Sandpiper Shore

by Debbie Mason

  Okay, so maybe she wasn’t completely sober. But tipsy or not, she could see that Michael wanted Logan to ask her something, which he apparently refused to do. She’d always assumed her ability to read people better than most was another benefit of her gift. Or maybe it was the chicken-and-the-egg thing and her gift had developed from her ability to read people so well.

  She gave a scornful snort. She hadn’t done a very good job of reading Lorenzo or her stepmother, now, had she? Maybe everyone was right and Jenna’s gift didn’t amount to a hill of beans. She’d been fooling herself all these years, pretending to be someone she wasn’t. Pretending to be special when she was just plain old Jenna Bell.

  “I said no. Go give Shay a hand.” Logan pointed his beer bottle at the crowded bar and then brought it to his lips.

  Lips that definitely belonged on her beautiful list. He was three-for-two now. Nope, she thought, suddenly transfixed by the way his Adam’s apple moved in his powerful throat and the way his world-class biceps flexed; rugged and masculine totally won out. The man was swoon-worthy.

  Michael pushed back the barrel he’d been sitting on, drawing Jenna’s attention to the look of frustration on his face. As though he sensed her watching him, he glanced at her and then at his brother, who gave him a don’t even think about it look that Jenna would’ve listened to if she were Michael. He didn’t.

  “Jenna, I need you to do my brother a big favor.”

  “Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t—”

  “Of course, anything.” She cut off Logan. She meant it too. Whatever he needed, she’d do. And not just because Logan Gallagher was the type of man any women would sell their soul for just to earn a smile, or because he’d saved her twice in one day. There was nothing Jenna liked better than to lend a helping hand. Some people—Arianna for one, Gwyneth for the other—had remarked that it was because Jenna needed to feel needed. They seemed to think that was a bad thing. Jenna didn’t. Until Michael told her what he wanted her to do.

  “It’d be a big help if you could get Lorenzo to drop the charges against Logan.”

  She might’ve missed the fact Lorenzo was gaga for Gwyneth, but it didn’t mean Jenna didn’t know the man. There was only one way she could get Lorenzo to drop the charges against Logan. She’d have to give him back his ring. Of course, she wanted to give it back. She wasn’t a vengeful person, and it was a family heirloom, after all. Truth be told, the thing weighed a ton and was a little ostentatious for her, but Arianna was right. The ring was Jenna’s only leverage.

  Lorenzo was more terrified of his traditional, close-knit family than he was of pleasing Gwyneth, and his uncle and cousins were flying in from Italy for the wedding. Which meant Lorenzo would be highly motivated to do as Jenna asked. And if anyone could convince Gwyneth to relinquish her rights to Southern Belle (stolen though they may be) to Jenna, it was Lorenzo. Still, Jenna reminded herself, she owed Logan her life.

  She nodded her agreement to Michael’s request.

  From the expressions on both men’s faces, it had been more of a reluctant nod than a convincing one, so she added a smile and said, “Of course. Absolutely. I’ll call him right now.” She looked around for her phone. “I don’t know where…” She grimaced. “I left it in the changing room at Tie the Knot.”

  Which reminded her why she’d been drinking like a frat boy at his fraternity initiation. Her stepsisters hated her again. If possible, they’d hate her even more when they learned she’d returned Lorenzo’s ring. They wouldn’t care that a good man’s career was on the line because of her. They no doubt saw the ring as their leverage too. They wanted Gwyneth’s version of their father’s will overturned as much as Jenna did.

  “No worries. You can use mine.”

  She blinked at the smartphone Michael proffered. Her vision was blurry. She blamed the alcohol for the tears filling her eyes and forced a smile. “Great. Thanks.” Just as she reached for the phone, it disappeared from view.

  “It’s fine, Jenna. I appreciate the offer though.” Logan tossed the phone at his brother. “I said no. I meant it.”

  “Yeah, well, excuse me if I’m trying to keep you off administrative leave. And what about Mom? I thought we agreed—” This time the look Logan gave his brother worked. Michael instantly clamped his mouth shut.

