If only! “Hopefully, you’ll be too busy designing.”
“Dinner? Leftovers?” She sent him a cheeky smile before she twirled around and walked away.
He watched her. All. The. Way.
Logan wasn’t the only one to linger on the confident air in her every stride, her dark hair slightly fanned out, and the sexy sway of her hips. Men and women alike turned or stopped to look as she dashed by.
She cast a spell over all of them. “Devil? Maybe more along the lines of witch,” he muttered.
“Watch it, Wolfe,” he warned himself. “Next time, she’ll be more lethal.”
Because, as he spent time with her, she became more and more dangerous to his racing heart.
***
“Squeal,” Rico screamed as Rach walked in the suddenly quiet design room. “She’s back. OMG!” He fanned himself. His friends halted in their work and turned to look at her. “I’m in the presence of—”
“Stop!” A wave of heat blasted her cheeks. “You’re sweet, but you’re making me blush.”
“Oh and it brings out those gorg blue eyes of yours even more.” He leaned closer. “Tell me they’re real.”
“Everything about me is real.” There, maybe that would stop him from asking any more personal questions.
He eyed her, coming closer and walking around her in a small circle while making noises in the back of his throat.
She froze, her muscles tightening. “Do I pass inspection?”
Reaching out, he smacked her on the arm. “Oh, honey, you got a cute little bod and, your clothes, love them!”
“Quit messing with her, Rico,” Francie, Charlie’s stepsister and the wedding dress buyer for King’s, said, nudging him aside. Rach smiled at the lady she’d met briefly yesterday. “He’s harmless. Well, to us he is, most days.”
“I thought we were buds.” His pout came and went, replaced with a wide grin. “But when I drink, all bets are off, honey!”
Groans rent the air.
“Hey, we lived to tell about it, didn’t we?” He winked at Rach. “Party at Rico’s is like a rite of passage around here. You up for it?”
“Ah…no.” Drinking and Rach did not mix well at all. Just ask Logan. He’d been there for the first and the worst.
He blinked like an owl. “What?! You’re turning me down? Look, I like boys, so I’m not hitting on you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Ew! As if!”
That made her chuckle. Her days in Rome and Venice with fashion divas and hot gay male models came back to her now. “Oh, you wound me. And here I thought I had a chance.”
Soon they were all laughing. The awkward air lifted.
“I likee!” Rico rushed over and wrapped her in a quick bear hug. “We’ll be besties, I just know it.”
“Hmm…sure?” She tried to breathe. “Air! I need air!”
Leaning back, he clutched her upper arms. “What a hoot! You’re one of us already!”
Glancing from him and then over his shoulder, she saw the welcoming smiles and slowly sighed.
This may just work out. Then she thought of Logan and wondered if he’d engineered this, too.
They seemed genuine. But her friend was a different story lately.
What was real about Logan and her and what wasn’t any longer?
***
Sorting through the files Rach had discovered this morning wasn’t half as difficult as recalling her stunned features and wounded look in her beautiful eyes.
Betrayed!
He had done that. “For her own good,” Logan said now in the office, reminding himself.
“Say something?” Mrs. Higgins asked from the doorway.
The dark-haired lady was somewhere between the Grans’ age and his—undetectable. Highly capable and ever efficient, he’d kept her on to deal with the clean-up. “Talking to myself. Again.”
“Bad habit to break. Need anything else before I clock out for the day?”
“We need to talk.” He tossed down the legal papers and waved for her to sit in the chair across from his desk.
“Should I pack now or later?” A small smile inched up the corner of her mouth.
“You’re not being fired.” He let out a weary sigh. “Not yet.”
In her smart navy-blue business skirt and white blouse, the woman marched in and perched on the edge of the seat, perfectly poised.
“Mrs. Higgins—”
“Don’t you think it’s about time you call me Claire? After all, we’ve only known one another for nearly twenty years.”
His lip twitched. “I remember.” Thoughts of rushing in and out of the glass door and the office as a kid and teenager, coming and going with Rach or the Duchess swept over him now. “And not once did you reprimand me.”
“Not until the day I called you.”
“Eight months ago.” He sighed, replaying the conversation in his head again. “You chastised me for not knowing what was going on.”
“And?”
“I should have kept a closer watch.”
“Agreed.”
“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel, Claire?” He softened it with a smile.
“I don’t think you’d like it.”
“Probably not. So, here’s the thing. RED is solvent. Separate. On its own.”
“It’s safe.” She sighed. “Rach is still unaware how close she was to losing it, isn’t she?”
