by Robyn Neeley
Sarah’s chest tightened. Oh God, she knows I had sex with Ryan. No, it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t like Sarah was sporting a large neon sign advertising that she’d slept with the guy. She set her sandwich down. “Oh, it’s not like that. We’re just friends.”
“He deserves happiness. He’s always looked out for my son.”
Her insides warmed at Mrs. Scott’s declaration that Ryan deserved happiness. Ryan did deserve the best. He was the kind, decent, protective man that looked after the people in his life.
Was she one of them? She took a sip of her drink. Ryan had revealed on their way up to Westbrook how Logan had shown him and his sister kindness. She wanted to know the other side of it. “I take it Ryan and Logan were pretty close growing up.”
“Inseparable.” Mrs. Scott reached for a sugar cookie. “Logan was a bit awkward as a child. He was picked on by all the other kids. His father and I had countless meetings with the school’s headmaster.”
She nibbled on her cookie and continued, “He and Ryan were already best friends, but when the teasing started, Ryan really took my son under his wing, making sure he wasn’t getting his lunch stolen or being shoved into his locker.”
“I’m so sorry.” Sarah’s heart melted at the image of a young Ryan looking out for his best friend in the Westbrook Academy halls.
“Kids can be so cruel at that age. We were blessed when Ryan and his mother and sister came into our lives, in more ways than one.” She took off her glasses, eyes misty. “Ryan’s always putting others ahead of himself. Have you met his sister?”
“Bridget? Yes, but only briefly.” Sarah’s cheeks heated at the memory of Bridget walking in on her and Ryan. “She sends Ryan to work with all kinds of desserts.”
“Have you tried her strawberry lemon bars?”
“Oh my gosh. They’re my favorite.”
Logan’s mom beamed. “That’s my recipe! I taught her how to make them when she was nine.” She chuckled. “I’m glad she’s doing better.”
“Better?”
“She left Westbrook for Hollywood years ago, but it didn’t work out, and she wound up flat broke and homeless. He took her in and helped her straighten out her life.”
Sarah’s belly fluttered at Ryan’s display of love and caring for his sister. She hadn’t known about Bridget’s past, but it certainly explained his need to check in on her as soon as they’d gotten back to his apartment.
Sarah finished her sandwich and grabbed a sugar cookie shaped as a snowman. “You probably know all about his relationship with Melanie?”
Logan’s mom nodded. “She certainly did a number on him, that one.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Do you ever think he’ll be ready for a relationship?”
From the curious look Mrs. Scott was now giving her, she added quickly, “Not with me. We’re good friends.” She paused, adding, “But as his friend, I’d love to see him find someone that he might like to…um…share malt balls with.”
Mrs. Scott chuckled. “He’s still eating that candy?”
“Every day.”
She shook her head. “I used to tell him his teeth would rot. Anyway, to answer your question, I do think he’ll be ready one day”—she laughed—“to share his malt balls.”
Sarah grinned, and her insides warmed.
As Sarah and Logan’s mom continued to talk, a staff member came up to the table and politely interrupted, asking if they could steal Mrs. Scott away for a quick interview for the hospital newsletter.
Mrs. Scott stood, straightening her white apron and adjusting her gray wig. “Duty calls. Thank you, again, for joining me today, Sarah.” She winked. “Maybe you can get back to the office in time to have dessert.”
Sarah smiled, a blush easily coming on. Logan might be Mrs. Scott’s offspring, but she also seemed to be Ryan’s lead cheerleader.
She gathered her belongings and brought her trash to a nearby garbage can. Ryan was all the wonderful things Mrs. Scott believed he was, but no amount of cheerleading on the sidelines could change the fact that Ryan Wright wasn’t looking for a relationship.
Chapter Sixteen
Sarah climbed over the boxes in the supply closest. “Whose brilliant idea was it to stuff the decorations way up there? Obviously, a tall person.”
