“Oh? That’s it?”
“I can see where she’s coming from.”
“Where’s that?”
I try to turn in my seat to face him fully. My body objects to the movement, and I have to settle for turning my head. “Do you like her, Logan? Really like her?”
“Yes, she’s a cool girl. I enjoy spending time with her.”
“I think it goes deeper for her. I can’t say for sure, because I’ve only been around her a few times, but her face lights up when she talks about you, and she gets this expression. It’s hard to explain. It’s a woman thing, but I can see how she would be hurt when she learned Nick was invited and she wasn’t.”
“Bringing her home with me is a huge step.”
“That’s exactly the way I feel about bringing Nick. It makes a statement.”
“Yeah, but you two are crazy about each other. There’s no questioning his commitment to you.”
It always feels good to hear those words, even though Nick has left no room for doubt. Suddenly, I feel sorry for Melanie, because Logan’s obviously not in the same place.
“Maybe you should tell her, Logan. Don’t string her along. A few months of dating isn’t that long, but she’s looking at the future.”
“Shit.” He scrubs his hands down his face. “That’s not exactly what I wanted to hear.”
I pat his arm, giving him a sympathetic grin. “I’m here if you want to talk.”
“Thanks, but dissecting my relationship with my baby sister isn’t exactly something I’m comfortable with.”
“Just let me know. “
“Actually, there’s something else I wanted to discuss with you. Something private.” His voice goes low with a seriousness I haven’t heard in a long time.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “What?”
“I know last night wasn’t your fault, but it can’t happen again. You need to think of your reputation and your future. If word got out that you were in a smack down at a public sporting event, there’s no chance of getting accepted to the Art Program.”
My heart sinks at the mention of the program. I’ve been internalizing it quietly for the past few weeks, and the thought of getting in still sends a thrill of excitement through me. But leaving Nick makes my stomach turn. This is not something I’m ready to share with Logan.
“It won’t happen again, Logan.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. After last night, I may never be allowed to sit in the stands again.”
Logan laughs, passing his finger over the bruise at my hairline. “Good, Grace. Glad to know you can behave.”
He stands, moving back to his own seat. Nick is at my side a few seconds later with his phone in hand.
“Bizzy has sent me a few messages, the last one saying to check your email.”
I log onto the in-flight Wi-Fi and see two emails from her. The first one is her checking on me and making sure we made our flight okay. The second is entirely more detailed.
Grace,
You are already airborne, but I wanted to check in. I texted Nick until he finally replied and said everything was okay. He assured me he wasn’t too hard on you.
Thought you’d want to know, it’s official. Mathis finally got his shit together. Claire is no longer in the friend-zone. I’m not sure what made him finally step up, but Shaw told me Mathis was a different kind of pissed when he heard we were in trouble. He said, and I quote, “Claire’s ass is going to be on fire when I finish with her. What the hell was she thinking?”
So, of course, I called her this morning and woke her up. Mathis was in the background, rumbling up a storm.