“But it’s early!” Brian whined.
Piper motioned to Logan to make the call and then asked Morgan to get two to-go cups of coffee. Both men continued to whine about not needing a ride in between trying to ask her out. She dodged their wandering hands and did her best to keep changing the subject. Logan had disappeared into the back again and she couldn’t blame him. It felt like forever, but ten minutes later, she put them both in an Uber and wished them a good night.
It was exhausting.
When she went back inside, she saw that her section was completely cleaned up and tried to figure out when that happened. She was about to go into the kitchen to ask, but ran into Logan on her way in, practically colliding with him.
“Oh!” she gasped. “Sorry.”
He steadied her and without a word, spun her around and guided her back out to the bar. Once she was seated, he reached under the counter and pulled out a tray with dinner on it.
She gave him a mildly annoyed look. “You seriously do not have to feed me dinner every night.”
Again, rather than answer, he slid a plate toward her with a burger and fries on it. When he went to turn away, she decided enough was enough.
“Are you planning on never speaking to me again? Because I have to tell you, I think that’s a little extreme.”
With his back to her, he hung his head and seemed to resign himself to dealing with her. He turned and walked over so he was in front of her–with the bar separating them. “I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me,” he finally said and Piper fought the urge to roll her eyes.
“I’ve been trying to talk to you all night, but you’ve been avoiding me.” While she waited for his response–or excuse–she took a bite of her burger and it was damn-near orgasmic. “The chef deserves a raise. Every single thing I’ve eaten here has been fantastic.”
That earned her a smile.
When he didn’t say anything, she realized he was going to need some more prompting.
“I was wrong last night, okay?” she said with a huff. “I freaked out and…after I thought about it, I knew I overreacted. So…I’m sorry.”
His dark eyes went a little wide. “What are you saying, Piper?”
Ugh…did she need to spell this out to him? For real? “I’m saying kissing you wasn’t a mistake and…I’d like for us to hang out again. Maybe not at two in the morning while playing video games, but maybe one night when we both aren’t working?”
Now he leaned in a little closer–resting his arms on the bar. “Like a date?”
This time she did roll her eyes. “Yes, Logan. Like a date.” She took another bite of her burger and kind of hated how he watched her. The only perk was that for the first time tonight, he looked a lot more relaxed.
While she ate, Logan walked around making sure things were getting done–almost as if he was rushing everyone out the door. By the time she finished her meal, it was just the two of them. He handed her a bottle of water and took her hand–leading her to the game room in the back. She looked around and saw the same dark wood décor, pool table, dart board, and card table. Logan walked over, grabbed two cue sticks, then handed one to Piper before racking up the balls on the pool table.
It would be foolish to ask what was going on. They needed to talk and this was a safe way of doing that.
“Eight-ball good with you?” he asked and she nodded. “Want to flip a coin to see who goes first?”
“No, that’s okay. You break.”
“Solids or stripes?”
“Uh…stripes.”
With a curt nod, Logan leaned forward for his first shot, but didn’t say anything else. She watched as balls flew all over the table and he managed to sink one.
“I’m sorry those guys were such jerks to you,” she said. “They were jerks in high school and it seems like they haven’t matured beyond that.”
“It’s bizarre to me how anyone’s still talking about this,” he said with a mirthless laugh, lining up his next shot. “I swear, I thought everyone would have forgotten about it by now.”
She shrugged. “Small towns are notorious for their gossip, Logan, and even though I wasn’t there, from everything you told me, it was a pretty big bombshell. You can’t blame people for being curious.”
“Actually, I can,” he replied. “It’s really no one’s business. It’s private.” He missed his shot and muttered a curse before stepping aside.
Pool wasn’t really her thing, but she figured it didn’t matter. This was more about a mild distraction while they talked. She lined up her shot and missed. “That doesn’t stop people from wondering. That’s why there are tabloid magazines.”
“The only difference is we’re not celebrities and this was a personal family matter!” He let out a long breath and eyed the table for his next shot. “Sorry. I’m just frustrated and confused about why this is still a thing to people.”
“I’m sure in time they’ll all move on to something else, but until there’s some closure, you run the risk of someone bringing it up. I’m just sorry it was a couple of jackasses.”
He sank two more balls on his shot and then straightened and looked at her.
“I really appreciate you stepping in the way you did,” he said softly, reaching for one of her hands and holding it in his. “Part of me wanted to be pissed that I needed someone to intervene, but it was probably for the best because I was minutes away from punching one of them in the face.”
“Now that would have given the town something to talk about!” she teased, but he didn’t smile. If anything, he frowned. “What? What’s the matter?”
“I’m so tired of being the topic of conversation. Or rather, my family. There was a time when I didn’t mind it–hell, I actually relished it–but right now, I’d like nothing more than a little privacy and for people to mind their own damn business. It’s just making an already tense situation worse.”
She nodded, squeezing his hand. “I’m so sorry, Logan.”
