Billionaire's Single Mom

“How’s your daughter doing?” Logan said.

I looked up from the table and blinked. I hadn’t even realized I’d stop looking at him.

Whether or not he was interested in Juniper, at least the question gave me something else to focus on.

“She’s with Lionel for the week,” I said. I tried and failed to keep the venom out of my voice.

“You mentioned that when we set this up.” Logan’s gaze darkened. “He doesn’t mistreat her, does he?”

I shook my head. “He may be a bastard to adult women, but he’s always been sweet to Juniper. She’ll probably come home with another twenty pounds of LEGOs.”

“She likes LEGOs?”

“Oh, she’s crazy about them. Loves building all sorts of little things.” I let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“I miss her is all.”

“I understand. I miss my boys when I’m on trips.”

Boys? Talk about shock. Mama hadn’t mentioned anything about him having kids of his own. And he hadn’t mentioned it before.

“You have kids?”

He gave me an odd look and then grinned. “Oh, I can see how you’re confused. No, my boys are my two black labs.”

“Oh.” I smiled. “Juniper talks about getting a dog, but I want to wait until she’s a bit older.”

The light in his eyes as he spoke about his dogs moved me. I wasn’t sure what to think about Logan Hawkins, but the more I got to know him, the more depth and caring I found. For the first time that night, I relaxed.

* * *

The rest of the meal went smoothly. With my nerves under control, I could better taste the fish, even if my worries about getting drunk kept me to two glasses of wine.

I watched him as he spoke about a recent trip to England, liking his dimpled smile. All the stiffness and awkwardness I’d felt before had vanished, and I had to stop from getting lost in those dark eyes of his.

Maybe we did have chemistry. Even with a few glasses of champagne in me, I was still me. It wasn’t like I’d chosen to just kiss the first man I saw.

The waiter returned with Logan’s credit card and a receipt to sign.

“May I walk you to your car, Emily?”

“Thank you.”

Again, the perfect gentleman, he took my arm in his and led me out to the parking lot. I opened the door of my car and lingered there, waiting. For what? Not sure. A kiss, maybe?

“I had a good time,” he said.

“I did, too.” I cleared my throat. Juniper was with her father until Monday. We could easily go on another date. “So, about this weekend…”

He shook his head. “Sorry, I’m going to be away on a work trip.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.

Something in his eyes changed, and I wasn’t sure what it meant. His brush-off about the work made it clear this was a one-time thing. Maybe he hoped to find the same passion we’d had when kissing at the party.

Did he even have a trip? I didn’t know, but I did know I’d tried to reach out to him, and he’d shot me down immediately.