  Jenna didn’t blame him. Logan’s expression was aggressive, all authoritative male. That look right there was one of the reasons she’d never dated an alpha and never would. It made her shiver just a little, and Logan’s attention left his brother to focus on her. Almost immediately Logan’s gaze went from impatient to warm. “Go talk to Shay, baby bro. Get her to turn down the air.”

  There was a hint of an apology in his deep, smooth voice. And attentiveness in his request to have the air turned down. Evidence that, despite being an alpha, he was clearly as good a man as she thought him to be. A good man who didn’t deserve to be put on administrative leave for defending her and her sister.

  Jenna didn’t want to cause any more problems between the two men and waited until Michael headed for the bar to say, “May I have your phone, please?”

  Logan’s mouth kicked up at the corner, and he put down his beer bottle. “No, you may not.” He folded his arms on the table, leaning toward her to trap her in his intent gaze. “I know you want to help, and I appreciate it. But you and I both know there’s only one way you’ll get Lorenzo to withdraw the charges, and I’m not letting you give him back the ring. I heard enough today to know it might be your only chance to get your company back.”

  “We’re hiring a lawyer. It might take time, but eventually I’ll get Southern Belle back.” If Gwyneth didn’t manage to bankrupt the company before then. “I need to do this for you, Logan. I won’t be able to live with myself if you lose your job because you got sucked into my drama.”

  “I appreciate that. But I’m the one who hit the guy, not you. And if I had to do it all over again, things would’ve gone down exactly the same way. Don’t sweat it, Jenna. Honestly, I’m good. Everything will work out.”

  “You don’t know my stepmother. Once she finds out what happened to Lorenzo, she’ll get involved. And Gwyneth makes Arianna look like a saint.”

  “Bring it. She’ll find out what she’s up against pretty quick. Someone takes on one of us, they end up fighting us all. We’ll let her know the same applies to you.”

  “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.” She studied him with a half smile, thinking back to the days she’d sat in her bedroom window staring up at Greystone Manor.

  At the age of four, Jenna had become addicted to happily-ever-afters and lay partial blame for her obsession at the door of Greystone Manor, the fairy-tale castle that stood sentry over her small, coastal hometown. Granted, the blame lay not so much on the manor as on the handsome Gallagher princes, who’d made it their holiday home. Somewhere around the age of ten, the heroes in Jenna’s favorite fairy tales began to take on an uncanny resemblance to the dark-haired and blue-eyed Gallagher boys.

  “You’re like handsome knights in shining armor coming to the rescue of damsels in distress.”

  “Most of our armor is pretty tarnished. And Michael was rescued by his damsel, not the other way around.” He laughed and lifted his beer to his mouth.

  “Shay’s my shero. If I were more like her, I wouldn’t have lost my company and Lorenzo to Gwyneth.”

  “Don’t know about the business, but I’m a pretty good judge of character and, honey, I’d say take the win, because that idiot breaking up with you was definitely a win.”

  She lifted a shoulder, wishing she had seen what everyone else did. Then again, if she had, she wouldn’t be sitting in the Salty Dog with Logan Gallagher, one of her childhood fantasy crushes, and he wouldn’t have just called her honey. Back in the day, each and every one of the Gallagher great-grandsons had played, at one time or another, a leading role in her daydreams. Actually, Logan and his cousin Griffin less so because they were older than her by ten years.
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  “Sorry, that’s probably not what you needed to hear right now.”

  “It probably is.” Especially the honey part said in a voice that felt like a tender caress. She gave her head a slight shake, pushing the thought away. It was hard enough sitting across from him without hearing Cherry’s voice in her head. And right now Jenna had other things to think about, really important things, like how to save Logan’s job.

  She lifted the cup of coffee to her mouth, trying to come up with a way to make him see reason. Obviously, the man was a protector, a defender of the weak and helpless, a…That’s it. She had to show him she was far from helpless and weak and that by doing this for him, she was taking back her power.

  Taking back her power…She liked that. It felt good and gave her a sense of control that she’d been missing since her stepfather died. The ostentatious pink diamond winked at her in the light from the brass lantern hanging overhead. She put down her cup of coffee and looked Logan in the eye. “You have to let me call Lorenzo and barter for your freedom with the ring.”

