She glanced over her shoulder. “I was joking. You can walk with me.”
“Maybe I like the view back here.”
She stopped walking and stepped to the side, taking his arm and drawing him with her. “I appreciate that you’re known for your hot body and gorgeous face and that women are probably throwing themselves at you 24/7, but you’re my boss and I like my job and this town, so we’re not going to flirt. Got it?”
It took all his effort not to smile. “I meant watching the way everyone in town moves aside for you,” he said. “But sure, no flirting.”
*
Avery pushed her way through the entrance, listening to Paloma stop Logan to chat. She glanced around for Savannah Taylor and Rachel Wood. The two women were her closest friends and if she ever needed them it was now.
Of course, she felt silly after berating Logan and hearing his innocent explanation, but the truth was, he rattled her.
She noticed Savannah standing in the corner checking something on her cell phone. Rachel wasn’t here yet and given that the single mom ran the town bakery and was incredibly shy it didn’t surprise Avery. Rachel tended to arrive just before the meeting started, to avoid small talk.
Savannah glanced up as she approached, a friendly smile on her face. “Logan is here. He showed up at the office this morning. Like I really need him underfoot this week when I’m trying to get the gala planning finished.”
“Well, hello to you too,” Savannah said dryly. “He’s your boss and you made him the co-chair.”
“That was just me wanting to use his connections. You know I never intended for him to actually do anything,” Avery said. “Don’t try to be rational. I need fake outrage because I said something dumb to him.”
“Was it take off your shirt so I can see if those muscles were airbrushed on?” Savannah said with a smile. “That’s what I would have said.”
“No, it wasn’t. And you wouldn’t if he was your boss. I told him there would be no flirting,” Avery said, sitting down at the table. Talking about it out loud just made her feel even more ridiculous.
Savannah sat down beside her. “Are you kidding?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Avery asked. She hated it but there were times when she acted like a dummy. Part of it she knew was a reaction to her parents—both highly praised research scientists who had spent their lives in search of cures to things Avery didn’t understand.
“Was he flirting?”
“Turns out he wasn’t,” Avery said at last. “He rattled me.”
“Nothing rattles you,” Savannah pointed out.
“Well he did,” Avery said. “Also my mom emailed me last night… She and Dad want me to meet them in Denver for Christmas. Both of them.”
Savannah looked at her and Avery realized how close to the chest she’d kept her relationship with her parents. She shouldn’t have tossed that into the mix. Just left it with her thinking one of the hottest men on the planet was flirting with her.
“Wow. I thought you only saw them one at a time usually.”
“I do, which is why…she said they wanted to do it together as a family,” Avery said. She felt vulnerable even saying it out loud so she tossed her hair. “Of course, I’ll go because you know it’s a ski resort and I’ve never seen snow.”
“It’s just solid rain,” Savannah said with a wink.
Avery shot her friend the bird. Her dad had used that explanation to explain why going to see snow for Christmas wasn’t really a big deal when he’d canceled a trip with Avery three years ago.
“Let’s grab coffee after,” Savannah said. “I’m supposed to stop by the bank collect the silent auction items that have been collected there.”
“I’m glad you were able to take care of that for me. I’ve never felt more like an outsider than I do working on this committee,” Avery said. The truth was she’d moved to Whiskey River when she’d been fifteen and a sophomore in high school and here she was: twenty-eight and most of the time the old-timers still treated her with a little bit of reserve like she was an outsider. Of course, Savannah didn’t but she was different.
“It’s not a big deal. So, tell me more about the thing with Logan,” Savannah said.
“I don’t know. I guess I read him wrong. He made a comment about walking behind me to appreciate the view and then I said hey, dude, you’re hot and everything but I work here. I mean it’s not like I can pack up and go somewhere else. And then he was like I meant the way the townsfolk treat you.”
Savannah shook her head. “I don’t really know him but that sounds like he was giving you a line. What red-blooded guy is watching other people and not you?”
“You think?” Avery asked. She knew that everyone thought she looked good but the truth was she’d always been too skinny and the last few years she’d noticed herself developing what could only be called a muffin top. Granted it was a small one and if she switched to mom jeans it wouldn’t be visible but…well she knew she’d been indulging in too many of Rachel’s famous Whiskey River Tri-Chocolate Chip cookies.
“Yeah, I do,” Savannah said.
“It’s neither here nor there,” Avery said. “I don’t know why he’s in town so early. I mean there was that—”
“Incident in Vegas,” Logan said, pulling out the seat next to her and sitting down. “Savannah.”
“Logan.”
“Y’all know each other?” Avery asked. She should have expected it. Savannah knew everyone in Whiskey River.
“We were in class together when we were younger,” Logan said. “Paloma mentioned that you put a date with me on the silent auction items.”
“Well, I figured with the Oscar buzz that you were a hot ticket and it is for a good cause,” Avery said.
“I’m not arguing—just wasn’t sure what was expected,” Logan said.
“It’s like Boots & Bangles but you’re the only guy getting auctioned off,” Avery said.
