to tell me why he left. I didn’t know what to feel.
His company comforted me in ways I never imagined a stranger could. Then he goes and does something like this—abandonment.
I’m left questioning what last night meant. But I give up when my brain begins to hurt, and conclude that I’m just convenient for him, and in the end, he simply lost interest.
“Drink up, you need a caffeine hit if we’re going to get through these contracts.” Emerson creates a pile for me and opens the first page. “So, Wesley said nothing in the meeting?”
“Not really. Jeff kind of spoke and Wesley just sat.”
“How predictable,” Logan snarks.
Emerson raises one eye at him, quick to ignore his childish comment and move on.
“I thought he would sign it over.”
“The business?” I’m confused by her question, and maybe the whole situation. “He mentioned nothing of the sort. I mean, he seemed distracted.”
I said too much. I sensed it when Logan’s brows raised. Emerson looks disappointed. I’m not the type of person to pry, but I had managed to foolishly spend the night with a stranger. A man who held secrets that Emerson looked like she knew.
This business arrangement of theirs makes no sense. She doesn’t want to work with him, and he seems uninterested.
Logan taps his knuckles on the table, his fist curling into a tight ball driven by frustration and anger. “I don’t understand why you don’t just let go. We’ve got money.”
“Because I built this from nothing. I can’t just give up…”
His stare is anything but sympathetic. It’s cold and unforgiving. “It’s like you don’t want to let go.”
“Logan,” she warns. “Not again. Please.”
It’s like a car crash. You want to turn around because watching is painful, but at the same time you need to know if the victim pulls through. Logan drops the subject, and Emerson is quick to talk about something else.
For the next thirty minutes, we go through the contracts, highlighting questions for Jeff. We talk until the baby wakes, and Emerson leaves the table to retrieve her. With Logan busy on his cell, I decide to check mine.