The time she’d spent with Mrs. Scott passing out gifts had put her in such a festive mood that she’d decided to get started on holiday party preparations.
She’d admit it. The only reason she’d volunteered to go earlier had been to avoid having lunch with Ryan, because she honestly didn’t know if she could. Maybe with some distance, things could go back to normal, but right now all she could think about was how their night together couldn’t happen again.
It certainly didn’t help that Logan had not only suggested a second date in front of Ryan this morning but had also mentioned it when she’d returned. He’d brought her a cup of coffee and asked if she’d like to go to the movies this weekend.
Two weeks ago, her heart would have been skipping at the prospect of sharing buttery popcorn with Logan in a dark movie theater.
But two weeks ago, she hadn’t had the best sex of her life with his best friend.
She’d made up some excuse that she had plans to see The Nutcracker with her roommate and hightailed it out of there, saying she needed to get started on pulling out all of the Christmas decorations for the holiday party.
So now she was in the storage room hiding from Ryan…or maybe Logan. At this point, it was really a toss-up.
She stretched on her tippy-toes and pulled down one box, then a second. Organizing the decorations was exactly what she needed to take her mind off things. She’d get everything sorted, from the multicolored lights to the silver-and-gold garland to all the pretty ornaments, and then tomorrow, she’d enlist a couple staff members to help her decorate the cafeteria and put up their eco-friendly tree that was being delivered in the morning from a Long Island organic tree farm.
This year, in addition to the Secret Santa exchange, Logan had asked her to arrange for the staff to walk uptown to see the Rockefeller Tree. Since he’d announced the outing, she’d envisioned what it would be like to be arm in arm with him, humming Christmas carols, all warm and jolly from spiked eggnog.
She ripped open the first box containing ornaments. What would it be like to take that stroll with Ryan instead? She stopped for a second, letting her mind wander.
There would be a chill in the air, as snowflakes fell from the sky. Not enough to ruin their outing, but just enough to make it feel Christmassy. She’d be bundled up in her ivory coat with her red scarf and matching hat. He’d be wearing his long black wool coat that he always looked so handsome in with his Burberry scarf.
They’d hang back, letting the rest of the group go far ahead, stopping several times for Ryan to point out the architecture of various iconic buildings, including the New York Public Library. He’d reach into his coat and pull out a small bag of malt balls, offering her one. They’d hold hands, and their fingers would be threaded the same way they’d been when they’d made l—
She straightened, slamming the stop button on that daydream. Stop it. It hadn’t been lovemaking. Okay, maybe it had been for her, but it hadn’t for him.
And now Corrine had Ryan’s number, and by now, he’d probably already set up their second date. A date where Sarah wouldn’t be there to run interference.
She let out a frustrated sigh and began riffling through the ornaments. How had her life gotten so far off course? Two weeks ago, the plan, the only plan, had been to win Logan’s heart.
It was going brilliantly. She’d be a fool not to say yes to his invitation for a second date.
That visual didn’t produce one single tingle. Not one.
She pulled out a pretty white snowflake, holding it in the palm of her hand, her thoughts easily going back to Ryan.
How was it she’d never realized how protective and loyal he was to his family and friends? She hadn’t known
about his sister hitting rock bottom in California or that Logan had been bullied in high school, but now that she did, she could totally see how easily Ryan had played the role of white knight, coming to their aid. Maybe he had big-time commitment issues, but that didn’t make him less than the caring man he was, did it?
She did an about-face, because hiding in a closet from Ryan was silly. She needed to see him. It was time to be honest and admit how awesome she thought he was and every other emotion she was feeling from the kiss on the football field to their night together.
If he didn’t feel the same way, so be it. At least he’d know.
She rushed to the door, running smack into Logan. “Hi. Sorry,” she said. “Did you need me for something?”
“No. I got done with my meeting a few minutes early and wanted to see if you could use my help.”
