by Brea Essex
@six? R U bringing that guy?
Okay, see you then. No, I’m not bringing Andrei, but I am bringing someone.
Tanis? Ew, but OK. Cady disliked Tanis, but she put up with her for my sake.
No, not Tanis. You’ll see when I get there!
Who??? She wanted to know. I didn’t answer. Let her wonder.
“So, what time are we supposed to be there?” Logan asked.
“Six o’clock,” I answered. “And I still need to get her a present.”
“Are you serious?” Now I was definitely annoying him. “I don’t think we should risk going to the mall.”
He was right. I thought about it for a minute.
Logan’s voice broke into my thoughts. “Well? Are you going to answer me?”
“Shhh! I’m trying to think! Hold on a minute.” I felt bad for shushing him, but I thought I might have a solution that would make us both happy, and Cady, too. “I think I have an idea.”
“Oh?” He seemed intrigued.
“I have a blouse in my closet I haven’t worn yet. In fact, it still has the tags on. Cady will like it. She always likes my clothes. I’ll just wrap it up for her.”
“Will it fit her?”
“It will, Cady and I are the same size. I’ll just black out the price…” I hesitated for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” he wanted to know.
“Well, I don’t like to re-gift. I feel bad for giving her something I didn’t pick out for her,” I explained.
“I think you might have to make an exception in this case. Besides, you’re not technically re-gifting it. You didn’t get it as a gift, did you?”
“No, I bought it for myself.”
“There you go! It’s not actually re-gifting because you’re the one who bought it.”
I had to admit that his logic made sense. “I suppose you’re right. It’s not like she will ever know. She wasn’t with me when I bought it. Tanis was, but I’ll ask her not to say anything.”
“Will she keep it to herself?”
“Yeah. She might act a little stuck up sometimes, but she’s trustworthy.”
Just then, the key turned in the lock. The door opened, and Genevra and Tanis walked in. Genevra set her purse on the console table by the door, and Tanis dropped her backpack on the floor, being careful to put it where it wouldn’t be tripped over. They both wandered into the kitchen. Genevra was carrying the mail, which must have arrived while they were gone. I hadn’t even heard the mail carrier.
Obviously Genevra had told Tanis about Logan because she didn’t seem surprised to see him standing in our kitchen. She just winked at me as she headed for the fridge to grab a soda. I rolled my eyes at her.
I was amazed Andrei hadn’t shown up at my house after missing me at school. Maybe he had seen Genevra pick up Tanis, and assumed I’d been with them. Good thing he hadn’t shown up at the house while Logan and I had been there alone. I didn’t know whether the two of us could escape him. Thankful for the reprieve, I resolved to not think about him for the rest of the night.
“So, how’s dinner coming?” Genevra asked, breaking into my thoughts.
“Um, okay,” I hedged. “I didn’t get much done on it yet. I got distracted by Cady texting me. But don’t worry. Dinner will be done on time.”
She gave me a skeptical look, but didn’t say anything. I wondered if it was because she didn’t believe me about Cady texting, or that dinner would be done on time. I took the defrosted meat out of the microwave and popped it into a pan. I turned on the burner and began to chop up the vegetables for my lasagna. “Uh, Genevra? I have something to ask you.”
“Yes? What is it?” She sat at the counter now, obviously distracted with the mail. Maybe it would work in my favor.
“Can I go with Logan to Cady’s birthday party tonight?”
She put down the envelope she’d been ripping with her letter opener. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Does that mean no?”
“I’m not saying no yet, but I want to. Don’t you think you should be staying home, considering everything that’s going on?” she asked.
“That’s what Logan said,” I muttered.
“Well, Logan’s right. I don’t think you should go.”
“But Genevra, Cady’s expecting me to be there!” I protested. I should have expected her to agree with him. They were both right, but I didn’t want to upset Cady again. I couldn’t stand her being mad at me. “I promised her.” I knew I sounded like a spoiled child, but I also knew I could wear her down.
