I watched Graham shift his weight from one leg to the other, watching me for my reaction. He knew my acting skills left much to be desired but this time I nailed it. "Yes," my smile spread from ear to ear. "Just let me grab my purse."
Logan hooked my arm with his own as I rounded the desk. We began to walk out, and I looked over my shoulder at Connie. "Would you mind signing for those?" She nodded while Graham stared like an idiot. Logan reached for the door. "What is going on?" I whispered in his ear.
When we were on the other side of the glass door, he said, "I'll tell you in the car, just laugh or do something to make him think I'm the greatest man you've ever known."
What the hell just happened?
Chapter 2
LOGAN DIDN'T EXPLAIN in the car. I was too dumbfounded to ask him anything and he drove in awkward silence. After seating ourselves in a diner booth, I couldn't help but question him. "I appreciate your help back there, but what is going on?"
Logan adjusted his placemat and then folded his hands. "I detected your discomfort and came to your rescue," he told me. Our eyes locked into each other's and his sparkled.
"But," I stuttered, sounding as stupid as I could. "You mean with the delivery guy? His name is Graham, we dated long ago." Logan nodded and I could tell he already knew. I bit my lower lip, still trying to figure things out. "Wouldn't it have made more sense for you to send me to the copier room or something?"
Sure, it was lunchtime, but unless we have conferences, I never ate with the boss. I must have passed out when Graham entered the office and hit my head. Nothing made any sense. I sighed and pushed myself back into the seat, wishing I could go home and hide under a blanket.
"Yes, but I'm hoping we can help each other out," he said. "Did you want that guy to think you were still single?"
My mouth gaped again. How did he know I was single and what did he know about Graham? "No, but," there I was again, struggling to talk. I gave up as the waitress took our drink order. "How do you know I don’t want him to know I’m single? Wait," I didn't let him answer just yet. "How did you know that?"
Logan laughed and leaned back. I nervously played with my straw wrapper while I waited for answers. When I glanced up at him, he grinned, and I couldn't help but find his dimples adorable. He came forward, closer to me, again. "You and Connie talk all the time, it's a wonder I get any work done at all. You're like hens out there."
Images of chickens running around a coop, gossiping as they chased their little ones around, flashed through my mind. I smiled and took a deep breath. "You hear us?"
Logan blushed at his confession. "Yeah, most of the time." The waitress returned, and we gave her our order. He put his arms on the back of the booth and studied me before saying anything else. I wanted to scream, he seemed calm, but I still had no freaking idea why he wanted me to have lunch with him.
"Logan?" Thank God we were a casual office and were on a first-name basis with everyone, including him. "You mentioned something about helping each other. What did you mean?"
He straightened himself out and loosened his tie. "I know Christmas is a hard time for you," my jaw dropped to the floor as he continued. "And I know it's because of him. Hens, remember?" I nodded, blushed, and looked down. "I can pretend to be your boyfriend so he doesn't have to see your weakness and you can return the favor by coming with me to visit my family for the holiday." My head popped up. Did he wanted me, one of his staff accountants, to visit his family? I let him go on. "See, they're always on my case about relationships and I honestly don't want to go home alone."
"Where's home," I couldn't believe what was falling out of my mouth. It sounded like his deal intrigued me.
"Utica," he answered.
I never knew that about him, but then again, I didn't know as much about him as he knew about me. I made a mental note to keep quiet in the office from then on. "Really," I perked up. "I grew up near Syracuse. We're practically neighbors." Something in common. I shook my head, we weren't dating. Somehow, I found myself agreeing to his arrangement.
"Thank you," he said as our food arrived. "My parents are going away for Christmas so we're having a get-together with my sister and brother-in-law on the twenty-first. Is that alright with you? We'd leave here in the morning, spend the night there, and come back the next morning."
My face turned crimson and I prayed he couldn't notice. Part of the plan would be spending the night together. Him? My boss? Talk about feeling awkward, I hoped his parents were old-fashioned and would force us to sleep separately. But, instead of telling him what I thought, I nodded and said, "No problem."
