My Best Friend's Boyfriend

Maybe I’d still have my best friend.

I sat at my desk, trying to focus on my tasks for the day. The settlement meeting was coming up, and my boss had ordered me to clear my schedule for all day Friday, which meant I had a great deal of catching up to do when it came to the work I had to get done. Clearing a day as a project manager meant cutting corners on designs in the hopes that other companies wouldn’t consider it a sloppy job but simply something that needed to be expanded upon. It was a fine dance I did with grace and poise, but with the distraction of Logan’s voice running through my mind, everything was harder. Much harder.

My eyes kept fluttering up to the clock. Ten fifteen. Ten forty-three. Eleven thirteen. The minutes dragged on, and part of me hoped that when I looked back up at the clock, it would tell me I had worked through lunch. But every time I looked up, the only thing it reminded me of was the fact that I had to take lunch.

And I really wanted to take it with Logan.

“Logan Foster.”

“Hey, Logan.”

“Ava?”

I grinned at the sound of his voice as I sat back in my seat.

“Good morning. How are you?” he asked.

“Don’t sound so shocked to hear from me,” I said, snickering.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I would.”

My grin slowly slid from my face as I drew in a deep breath.

“Listen, I’m sorry about dodging your calls and texts. It’s just—”

“You owe me no explanation, Ava.”

“I really do, Logan.”

“Then give it to me over lunch today.”

“That’s in, like, fifteen minutes,” I said.

“Lucky it only takes me three to get down to our café.”

I smiled at the phrase. Our café. “I’ll see you there,” I said.

“Two cheese danishes and a mocha coffee?” he asked.

“Logan, you don’t have to buy me—”

“I’ll see you down there soon. I can’t wait to talk to you.”

As quickly as it had taken me to call him, he hung up.

After finishing up a few last-minute details, I packed up some folders and dropped them off with my boss. I clocked out for lunch and made my way downstairs, then took my time crossing the road. I had to gather my thoughts and prepare myself for this conversation. Logan may have felt like he owed me an apology, but what he really needed was an explanation. I’d been going back and forth for days on whether or not to tell him about my encounter with Camilla at the club, and I had come to the conclusion that he needed to know.

He needed to know why we wouldn’t work.

Logan’s hug was warm, long, and tender. It took all I had not to melt into his embrace and cave to his every whim. His strong arms blanketed my back and his chin settled right on top of my head. Everything about him made me feel beautiful and safe. He pulled my chair out for me, and I sat down in front of the two things I enjoyed the most: hot cheese danishes and a mocha.

Well, three things since Logan was in front of me as well.

“How are you, Ava?” he asked as he leaned forward. He rested his forearms on the table he had snagged for us in the back and stared directly into my eyes.

“I’m not going to lie. I’ve been better,” I said.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“I owe it to you to talk about it, yes.”

“You owe me nothing, Ava. I’m worried about you.” He reached out to take my hand, and I almost let him. Almost.

I slipped my hands into my lap and looked away from his stare. I couldn’t bear to see the hurt, the pain. I didn’t want to do this to him. He was such a good guy. He was kind, romantic, and sweet—so sweet. He was strong, and sexy beyond all belief. I felt as if I could trust Logan. as if I could rely on him. But between Camilla’s comparisons and Hunter’s words of advice, I couldn’t help but feel as if maybe they held some sort of truth. Sure, one set of words might have been spoken in anger and the other in disbelief, but that didn’t make them any less accurate.

“Ava, I owe you an apology for everything that’s happened,” Logan said.

“You really don’t,” I said.

“But I do. I’m partially responsible for the fallout between you and Camilla.”

“No. Camilla is responsible for that.”

“But I didn’t help matters.”

“You really didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Ava, when we agreed to keep this a business thing, I should have been man enough to stick to my word. I pride myself on being able to keep my word, to do what I say I’m going to do and never sway from that. But I swayed with you, big time. And while I don’t regret it, that action is what swept you up into the current of all this.”