Of course you’re here, because now that I don’t want you to flirt with me, all you want to do is flirt with me! She smiled and stepped back in. “Sure.”
“Where do you want me to start?”
“There’s a box of lights right up there.” She pointed to the top shelf against the wall. “If you wouldn’t mind grabbing it.”
“Sure thing.” He rolled up his white sleeves. “Have you found my dad’s crazy decorations?”
“The silver-and-gold T squares and protractors?”
“Classic ornaments for architects.” He pulled the box of lights down, setting it near her.
She snickered. “No. Actually, I haven’t.”
“My dad used to love these holiday parties. He would talk about them after the fact for months.”
“Were they as crazy as the last two?”
“Even more, I’m sure. It’s why I kept his tradition of doing them in the cafeteria and not a bar or restaurant. My dad liked having the whole team together, celebrating the company’s successes under their roof, as he liked to call it.”
“Their roof?”
“He truly believed this place only existed because of the people inside it.” He maneuvered to the other side of the room, pulling a lid off a huge plastic container. “It’s the reason I changed the company name. To honor my dad’s legacy.”
Sarah cocked her head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“NPH are the first three letters of the three staff members who were here when it all began—Nancy, Paul, and Hillary.”
Sarah studied her boss, genuinely touched by what he’d revealed. His devotion to this company and his dad’s memory shined through. He really was an outstanding guy. One day, he’d make some woman happy, just not her. “You really are a great leader.”
“Thank you. I do my best.”
“So, the rumor of you losing a bet to Neil Patrick Harris isn’t true?”
“No. I know that might be disappointing to hear.” He chuckled and rummaged through the ornaments.
“Any luck finding your dad’s decorations?” she asked.
“No, I don’t see them.”
“Try the big green container by the exit. I bet they’re in there.” She nodded toward the door and got started on untangling the lights. “Who the hell put these away last year?” Her voice rose as she attempted to untwist the lights but was only making it worse. “Dammit. It’s like they threw them in the box.”
Logan maneuvered to the door, shutting it.
Sarah whipped around, causing the lights to get further tangled around her waist. “Dammit. Wait. What are you doing?”
“It’s probably better to have this closed if the decorations are going to get such a rise out of you. I don’t need human resources demanding my assistant take an anger-management class.”
“No more swearing, I promise. But seriously, this is ridiculous. Who didn’t coil these up before storing them away?” She attempted to detangle herself, unable to figure out where the lights started and where they ended.
He came over and reached for the strand, holding it up so that she could move under it. “Guilty. I put all the decorations away last year.”
“What? You did?” She stopped spinning around and blinked. “Why?”
Giving a hearty chuckle, he found the opening, and brought it down, motioning for her to step through. “Because a certain assistant of mine was fast asleep in my office and wasn’t available to show me the proper way to store them.”
She shot back up and teetered on her heels, her cheeks warming. “You saw that?”
“I see a lot. I notice a lot, too. You’re beautiful when you blush,” he said, reaching out and stroking her cheek with the back of his knuckle.
Oh, God, no. Logan’s going to kiss me. Sarah stood, paralyzed. This couldn’t be happening.
You’re not the man I’ve fallen for.
…
Ryan turned the corner for the supply closet for a replacement toner cartridge for his printer. After returning from Vert Tower, he’d spent the afternoon working on final designs for the five floors that would be available to lease this summer. He’d turned up Pandora and had gotten to work, a welcome distraction to keep him from thinking about Sarah and where she’d spent her day.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like the idea of her spending time with Mrs. Scott. He liked it very much. Logan’s mom was like his second mother and had always been good to him.
From his many conversations with Sarah, he knew she missed her parents. Mrs. Scott would, no doubt, be welcomed into Sarah’s life, but therein lay the problem. What if they got along so well that Mrs. Scott came to her own conclusion that Sarah would be perfect for her son?