Chapter 3
THE REST OF THE WEEK was uneventful in the office. Graham made small talk as he made his deliveries and Logan kept his distance. "I think it'll look natural if I wasn't an overbearing boyfriend who needed to be by your desk every time he came in," Logan told me.
I was fine with that, having him near me too often would seem weird. In case Graham thought there might be trouble in paradise, Connie piped in occasionally. "Must be nice dating the boss," she smirked after I mentioned leaving a half hour early in front of the new delivery man.
It took a moment for me to realize what she meant, but then I blushed when Graham paused from lifting a box and frowned.
Logan did make an appearance a couple of times during the week, but not enough to make the situation uncomfortable. On Thursday I went to his office and thanked him for his help. "The pressure has lifted a little," I told him, and he nodded in understanding.
On Friday Graham lingered, taking his time unloading the usual number of packages. I pretended to do my work and avoided making eye contact with him. He'd been in my thoughts though, pretty much nonstop since he walked back into my life.
Emotions I've suppressed for years started to resurface and I began to wonder. Part of me wanted to hate him, but good memories rushed back and left me feeling doubtful. I found myself making small talk, asking him questions, trying to figure out if he went on with his life or not. It didn't take long, maybe he was just too willing to give the information up, but Graham was indeed single.
He dropped an invoice and bent to pick it up. My eyes shot right to his backside and couldn't help but admire his physique. He must have sensed my eyes on him because Graham straightened up and looked at me. I could feel the heat rise in my face and turned to face the computer screen. Logan appeared right after and I wondered if he watched me from the window of his office?
Graham walked up to my desk, ready for my signature. He either didn't notice Logan approaching or didn't care. "Did you put your tree up yet?" he questioned. I shook my head as I scribbled my name on the paper. "I can help if you want."
"Actually," Logan cleared his voice and made his presence known. "Alexa and I are going tree shopping tomorrow." I had no idea what the boss was up to.
"I don't," I started to protest, but Logan cut me off.
Logan placed his hand on mine and continued speaking to Graham. "Thanks, but this is our first Christmas together and we are looking forward to doing it."
My jaw wanted to drop, but I didn't want to give Logan's lies away. The two men eyed each other as I glanced over at Connie. It had been the first time Logan seemed jealous and as flattering as it was, my stomach tied in knots.
"I see," Graham said as he balled his fists and shoved them in his pockets. "Maybe I'll see you at the tree stand," he nodded and pivoted to exit, not waiting for a reply.
Logan walked back to his office. As soon as I knew Graham was inside the elevator, I jumped up and followed. "I don't decorate," I told him.
Logan leaned against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know, but I also know why," he said.
"What?" I stood there nervously playing with the hem of my sweater.
"You don't decorate or even care for the holiday because of him," Logan reminded me as if I didn't know. He stepped closer and rubbed my cheek with his thumb, something a normal boss wouldn't dare to do. But Logan wasn't a
normal boss and I couldn't figure him out. "You moved on, remember Hen?"
"I did?" I asked in confusion. What was he talking about? How did he know that I went on a couple of dates over the past three years but couldn't bring myself around to being rejected again?
He moved away from me and returned to his desk. Logan's arms spread out as he pointed his index fingers at himself. "You're dating me now," he laughed.
I immediately eased realizing what he meant. "Oh," I mumbled, not knowing what to say.
"If you tell him you don't decorate, or celebrate, he'll know he damaged you and he'll win. Don't let him do that," Logan instructed.
For the first time, I wanted to kiss him. Logan seemed to have all the pieces of the puzzle put together. He was in charge and something inside of me wanted to thank him properly. I took one step forward to kiss him when a knock on the door stopped me in my tracks.
"Alexa," Connie said from the doorway, "you have a phone call."
I looked at Logan, glad to be stopped before I made a fool of myself and wondered if he knew what I planned. He seemed to know everything. I smiled and said, "I understand, thank you, Logan."