“Why is Cady having her party on a school night anyway?”
“Today’s her actual birthday. She had to have her party on her actual birthday, no matter what,” I explained.
“What time would you be leaving, and when would you be back?”
“Cady wants me there at six. We’ll only stay for a couple of hours.”
“And Logan will go with you?”
“I won’t let her out of my sight, Genevra,” Logan chimed in.
“Well…I suppose it will be all right,” she finally agreed. “Cady doesn’t live that far, and you can get home quickly if there’s trouble. Just be sure to take your phone so we can reach each other. And be home by nine.”
I nodded in agreement. “Is it okay if we have dinner a little early, so we can eat before we leave?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I know how you hate party food. Why don’t you just put the meat in the refrigerator, and we can order pizza? Then you will have time to get ready for the party. Do you have a gift? I can run out and pick something up,” she offered.
“Pizza sounds great. No, I have a gift. You don’t need to go anywhere. Thanks for asking, though,” I said.
“What are you giving her?” Tanis asked. I had almost forgotten about her. She leaned against the counter behind me, sipping her soda.
“I’m giving her the cute blue silk blouse I bought last time we went shopping. I haven’t worn it yet, and I’m sure she will love it. Just don’t tell her I bought it for myself, okay?”
“You know you don’t have to worry about it. My lips are sealed,” she reassured me.
“Thanks. Uh, do you want to go with us?” I offered.
“No. Cady is more your friend than mine. Besides, I know she doesn’t like me. Thanks for offering though. I’m going to head upstairs and work on my homework.” She started to leave, but paused in the doorway. “Be safe, Rae.” She walked away before I could respond.
Well, that was weird.
“I’ll call for the pizza,” Genevra announced. She wandered away to find the phone, leaving Logan—who had been surprisingly silent—and me alone in the kitchen.
“So, do you want to bring Cady’s gift down here, and I’ll help you wrap it?” he asked.
“Sure! I’ll be right back.” I bounded up the steps and pulled the blouse out of my closet. I ran back down the stairs. “Logan, meet me in the living room. I have to get wrapping paper.”
I hunted through the storage cabinet where Genevra kept the wrapping paper. I found some silver tissue paper and a box. I grabbed scissors, tape, and a black marker off the top shelf, and tried to juggle everything while closing the door at the same time.
A hand reached over my head and pushed the door shut. I turned to find Logan standing behind me. “Thought you could use some help,” he told me as he took the box and scissors from me.
“Yeah, thanks. I almost dropped everything.”
We wandered into the living room and sat on the floor, spreading everything out in front of us. I blacked out the price on the tag of the blouse, folded it precisely, and placed it in the box. I put Logan in charge of cutting and taping. “Oh no! I forgot a bow!” I exclaimed as we finished.
“And a tag,” he pointed out.
I gave him a strange look. I didn’t expect a guy to bother with a gift tag. “I’ll be right back,” I told him.
I went back through everything in the closet and grabbed some ribbon, a fa
bric rose, and a gift tag. I joined Logan in the living room again. As we finished wrapping the gift, the doorbell rang. My heart leapt into my throat. Logan motioned for me to stay put, went over to the door, and peered through the peephole. He breathed a sigh of relief I could hear from the living room. “It’s the pizza.”
I don’t know which of us was more relieved. “Genevra, the pizza is here!” I called.
Genevra came into the foyer and opened the door for the pizza guy. She paid him, and Logan took the boxes for her. “Where do you want these?” he asked her as she shut the door.
“Oh, just place them on the kitchen counter. There’s no sense in having them cluttering up the dining room table,” she replied.
I got up from the living room floor and followed them, leaving the gift and wrapping implements on the ground. “Did you remember to order a veggie pizza for me?” I inquired.
“No, Raena, I ordered a cheese pizza. You’re the only one who will eat that nasty vegetable pizza. This way, it won’t go to waste,” she informed me.
“It wouldn’t go to waste,” I protested.