“Everyone thinks it’s easy being from a wealthy family, but we’re no different from any other families–we argue, we pick on one another, and we make up. We’re not immune from bad things happening. Hell, my aunt and uncle were killed in a plane crash. That’s how Phillip, Jason, and Brock came to live with us.” He sighed. “We live, we breathe, we work, and we die, just like everybody else.”
“That’s kind of a dark way of looking at it,” she commented, unsure of what to do with this side of him. She was used to him being friendly and sociable. She never imagined him being somber.
“It is what it is, Piper. I’m just saying there’s nothing special about us. We just happen to have been fortunate enough to be successful in business, that’s all.”
It was oversimplifying, but she wasn’t going to say anything.
“And with you at the helm, it will become even more successful, right?” she said, hoping to lighten the mood.
He laughed softly. “I doubt we’ll ever know, but I’d like to think so.”
“Oh, my God, why are you so negative tonight? What happened to the always-smiling Logan Blackthorne I’ve been hanging out with?”
“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “I guess those guys got to me more than I thought.”
She squeezed his hand again before turning to him and giving him a playful shove back toward the table for his next shot. “Well forget about them and tell me why you don’t think you’ll be at the helm of Blackthorne Enterprises.” Before he could speak, she clarified, “Better yet, tell me why you want to be at the helm. I would imagine it’s a ton of responsibility. Why would you want that?”
“Are you serious? Why wouldn’t I?” Bent over the table, he lined up his shot and sank his last solid ball. All that was left was the eight ball. “I have worked in every damn division of the company–I know the whisky business, the boat building business, I’ve learned about TV and movie production, I’ve driven race cars, and flipped houses. Everything my brothers and cousins do, I’ve learned about i
t by being hands-on. I’m probably the most well-rounded out of all of them and yet because of the order of our births, my father won’t take me seriously.” He walked around the table.
“Have you talked to him about this?”
“No. He’s so hell-bent on me settling in to one thing that there’s no way he’d entertain the idea of me being his successor.”
She studied him for a moment and saw the frustration and vulnerability there and it bothered her.
Back in college, she had to take several psychology courses as part of her degrees and if she had to guess, she would say that part of Logan’s desire to take the helm wasn’t so much about him thinking he was the best man for the job as much as it was because it meant he didn’t have to choose.
Didn’t have to conform to fit the Blackthorne rule his father had laid out.
“You’re looking pretty fierce there, Piper,” he said with a nervous laugh. “What are you thinking?”
Ugh…did she dare tell him?
“It’s nothing,” she lied. “Um…I could use a drink. Mind if I go grab a bottle of water?”
Before she could move, he walked up beside her. “Piper? Come on. I may not know everything about you, but I know you normally say what’s on your mind so…out with it.”
So she did.
And then watched as his expression turned fierce and he pulled his hand from hers.
Way to ruin the night, brainiac…
“What…I mean…why?” Taking a step back, he went on. “He wants me to choose a place in the company, and I am!” he all but shouted. “I would think that would be considered ambitious! Admirable! How dare you say it’s nothing more than a…a…”
“Cop-out?” she finished for him, figured she’d already blown it. “You have to admit, Logan, it’s a convenient choice.”
“Hardly!” he cried, turning and shooting the eight ball into the side pocket. There was no triumph in his shot. He straightened and carried on. “It’s the most demanding job of them all! I’d have to have knowledge of everything! I could finally show him that I’m more than just the youngest in the damn family!”
Then it must have hit him what he’d said and he stopped dead in his tracks.
Swallowing hard, Piper slowly walked over to him. “I’m going to ask you something and then we won’t discuss this again.”
He simply glared at her.
“Can you honestly say that, deep down, this is what you want to do? Working for Blackthorne? Or is there something else you would prefer to do, but you’re just trying to prove yourself to your father?”
No response.
With a soft sigh, she stepped in close and placed a hand on his cheek. “Just…think about it, okay?” Then she leaned in even closer and kissed him softly on the cheek. “I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
And sadly, he didn’t try to stop her.
6
“Dad? What are you doing here? Are you feeling okay?” Piper walked across the room and placed her hand on her father’s forehead.
“Oh, stop,” Connor Stewart said with a quiet laugh. “It turns out I was given the day off with pay. My temporary replacement is out there mowing the lawns right now.”
“Temporary…” And then it hit her. “Oh my goodness, he didn’t…” She walked over to the window and looked out. She and her father had a small cottage on the Blackthorne property and off in the distance, she could see Logan on the massive riding mower. “Oh…he did.”
Her father came up beside her and looked out. “Care to explain to me why Logan Blackthorne decided to be the groundskeeper for the day?”
Shaking her head, she turned and walked back over to the sofa and sat down. “It was a friendly bet over video games and he lost.”
“Piper Grace,” he said with disapproval, “you did not use me in a bet against Logan. Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Well…”
“You knew you had an advantage over him. Heck, he should have known you could beat him at any game. Why would he do that?” Then he paused. “And when did you have time to play video games with Logan?”