  “We’ve already had this conversation and—”

  “No, we didn’t have a conversation. You talked and I listened, but I need you to hear me out. If the circumstances were different and I was engaged to anyone other than Lorenzo, the first thing I would’ve done was give the ring back. But I’m keeping it for revenge, and that’s not healthy. I need to get into a positive place, and being angry and vengeful isn’t going to get me there. It’ll just make it harder for me to heal.”

  “I don’t know much about you and your business, Jenna. But from what your sisters said, you worked hard to get your company off the ground, and now that you’ve started to reap the benefits, your stepmother stole it out from under you. You’re not being vengeful keeping the ring; you’re being strategic. Lawyers cost money. Why waste it if you can get what you want by using what Lorenzo wants as leverage?”

  “That makes sense if I wanted my company back, but the more I think about it, I’m not sure that I do. Want it back, that is. Gwyneth was always looking for ways to generate more income from the business, and some of her ideas bordered on illegal—like selling our clients’ information. Now that I’m not there to rein her in, and haven’t been for the past two and a half months, she’s probably implemented them.”

  “You’ll figure out how to turn things around. You can’t let her—”

  “Win? She kind of already did. But you know, it’s not just that.” She looked down at her coffee. “I didn’t see what was right in front of me. What I had with Lorenzo was a lie. What Kimberly had with…I don’t know what her fiancé’s name is, but their relationship was a lie too. So many of my clients had been cheated on before they came to me, cheated and lied to.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I don’t think I believe in happily-ever-after anymore, Logan. How can I sell something I don’t believe in? It’s why I was successful, you know. I believed in the fairy tale.” She looked away, blinking back the tears that once again gathered in her eyes.

  It felt like a part of her had died. But it was about time she lost her innocence, the rosy pink hue she saw life through. She was twenty-nine, after all. And it wasn’t as if her life had been easy. Maybe she had to stop pretending it was or that there was something heroic about suffering or that someday her prince would come.

  A big hand closed over hers, warm and strong. “I’m sorry. I wish I’d knocked out his teeth and broken his nose. Give yourself some time, Jenna. Don’t make any major life decisions just yet.”

  She stared at the thumb that stroked her hand, wondering how his simple, comforting touch could cause erotic thoughts and butterflies to take flight in her head and her stomach. She blamed Cherry and her racy comments earlier. Afraid Logan would pick up on her inappropriate reaction, Jenna turned her hand over to give his fingers a quick, light squeeze. Then she slipped her hand out from under his to bring her coffee cup to her lips.

  She took a sip before putting the cup down. “I understand what you’re saying, Logan. But the thing is, some people believe I have a special talent, a gift, and that I can tell if they were meant to be together or not.” He looked like he was having difficulty understanding what she meant. “Like I knew the minute I sat across from them if he was her one true love, her one and only.”

  He laughed.

  She sighed. She should be used to that reaction by now. “Let me guess. You don’t believe in soul mates or psychics.”

  “Good guess.” He looked at her more closely. “But you do.” She thought she heard him say under his breath, “Why am I surprised?”

  “I did. Now I’m not sure that I do, but more important, no one else will believe I have the true-love gift. Not after I was dumped by a man I thought was mine. Which means, whether I like it or not, I’m done in the happily-ever-after business. Washed up at twenty-nine.”

  “Look, I’m not going to say what you should or shouldn’t do. You know what’s best for you.”

  “Thank you, I do. Now I just have to figure out what that is.” She looked over at her best friend, who was coming their way. “Maybe I’ll become a counselor like Shay. You do a lot of counseling in the matchmaking business, you know.” She nodded, liking the idea the more she thought about it. “I’ll go back to school and get my masters in social work.” And do her thesis on the perils of believing in fairy tales. “My wedding account will fund my education.”

  “Sounds like a better use for the money, if you ask me.”