Rachel rushed in, her long red hair pulled back in her habitual braid as she hurried to her seat next to Savannah. Paloma stood up to start the meeting and Avery tensed as Logan put his hand on her leg under the table and squeezed.
“Did you put me on the silent auction so you could bid on me?” he asked. “I mean you do think I have a hot body.”
Chapter Two
Avery forgot all about coffee with Savannah as the meeting ended and she bolted from the community center. Running away wasn’t her normal M.O. but her boss had just reminded her that she’d sort of stepped over the line when she’d mentioned his hot body. Right now she wanted to put as much distance between him and herself as possible. Luckily she had to go to Lavender Dreams and collect their gift basket for the gala so she made a beeline for the shop located off the square. She walked along the sidewalk watching as city workers started to put the garland and wreaths on the lampposts. Someone had the idea to put a Santa cap on Booze Kelly’s statue.
The founder of Whiskey River had been Shamus Kelly, but it had been Ronan “Booze” Kelly who’d given the town its name. He’d been bringing a wagon full of whiskey into town to sell when the gate on the wagon broke and barrels of his whiskey fell into the spur of the Pedernales river that ran through town. The barrels floated into town center and the town had ended up taking that as its name. She wandered over to the statue, looking up at Booze’s face. It was so hard to read the person behind a statue or a photo.
She thought about the impression she had of Logan after all the online articles about him, as well as her two interviews with him: one phone and one video. She’d thought…she didn’t know what. She hadn’t really considered him at all other than how she could use his celebrity to get results for the charity she managed. She might not be coming up with a cure to the world’s biggest problems like her parents were but she was always trying to make it a better place.
Great, now she was starting to sound like a cheesy greeting card.
She shook her head and started walking again toward the lavend
er shop run by Juliette and Ariana. The two cousins had started the business a few years ago and were famed for the scar-reducing formula in all of their lotions.
Her phone pinged and she looked down at the message from Savannah.
Are we still having coffee?
Avery: Yeah. Sorry, I promised Juliette that I’d pick up that lavender gift basket before they opened for the day. Meet at Riva’s in 10?
Savannah: Yes. I’m dragging Rach with me.
Rachel: I’m walking not being dragged.
Avery smiled.
Avery: Good. See you both soon.
She knocked on the door of Lavender Dreams and one of the staff members opened the door for her and handed her a basket that was much larger than Avery had realized it would be. “Thanks for coming by early. We’ve had a lot of interest in the basket and have referred everyone to Felicity’s Ball so hopefully that will help drive the bidders for the auction and raise more money.”
“I’m sure it will,” Avery said.
She looped the basket handle over her arm and walked toward Riva’s, ducking behind the side of Booze’s Place—the quaint bar that served food all day—as she noticed Logan walking toward her.
She didn’t want to see him again. Not right now.
Not ever.
He was messing up her carefully ordered and organized existence. It had never occurred to her that he’d show up in Whiskey River. Or that she’d find him attractive, tell him so and then have to deal with him teasing her about it.
He entered Booze’s Place and Avery darted past the entrance, hurrying toward Riva’s. She bumped into someone as she got close to the entrance and looked up into Savannah’s eyes.
“What the heck were you doing?”
“Huh? Getting the basket like I said.” Avery pointed to the basket on her arm.
“I mean hiding behind the bar,” Savannah said.
She shook her head. “I was trying to avoid Logan.”
“Again, why?” Savannah asked.
“You don’t want to know. Where is Rachel?”
“Inside ordering our drinks. I wasn’t sure if you’d need a hand with the basket,” Savannah said.
“I need to go back to bed and start this entire day over,” Avery said.
“If only it worked that easily,” Savannah said.
Rachel came out holding a cup carrier with three cups in it. They took their coffees to the bench in the park and sat down. Avery was careful to set the Lavender Dreams basket on the bench next to them so it wouldn’t get dirty.
“So, Savannah said you were flirting with Logan?” Rachel said.
“It was unintentional,” Avery said. “I mean of course he has that sort of make-you-think-of-long-sexy-sessions-in-bed vibe about him but I never meant to say anything.”
“Sure you didn’t,” Rachel said. “I think it’s funny because none of the guys that you date really faze you. They are all sort of in awe of you.”
“Which is what I like,” Avery admitted. It was true she tended to date men who thought she was pretty and didn’t expect much more from her than that. But this thing with Logan…she just wasn’t her normal self. That email from her mom had thrown her off her game.
“Maybe I’ll set you up with him,” Avery said.
“No. No thanks. I’ve got my hands full with the gala and getting this catering business off the ground,” Rachel said.
“All the more reason to let Avery set you up,” Savannah said. “You need a man. Even if it’s just for a night. Someone who makes you forget your to-do list and the things you are always worrying about.”
Rachel shook her head. “A man isn’t going to help. I have Katie to think about. I don’t want her growing up and remembering mommy’s men friends.”
“Of course not,” Savannah said. “But you probably don’t want her to remember how sad and alone you were either.”