He shook his head. If Sarah and Logan’s inevitable coupling was going to happen, maybe it should go ahead and happen already.
What he needed to do was stop obsessing over what he couldn’t control and focus on what he could. He pulled out his phone, tapping on his text messages. Corrine had sent him a text an hour ago asking if he’d like to get together for happy hour. He hadn’t responded.
One drink could be fun, and she did deserve some sort of an explanation for his bailing on their date, or at the very least an in-person apology. After all, she probably wondered why he didn’t simply return to the restaurant after taking Sarah home.
He started to tap a yes but stopped. Was it really fair to lead Corrine on when he had feelings for Sarah, even if they were one-sided? He slid his phone back in his pocket. It wasn’t, and he wasn’t ready to give up.
What he should be doing was asking Sarah out for drinks, and that’s exactly what was going to happen. He’d look up a private place for them to go near the office when he got back to his desk and send her a text.
Then, across a dimly lit table, he’d lay it all out there. He’d admit that their night together had meant something to him, and that he had real feelings for her.
It would be an enormous step, but his losing any chance with Sarah was on the line. He needed to man up.
Liking that plan, he turned the corner for the storage room to see Mary Beth standing outside the door sporting a huge scowl, arms crossed.
“Hey, Mary Beth.” What has her so pissed off? He stopped, hearing the unmistakable sound of a familiar male laugh. “Is Logan in the storage room?”
“Yeah, and don’t bother interrupting. Sarah’s in there with him, probably getting her holiday bonus a few weeks early,” she huffed, and flounced away.
Ryan stood motionless, holding the empty toner cartridge. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Sarah was supposed to be gone for the day. Why was she in the supply room—alone with Logan?
And what the fuck were they doing inside there that had his best friend laughing like a hyena? Anger pulsed through him, and he turned the knob, opening the door.
“Ryan!” Sarah said much louder than her normal voice. “I was just coming to see you.”
He would have believed her if it wasn’t for the fact her face was currently two inches from Logan’s, and she sounded breathless.
“Um…I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“We were sorti
ng decorations, and Logan was helping me get untangled.” She pointed to the lights in Logan’s hands.
I bet he was. Ryan crossed the room and threw his empty cartridge in the recycle bin, searching for the box of toner.
“It’s over to the left,” Sarah said.
“Thanks,” he grumbled, refusing to make eye contact with either of them. God dammit. Was this really happening again? Seriously, what was wrong with him that once again, the woman he loved went running for one of his friends?
Ah, shit.
I love Sarah.
Great fucking timing for that revelation.
“Carry on whatever you were doing.” Grabbing a new toner cartridge, he stalked out.
Chapter Seventeen
“I’m sorry.” Sarah stepped back and handed Logan the rest of the lights. “I just remembered…um…I need to make sure Paul brings his Secret Santa gift in tomorrow before he leaves today, or Vanessa in marketing will be disappointed.” Flustered, she reached up and fixed her ponytail. “Can you bring the ornaments into the cafeteria?”
“Sure.” Logan moved his arm through the now perfectly coiled lights, resting them on his shoulder. “Happy to help. Go do what you need to do.”
“Thank you.” She studied his face for a quick second. Was that amusement in her boss’s eyes? She’d dissect that later, right now she needed to catch up to Ryan.
She dashed out of the storage room, flying in the direction of Ryan’s office. Rounding the corner, she caught sight of him standing at the elevator, toner cartridge in hand.
“Hey,” she called out and beelined for him. “The company frowns on that kind of thing.”
He whipped around, looking thoroughly pissed off. “On what?”
Flashing a sweet smile, she pointed to the cartridge. “Stealing office supplies.”
“I’ll take my chances.” He pressed the already lit down arrow three times. “Damn slow elevator.”
Why was he so mad? What did he think he was interrupting back there in the storage room?
Okay, yeah, Logan’s lips had been inches from hers when the door swung open. But why did Ryan care? “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