“Yes, it would. You can’t eat a whole pizza by yourself, and you never finish the leftovers. You will just have to live with cheese.”
I supposed I didn’t really need to argue. I didn’t mind cheese, and picking a fight with her over pizza toppings might cause her to change her mind about letting me go to Cady’s party.
Shane arrived home as we were setting the table. Logan chatted with my family during dinner. He fielded their questions easily, including—to my chagrin—Shane’s blunt inquiry— “So, Logan, what are your intentions with our Raena?”
I choked on my pizza. I grabbed my glass of water and chugged until I recovered.
Logan didn’t seem embarrassed, though I sure was.
He looked directly at Shane. “Well, I love Raena. Once we have dealt with this whole Andrei situation, I intend upon asking her to be my girlfriend. That is, if she wants to be. I know it might seem to you as though I came out of nowhere, but we have known each other for a while. I want nothing more than to protect her,” he said. “I will help shield her from Andrei, no matter what.”
Shane seemed satisfied at this. Everyone fell silent and went back to their food. Genevra’s eyes were a little wide, and Tanis looked amused. I, on the other hand, felt stunned. I knew of Logan’s feelings for me, but I had never expected him to freely admit everything to my family.
Tanis caught my eye, winked, and mouthed, I told you so!
I gave her a half-smile and shook my head. I knew she’d been right about Logan, but I didn’t want her rubbing my face it in.
After we finished eating, I stood up and grabbed my plate off the table. “We need to go,” I told Logan. I took his plate, too, and walked them over to the sink.
Logan glanced down at my clothes. “Do you need to change?”
“Oh yeah! Um, I’ll be right back.” I rushed upstairs and dressed for the party. I didn’t want to subject Logan to any more of my family’s interrogations if I could help it.
I bolted back downstairs, my purse bouncing at my side. “Come on, let’s go!” I called.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Logan asked when he met me at the door.
I thought for a moment, but I couldn’t think of anything. Then it hit me. “Oh yeah, the gift!” Talk about seriously scatterbrained.
I dashed into the living room and grabbed the gift off the floor. He followed behind me. He gathered the abandoned wrapping supplies and returned them to the closet for me. “Thanks!” I told him.
“No problem. I didn’t want you to get in trouble.”
“Good idea. Genevra! We’re leaving!” I hollered.
She appeared in the doorway. “Don’t forget your phone,” she reminded me.
“Don’t worry. I have it.”
“Be home by nine,” she added.
“I know, I know. C’mon, Logan!” I grabbed his wrist, opened the door, and hauled him out to the car.
“Be careful!” Genevra called after us as we headed down the sidewalk to where Logan’s car sat parked on the street.
“We will!” I yelled back.
Logan opened the car door for me, and I started to climb in. I tripped—big surprise—but he caught me before I hit the ground. “Careful,” he murmured in my ear, his breath heating my skin.
An involuntary shiver ran down my spine at his proximity. Maybe I should rethink my earlier declaration that I wasn’t ready to be with him yet.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Logan helped me into the car and closed the door behind me. I watched him as he walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side. I did want to be with him—officially—but I didn’t want to be fickle. It didn’t seem fair to him to start dating him right after I’d broken up with Andrei. I didn’t want him to feel like my rebound guy. I was better than that, and Logan deserved better too.
“So, where does Cady live?”
I gave him quick directions as I fastened my seat belt. We made it to the house in record time.
Cady threw open the front door as we were walking up the driveway. “What took you so long?” she demanded.
I fumbled through my purse and glanced at the time on my phone. “We’re not late,” I informed her. “In fact, we’re five minutes early.”
She frowned. “Well, it felt like I’d been waiting for you forever.” She glanced to my left and noticed Logan. Her eyes bugged out to the point I thought they would pop out of her head. To her credit, she didn’t say anything obnoxious. “Hi, Logan,” she squeaked out.
“Hey, Cady.” He grinned at her. “I hope you don’t mind my coming.”
“Of—of course not,” she stammered. She clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing him with me yet again, let alone at her house.