Savannah chewed her bottom lip and Avery reached over and squeezed Rachel’s hand. “We love you, or we wouldn’t say this. You’re closing yourself off.”
“I’m just busy right now and it’s Christmas and the WOWR has a lot of events. I don’t see you two dating anyone,” Rachel said.
“Touché,” Avery said. “And really I was just giving you a hard time to divert attention from the fact that I said something dumb to my boss.”
The girls laughed and after they finished their coffees, they parted ways. As she took the long way back to her office, Avery thought more about what Rachel had said. Avery did keep her personal relationships shallow.
She didn’t like to dwell on her relationship skills, which was part of the reason she kept herself so busy. It left little time to think of things normally. But Logan Calloway was changing that.
*
Eli Lane and Harlan Sullivan had been his classmates at Whiskey River high school. Because of the troubles they’d gotten into and where they’d grown up, more than one teacher had referred to them as the bad boys from the Barrels. Though he had two brothers he had also been close to Eli and Harlan. Probably because when he was with them he could be himself. He didn’t have to be on his guard to try to protect Sully and Finn from their father’s fists or even try to cover up his own cuts and bruises to hide them from the social worker who came to check on them once a month.
Back then Eli and Harlan were the guys he’d been able to relax around and that had stayed true once he’d gone to Los Angeles to start his career. They’d all sort of left Whiskey River just after graduation with different agendas. For Logan he’d just had to get away from his brothers whom he’d felt he’d let down. Eli had been running from a grand theft auto charge that had eventually been dropped and Harlan had simply said he’d had enough of the small-town bullshit.
So they’d struck out on their own and each made a success of the careers that they’d fallen into. Something he knew the old biddies of Whiskey River had never expected of them. Despite Paloma Kelly saying she was so pleased for his success, he knew she’d been one of the women to testify that his brothers should go and live with Aunt Jane and not him after their father had died. She’d been right but Logan had never believed she’d done it for any reason other than she didn’t like him and thought he was no good.
God, Whiskey River had a way of making him feel fifteen again and like he was not good enough.
He’d left the WOWR committee meeting feeling a little small because he’d teased Avery when it was clear she was doing a good job of running the gala. He could tell how seriously she took the event. Every time he hoped he wasn’t like his dad he was reminded that he didn’t know how to be a good man. His dad had excelled at tearing everyone down around him, and Logan—as much as he tried not to—realized he feared he’d do the same thing.
Sunny had texted him that she and her fiancé had smoothed everything out and thanked him for his help. He just texted her back the smiley face emoji and a thumbs-up before tossing his phone on the desk. He was going to keep his distance from Avery. Focus on the vineyard and winery that he’d committed to helping Eli build. Harlan was going to do the construction of the buildings and Eli was bringing his expertise after spending years working in California.
Eli had originally moved to California to participate in a program at a vineyard that helped young adults who had gotten in trouble get back on solid footing. He’d stayed on after the program finished because he’d loved it and over the years he’d learned all about viticulture. The idea of doing something that could help kids in Whiskey River and his friends appealed to Logan.
His movie career had left him with more money than he could spend or give away. He still took every job that was offered to him, afraid that if he said no the work might stop coming and he didn’t want to go back to the poverty he’d grown up in. But this winery he was building with Eli and Harlan, this was one of the few things he hoped he could be proud of.
He should get out of the office before Avery came back. It was clear to him that he had completely thrown off her routine. Sh
e was a very good manager of his charity, and he didn’t want to do anything that might make her quit.
He jotted down a note telling her that he’d like to take her to dinner to make up for being an ass and that possibly they could combine it with a site tour of the Harwood House Ballroom where the gala would take place on Saturday night.
Text me your answer and I’ll pick you up at six if it’s yes.
He put the note on her desk and noticed how neat and tidy the surface was. She had a calendar with her neat script on it, marking out appointments and events for December, and then on the 24th it said: meet Mom and Dad in Steamboat, and there was a smiley face and an exclamation point.
It was the only thing frivolous on the desk.
He realized there was a lot about her he didn’t know. And he was intrigued. She was cute and only a blind man wouldn’t be attracted to her, but he also wanted to know more about her. What had made her so neat and tidy yet such a smartass? Usually those kinds of hospital-corner people were very serious but she wasn’t. She was a mystery and he wanted to figure her out.
Except that Avery had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him. So he was going to be professional and treat her like he treated his personal assistant back in Los Angeles. He could do that.
He walked out of the office into the late November Texas sun, put on his sunglasses and then got in his sports car and had to stop for a minute as he pulled out of the parking lot. His fifteen-year-old self would never have thought he’d be here at thirty-two. Would never have guessed what his life had become.
*
Avery took her time with her makeup and hair. Even though tonight was a work date, she wanted to make the right impression. Logan’s note had been nice and she’d decided that there was no reason not to accept. They had to check out the ballroom and dinner was a good idea. She had to figure out how to be around him and not say or do anything else dumb.
Once Upon a Texas Christmas Page 2
