I press my lips together in a smile to keep from saying what I really feel about that. This is Diana’s wedding weekend, bought and paid for. There’s no changing her mind now and making a scene would just be bitchy.
“You two work together?” Dad asks.
“Yeah,” I reply. “Logan owns the bar I work at.”
“Glad that Yale education I paid for is going to good use,” Dad laughs, but the joke falls flat…if you could consider that a joke at all.
“Danielle’s amazing,” Logan says quickly. “She already expanded the business and nearly doubled our sales.”
“Sounds like she should be a partner in this little venture. Though once you’re married, what’s yours is hers and what’s hers is yours. Though you have plenty of time to discuss that before the wedding.”
“We will.”
“Give me fair warning before I pay for another big wedding,” Dad says with a laugh again.
“I don’t want a big wedding,” I say.
“That’s good news for me.” Dad turns back to Logan. “All of us men are golfing after breakfast while the girls get their nails done or shop. I look forward to getting to know you more before you marry my daughter.”
I can see the horror flash on Logan’s face for only a second. Logan doesn’t golf. And he doesn’t hang out with pretentious, misogynist men who still brag about which Ivy League school they went to all these years later.
“Actually, Dad,” I start. “I was hoping to steal my fiancé so we could do a bit of exploring today.”
Dad looks from Logan to me. “All right. As long as you’re back in time for the rehearsal.”
“We will be.”
Diana calls Dad over, and I sink back into my seat. “I’ll do my best to keep him from badgering you the rest of the weekend,” I tell Logan.
“It’s fine. I mean, he thinks we’re getting married. It would be weird if he didn’t try to badger me.”
“That is true. We haven’t spoken much, but I know my dad does care and wants me to succeed. In life. His definition of success is different from mine, and that’s caused a lot of friction over the years.”
“What’s his definition of success?”
“Ivy League, grad school, and marrying someone who’s family has clout. A trust fund is an added bonus.”
Logan takes a drink and makes a face of disgust. “This is awful.”
“I’ll take it. The straight vodka burns.”
“Be my guest.” He hands me his mimosa and I take a sip.
“What is your definition of success?”
“Asking the tough questions today?” I raise my eyebrows and then let out a breath before taking a big drink. “I just want to be happy, and I don’t need some fancy job, a master’s degree or a Ph.D. to do that. And I’m not going to date—let alone marry—someone that looks good on paper but doesn’t make me happy either.” I look down the table at Diana and Peter.
His father is an oral surgeon. His older brother is a corporate lawyer. Peter works in advertising and works with high-paying clients. I would never say my sister is stupid. Makes stupid choices sometimes, yes…but don’t we all? She didn’t have the grades to get into Yale, even with my father’s connections. Marrying into a prestigious family is, in her eyes, one of her biggest accomplishments.
But she’s happy.
“Luckily all the attention is on Diana this weekend, and she will do everything she can to keep it that way. We have free time today and then it’s the rehearsal tonight and the wedding in the morning.”
“Right. We do have free time today.” His eyes meet mine. “How should we pass it?”
Heat rushes through me, and my throat is suddenly thick. Did he mean that to sound sexual or is my mind still stuck in the gutter? Because I’d really like to—stop.
I can’t. I shouldn’t.
But why the hell not?
He’s my best friend.
The only steady thing I have in this crazy world, and I can’t risk that.
I just can’t.Chapter 14LoganDanielle’s eyes close in a long blink, and she reaches for her drink again. It’s her go-to method when she’s stressed.
“We…we could…uh…sit at, the uh, beach.”
“Sure, if that’s what you want to do.”
“It would be relaxing.” Danielle’s gaze goes to her parents. Being around her family is bringing up all her insecurities. It’s hard sitting here and doing nothing when I see the vulnerability reflected in her eyes. Don’t go falling in love with me, Dawson. Her own words echo in my head.
I can’t pull her close and hold her tight. I can’t put my lips to hers, drinking her all in and telling her how she shouldn’t worry about comparing or measuring up because she’s one of the single most amazing women I’ve ever met.
“What about that Bamboo Forest you were talking about?” I ask.
Her lips start to curve in a smile. “You’d like to go?”