“Um…after work Thursday night,” she said, unable to meet his gaze. “We got to talking about what I do and he invited me over to play, so…”
“Did he now?” And yeah, he had the dad tone that told her he did not quite approve of any of this.
“You know Logan and I are friends, Dad. We’ve known each other my entire life. It was just a couple of friends hanging out.”
“Humph,” he murmured, walking into the kitchen.
As much as she didn’t want to, she followed. “Look at this as a good thing, you got the day off and we can go have lunch together! We can go to the Irish pub in town you love so much. Maybe we can even play a game of darts. We haven’t had a lot of time to sit and visit since I got home and this is the first day I’ve had off so come on, what do you say?”
“How can I resist a date with my best girl?” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “But I still don’t feel good about the boss’s son working for me today. If Mr. Blackthorne hears about this, no doubt there will be hell to pay.”
She hadn’t thought about that.
“Don’t worry, Dad. It won’t come to that. I’ll make sure of it. I promise.”
“Hmm…we’ll see.”
“Let me go shower and then we’ll go, okay?” Coming home from work at two in the morning meant she slept until eleven. So, as much as she would have loved to hang around the house and relax, the opportunity to enjoy going out with her father was even more appealing.
Having lived away from home for so long, she was used to them going for long periods of time without seeing each other. But when she came home on breaks, she always did her best to make time for just the two of them. All they had were each other and she could say there wasn’t a finer man alive than Connor Stewart. He truly was her hero.
Showering quickly, she slid on a pair of jeans and a light sweater. The weather was seasonably cool and she loved it. With her hair and makeup done, she walked out and found her father waiting for her in the living room–but he was looking out the window.
“You okay, Dad?”
“I hope he’s mowing in a straight line. The senior Mrs. Blackthorne is very particular about how she likes the grounds to look.”
She had no idea it was going to be this big of a deal.
“Dad, it’s going to be fine. There’s nothing you can’t fix but I doubt Logan’s going to mess it up that badly. And if Fiona sees it’s him doing the work, she’ll go easy on him.”
“I hope so…”
“Come on, let’s enjoy some lunch.” Then, taking him by the hand, she led him out the door.
“Maybe I should just go tell him…”
“Nope. Logan’s got it under control, I’m sure. Now come on. I’m hungry and you know I get cranky if I have to wait too long to eat.” Luckily, he laughed and didn’t bring up Logan or the grounds again.
Over lunch, Piper was anxious to hear about what her father had been up to. He didn’t have a very active social life and she was forever encouraging him to get out more. Little did she know that he had been holding out on her and currently had a lady friend who he was spending time with.
“Dad! You’re dating? That’s awesome! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Shrugging, he said, “I felt it would be better to tell you in person. You just jumped into working so fast that we haven’t had a chance to talk.”
Reaching across the table, she squeezed his hand. “I know and I’m sorry. I probably could have waited a couple of days before I started back at the Vault.”
He pulled his hand away and waved her off. “Nonsense. I know you hate sitting around with nothing to do.” He paused and seemed to study her. “Which brings us to another topic–your job hunt. Have you given any more thought to the offer your friends gave you?”
Laughing nervously, she asked, “Couldn’t we talk more about your lady friend first?”
; “We could,” he said evenly, “but eventually you’re going to have to make a decision, Piper.” He paused. “I don’t know why you’re so hesitant. The job is custom-made for you. Why wouldn’t you jump at the chance?”
She explained how Eric and Michael weren’t exactly business-savvy and how she was afraid to jump in with them and then get burned.
“That’s a legitimate concern, but I don’t think it’s a reason to disregard the offer. I think if you really want in on the ground floor with them, you need to voice your concerns and maybe even take the initiative to find them someone to help navigate the business aspects.” He took a sip of water and then his eyes went wide. “Piper, you could probably ask Logan or any of the Blackthornes for that matter! You know they’re all very successful businessmen and even if they don’t know anything about what your company needs, I’m sure they could recommend someone to you!”
The last thing she wanted to do was drag anyone she knew into the unknown of whatever it was her friends were working on, but…maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to mention it to Logan.
“Thanks, Dad. I think I will,” she said, smiling.
“That’s my girl!”
After that, she learned more about the woman in his life–Maggie Shaw–a widow who owned a quilting store right in King Harbor. Piper had to admit it sounded strange to hear her father gushing over a woman, but when she saw how happy he was, it made her feel better. Plus, it was time. Her mother had been gone for almost twenty years and all she ever wanted was for her father to find someone to love again.
Once they were done eating, she thought they’d go home, but Connor had other plans. “If it’s all right with you, Piper, I’m going to walk down to Maggie’s shop and surprise her. We already have plans for dinner tonight,” he said and gave her a bashful look. “But if you’d like me to cancel so we can spend more time together…”
“Dad, no,” she said, hugging him. “You go surprise her and I’ll be fine. I’m glad we got to have lunch today and once I get my new schedule at work, maybe we can plan a dinner for the three of us so I can meet Maggie. How does that sound?”
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