Determined to end the awkwardness, I walked over to her and hugged her. “Happy birthday!” I exclaimed. “This is for you.” I shoved the tissue-wrapped box into her hands.
She glanced down at it. “Thanks, Rae. C’mon inside.” We followed her into the house, Logan hovering just behind me.
“Tristan’s already here,” she announced as we hung up our coats in her front closet. “He wasn’t late.”
I rolled my eyes behind her back. “We weren’t late!” I insisted.
She laughed at me. “I know, I know! Go ahead and go into the living room. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen, still clutching her gift.
Logan and I trooped into the living room. Tristan sat on the sofa, painstakingly blowing up balloons. “Well, at least she gave you a pump this time,” I joked.
Tristan didn’t even blink when he spotted Logan by my side. “Hey, you’re here. Rae, you can start hanging the streamers. Logan, there’s another balloon pump. You can help me blow up the five million balloons Cady wants.”
“She didn’t even bother decorating?” I asked Tristan.
“Nope. That’s what we’re here for.”
“What time does this actually start?”
“Seven. We have exactly one hour to trick out this room to Cady’s specifications.”
I hadn’t been expecting this. Leave it to Cady to rope us into doing everything. “I guess we should have come earlier,” I told Logan.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get to work.”
Cady was conspicuously missing the entire time we spent decorating. She appeared just as we were putting the finishing touches on the room. “Oh, it looks wonderful!” she exclaimed.
“Who else is coming?” I asked her.
“No one,” she replied.
“What?” I dropped the roll of streamers I’d been draping around the cake table. “You mean we’re doing all this work for just the four of us?”
She nodded. “Plus my parents and my brother.”
I think my jaw hit the ground. “This is ludicrous, Cady!”
“I’m just kidding!” She grinned widely. “I got you!”
/> I wanted to throttle her, but I felt relieved. “So there are more people coming?”
“Yeah, like twenty kids from school, plus my grandparents and cousins and some other family. Oh, and a few of my parents’ friends.”
Wow. Her house would be packed. Well, at least we hadn’t done all this work for nothing. Plus, with so many people here, maybe she wouldn’t notice when Logan and I slipped out early so I could get home.
Her doorbell rang, and Logan and I froze. We were being too jumpy. It was only her grandparents, arriving with her aunt and two of her cousins. They came laden with gifts, which I helped place on the now-decorated gift table. “Where’s the gift from me?” I asked Cady.
“Oops! I left it on the dining table. I’ll go get it.” She disappeared again.
As she left, her mom started carrying food into the living room. “Oh, Raena, you’re here! Sweetie, could you do me a favor and help me bring in the hors d’oeuvres?”
“Sure, Mrs. Nicholls.” Cady’s parents preferred to be called by their first names, Leah and Evan, but my mother had taught me to always call adults by their last names. It irritated Mrs. Nicholls a little—she said it made her feel old—but she dealt with it.
Logan followed behind me as I went into the kitchen with Mrs. Nicholls. I could tell he felt a little uncomfortable. He didn’t really know anyone there. I felt bad for dragging him along. We grabbed trays off the kitchen counter, and I pulled him aside as Mrs. Nicholls headed back into the living room. “I’m sorry for making you come with me,” I told him.
“It’s okay, Raena. I’m fine. This meant a lot to you, and to Cady. I’d rather be here with you than at home worrying if you’re okay.”
I searched his face, but his expression didn’t betray anything. “Okay,” I said. “But if you get too uncomfortable, just let me know and we’ll leave.”
“You got it. Now, let’s get these into the other room before Cady’s mom thinks we disappeared on her.”
Others had arrived while we’d been in the kitchen. Someone had put on some music, and the party was now in full swing. Cady danced with Tristan. I had always wondered about those two. They were always together, even more than I was with them, and neither of them would tell me who they liked. If anything did happen between them, I hoped Cady wouldn’t break Tristan’s heart. She could be kind of fickle.