IF GRAHAM WENT TO THE tree farm, we didn't see him. Logan was true to his word and picked me up the next morning. He looked nice, a different kind of nice than I grew used to in the office. This time he wore denim jeans and black boots, a look I thought did him a huge justice. Logan suddenly wasn't the boss, he turned dreamier than I ever imagined he could. Suddenly he was boyfriend material and my cheeks blushed just thinking about it.
Of course, he wasn't my boyfriend. Logan felt a need to protect my heart from the man who shattered it. I could live a thousand years and never figure out why he went to great lengths for me. When we arrived at the farm, he flashed me a toothy smile and instantly pulled me into the charade we played. I didn't mind. Even if we were pretending to be something we weren't, he gave me attention that I didn't know I needed.
"How about this one?" He asked, pointing to a four-foot pine. I shook my head and walked away.
Logan raced up to me and lifted me in the air, twirling me around as he laughed. He wanted me to take another look at the one he found, but I wasn't interested in it. "It's too short," I protested. "I like them tall."
"I'm tall," he joked. God, I hope that was a joke because the thought of Logan flirting caused panic to set in. I couldn't allow myself to crush on a man I could never have.
We searched for over an hour, stood close to one another as we examined the trees. "It's been so long since I had a tree," I told him. "I want to make sure it's perfect."
Logan stopped in his tracks which caused me to bump into him. He turned toward me with the biggest smile on his face. My eyes moved in the direction of his and my mouth hung open. The perfect tree stood waiting for me. It towered over Logan's head, my guess would be close to seven-foot, and the branches were thick with soft needles.
I nodded and grinned, he'd done it, found the tree to bring me out of my funk.
He insisted on buying it for me, although I tried to pull out my cash faster than him. "Thank you," I said as we walked back to the car. "You didn't need to do that."
"I wanted to," he told me as he opened the passenger door for me. He handed me his keys and said, "Warm up while I tie the tree to the hood."
It never occurred to me that he would have to come into my apartment to help set up the Christmas tree, but as we approached my building, I realized I couldn't do it alone. Logan had been prepared, even had a tree stand in his trunk. "Let me unlock the door," I said as he removed it from the car.
I stood by the open door, watching him hoist the heavy pine over his shoulder. He was doing all that for me, I reminded myself because he wanted to. Nobody, not even Graham, had ever spent a Saturday during the busy holiday season doing something special for me. I slowly licked my lips as he strained to carry the tree. The temperature must have risen because I suddenly felt heat flowing through me.
"Can I offer you a drink?" I asked a few minutes later as Logan adjusted the tree into the stand.
"Something hot would be great," he answered. "Do you have hot chocolate?" Logan grinned, he had to have known about my sweet tooth since he overheard everything said in the office.
We sipped our cocoa and talked about his family. Our trip to his parent's house would be coming up soon and I wanted to be prepared. "Just be yourself," he told me. "I didn't tell them anything crazy, just that we met at work, known each other for a couple of years and recently started dating."
It made sense to me and none of it was untrue. "I look forward to meeting them," I said then took a large gulp of my drink. What was I thinking? Logan reached over and placed his hand on mine, his touch melted the coldness left in my heart.
"Are you ready to decorate this sucker," he laughed, pointing at the Christmas tree.
"Let's do it," I replied. We jumped off the couch and started going through the boxes of decorations I pulled out of my storage closet the night before.
Logan turned on the radio and found a station playing nonstop holiday music. I didn't expect him to stay and help me spruce up the apartment, but the company was refreshing. He accepted the job of placing the lights on while I wrapped the garland around the mantle and placed candles in the windows. Soon we hung ornaments on the tree and sang along to the music. The Christmas spirit that I bottled inside for the past three years started to come back to life and I had Logan to thank for it.
"Do you have a pickle?" he asked as he searched through the boxes.