  She wasn’t surprised Logan felt that way. Ninety percent of the alpha men she’d met over the years hadn’t been a fan of weddings, especially big weddings. Lorenzo had been. He was the reason their budget had ballooned out of control, not her. She was just beginning to wonder if they were all right about Lorenzo and she’d gotten off lucky when Shay arrived at their table with a Tie the Knot bag in her hand.

  She rested it on the table. “Sorry. I got busy and forgot to bring you this. Serena dropped it off a while ago.”

  “A while as in two hours ago?” Jenna prayed it wasn’t during her stripper routine and glanced at Shay, who tried to hide a wince. Jenna groaned, looking up at the wood-beamed ceiling as she did. “What did I do to deserve this? I always look for the best in people. I’m kind to everyone. I go out of my way to help people.”

  “And that right there is your problem,” Logan said.

  “It’s not a problem. Courage and kindness will see you through all the trials life has to offer.”

  “Yeah, who told you that?” Shay asked.

  “Cinderella,” Jenna said without thinking, and then sighed when both Logan and Shay began to laugh. She leaned over to grab the gigantic ball of tulle from the chair beside her and then stood to take the bag from Shay, swallowing a pained gasp. She’d forgotten about her ankle. “I guess I better go home and face the music.”

  Logan stood too, reaching in the back pocket of his jeans to take out his wallet.

  Shay waved him off. “As if. Thanks for taking care of Jenna earlier. Appreciate it.”

  “You make it sound like I need a keeper,” she grumbled.

  “You do,” Shay and Logan said at almost the same time. He came around the table, took the bag and wedding gown from Jenna’s hands, and then slid his arm around her waist. “Okay, Cinderella. Lean on me, and I’ll get you back safely to your evil stepsisters.”

  “They’re not evil, just mean. Well, Arianna is, and not all the time. She’s actually been very kind to me these past few months.”

  And it had been wonderful and oh so welcome. Jenna didn’t know how she would’ve made it through the past several months without her sisters’ support. She hated that she’d disappointed them and wished she had a way to make it up to them. She fingered her engagement ring. Giving it back to Lorenzo certainly wouldn’t win them over.

  She glanced at the profile of the tall, powerfully built man carefully steering her through the bar. He’d made it clear he didn’t need or want her to step in on his behalf. Obviously, h
e was perfectly capable of looking out for himself. As he further pointed out, the Gallagher clan was fiercely protective of their own and had the financial means to ensure a favorable outcome for Logan.

  Still, she felt responsible for the position he was in, and not doing anything to help didn’t sit well with her. But for the past nineteen years, all she’d ever wanted was for her stepsisters to love her, so instead of taking her cell phone out of the Tie the Knot bag and calling Lorenzo, she rested her weight against Logan, doing her best to ignore Cherry’s obscene gestures and chortling cheers as Logan guided Jenna to the door.

  Chapter Six

  Logan cast an amused glance at the woman leaning heavily against him. Head turned, face pressed into his side, Jenna waved a knock it off hand in Cherry’s direction at the other end of the bar. “What’s she trying to get you to do?”

  “Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Jenna muttered, her breath warming the skin beneath his T-shirt.

  He glanced at Cherry, who was now gyrating on the stage, and quickly figured it out. He didn’t think it was necessary to share with Jenna that they were absolutely not doing that. He was trying to work out a way to politely share that when his sister-in-law-to-be yelled, “Cherry, knock it off. You’ve got customers waiting.”

  Jenna lifted her head, her fingers tightening at his waist as she looked around his arm at Shay. “Thanks. You’re the only one she listens to.”

  “Don’t give me too much credit. I have a feeling she got a look at Logan’s face. Anyway, are you sure you feel like putting up with Arianna’s crap tonight? You can stay with me and Michael.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I have to face them sometime. I might as well do it now. The slight buzz I’ve got going on should deaden the pain of their barbs.”

  Shay pressed her lips together, clearly not liking the idea of Jenna having to deal with Arianna tonight. Logan didn’t like it much either. He wasn’t sure about the dynamics of the sisters’ relationship, but there’d been signs they weren’t BFFs. Shay’s reaction seemed to validate his suspicions, as did Jenna’s wry quip.