"In the refrigerator," I replied. Logan burst out laughing and I couldn't help but join him, although I didn't know what was so funny. "What do you mean?"
Logan took my hand and led me to the couch. He held onto it as we sat and looked at the tree. "I believe it's a German tradition. You hide a pickle, not a real one," he laughed again then continued, "in the tree. On Christmas morning, the family searches for it and the one who finds it gets the first present of the year."
My head cocked, trying to study him to see if he was pulling my leg or something. "Sounds fun," I said and straightened myself out. "Why not just draw straws or something?"
"The point isn't to get the first present, that's just the prize. It makes everyone look at the Christmas tree and the ornaments on it," he explained. "My parent's tree has so many old ornaments and almost all of them could tell a story of Christmases of the past."
A warm sensation rose from my throat and a smile spread from ear to ear. "My parents have a lot of old ones too," I told him. "No pickles though." We both laughed as we stood and finished putting ornaments on the tree.
When we were finished, he looked at me and grinned. "Maybe you'll find the pickle next weekend."
"I don't mind if I don't," I said. "As long as I get to see the things on the tree that tells me the story of your youth." This time Logan blushed. "Do you want another drink," I asked.
"No," he replied right away. "We can get one over dinner."
"Dinner?"
He reached for his coat and handed me mine. "Yes, another family tradition. Every year after we decorate the tree, we go out to dinner."
I loved how he included me in his traditions. My heart pounded when he opened my coat and let me slip right in. "Okay," I told him. "But, this time it's on me."
Chapter 4
MONDAY IN THE OFFICE was mundane like any other, but I found myself glancing at the door to Logan's office often. Everything we've done together had been friendly, but I wondered if he had reasons for being so nice, other than wanting me to go visit his family?
Connie cleared her voice, bringing me out of my daze when Graham entered to drop off the day's delivery. I looked at her and grinned but said nothing. She already had an ear full of the weekend with Logan. Connie knew what the dumb expression on my face meant.
"Hey," Graham said as he placed the invoice on my desk. The scent of his cologne drifted into my nose and a flood of memories flashed before my eyes, distracting m
e from thoughts of Logan. I hadn't noticed the scent any other time he delivered.
"Hi," I realized I sounded extra nice as I looked up into his blue eyes. I bit my lip as I signed the paper, the sooner he finished his work, the sooner I could go back to dreaming about my boss.
Graham shifted his feet and held his hands in his coat. He had his invoice, why wasn't he leaving? "I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me?"
I gasped, not expecting that at all. I looked at Connie, unsure of how to answer him. She discreetly shook her head, but a part of me wanted to go. I missed him and the fun lunches we used to have. "I don't think that would be a good idea," I answered as my head tilted toward Logan's office. As much as I wanted to go, we still had a charade to play.
"Just two friends catching up," he told me as he stood tall. "I promise, nothing more."
What would Logan think? I shouldn't have worried, there wasn't anything real between Logan and me, but something inside of me felt like it would be wrong to go behind his back. I stood from my chair and said, "Let me go make sure my boyfriend didn't have plans for today."
Racing inside of Logan's office, I didn't bother to knock. He didn't seem to mind, probably knew what happened. "Graham's here," I breathed. "He asked me to have lunch with him, but I told him I needed to see what you had planned."
Logan's face turned expressionless and I wasn't sure why. "I can't stop you," he dryly stated. My heart hurt. It wasn't what I expected him to say. I wanted to go back to my desk and tell Graham that my loving boyfriend wanted to be with me, yet I wanted to be with Graham too. I shook my head in confusion. "You know you and I are just friends," Logan said. "What you do with your lunch is up to you, as long as our agreement still stands."
I wanted to cry. From the tone of his voice, I could tell that Logan acted the way he did because of friendship only. I knew it was stupid of me to crush on him. My head nodded, and I turned to leave. Both Graham and Logan wanted to be my friend, and I knew at that moment neither of them would ever love me.
Romance Me: A Collection Of Standalone & First In Series Books Page 33