“Yes. Let’s keep it that way.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“This deal with King’s will let her remain untarnished when everything hits the fan.”
“That was a brilliant idea, Logan.”
“I know people. My grandfather worked with Alex Royale’s grandfather. Alex is married to Charlie King, who owns King’s. I did business with Griffin James back in the day and I’ve crossed paths with some others now involved or formerly involved with King’s. They’re the best.”
“And you wanted Rach to be associated with the best.”
“You mean RED, don’t you?” After all, it was business.
“No. Rach. Your friend. You’re protecting her from the fallout.”
He grew uncomfortable. “She doesn’t deserve to be ruined.”
“By her grandmother’s misdeeds? Or yours.” The last was not a question.
“I used to like you, too.”
“I sent you the SOS call, so that’s something.”
“And got me in the middle of this mess.”
“You were already there; you just didn’t know it.”
His sigh, loud and drawn out, spoke volumes. “How could it have gone on without me knowing about it?”
“She was afraid to lose…everything.” Her voice caught and she cleared her throat. “Love does that to a woman.” She must be speaking of losing her husband a few years ago as he lay in the arms of his young lover. Claire had known about the affair.
“Blind love?”
“No, true love.”
“There’s no such thing.” Once, he thought it was possible. For someone else. Now, seeing the layers upon layers of subterfuge, he questioned everything.
Especially his roller coaster emotions around and about Rach.
He longed to hash it all out with his best friend, seeking her opinion and advice, but he stopped himself. For the first time in their lives, he kept a secret from her. It made his stomach turn. But, shockingly, it made his heart ache.
It couldn’t be more. No, it just couldn’t be.
Chapter 10
With her design tacked on a nearby board and her hands busy with the silky, delicate fabric, Rach concentrated on her task. Getting back to work proved the best remedy for her wayward thoughts.
Logan…
She swallowed to moisten her parched throat. Don’t go there. Especially when hours sped by and soon she’d have to go back to his place.
Alone with him again. Her nerves tingled.
“Oh, nice! Red is definitely your color, honey!” Rico said, coming up beside h
er. “Your dress for the ball?”
“I thought it was just a party to…what was that again?”
“The barracuda’s house remodel is finally fini. Phew! She ran poor Priscilla nearly into the ground with her demands and switcheroos. If it weren’t for the free food and booze, moi would not be going.”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “And why should I be going to this soiree?”
“Combo time! We’re mixing your exclusive deal with King’s—your coming out party—and the house thingy together. You’ll class it up.”
Glancing up at him, she chuckled. “You’re not buying into that, are you? It’s just little ol’ me.”
“And that dreamy Logan.” He shivered. “Is he, ah, by any chance gay?”
That made her laugh out loud. Images of his dates and girlfriends floated through her mind. Dozens and dozens of them. “Never has been.”
“Straighter than straight, huh?”
“’Fraid so.”
His sigh filled the air. He pressed the back of his hand on his forehead. “Why? Just tell me why?”
“You’ll find someone.”
Rico dropped his hands and clasped them together. “So, you’ll help me, then? I do need all the help I can get.”
She racked her brain. “No one here…I’m not sure even the ones I know…”
“It’ll be so fun. You and me on the prowl together. I know some divine places for you. And you’ll be my wingman at the clubs.”
“No,” she cried. “Nope. Not gonna do it. Not my style.”
“What?!” His face fell. “Oh, please, you’re all I have.” He flicked his pointed finger over his shoulder. “All of them have someone—kissy face, dating, engaged.” He stopped short.
Suddenly, he zeroed in on her design and narrowed his gaze. She’d sketched the drawing earlier, making bold strokes and short work of it, adding color. Now, she followed his stare and spotted what was a natural occurrence for her. Her, in her sweeping gown, and Logan in his custom tux.
“Oh, now I see how it is. You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”
“Him?” Her voice squeaked. Why had she automatically put his features on the man in her sketch? Oh, and the body was his, too.
“Look at your face! Pale to pink to crimson. Yep, you and Logan sitting in a tree…”
“We’re friends.” She noticed the other women looking her way. Rach held up her right hand. “I swear.”
He danced around. “But you like him.”
“Yeah, she does,” Evelyn chimed in.
“You’ve got it all wrong.” But they joked and high-fived each other. Crap! “It’s not…like that.” Her voice tapered off and she plopped back down on her stool, realization hitting hard.
Her face flamed.
Gazing up at the pencil drawing, she saw it with fresh new eyes. The lines and curves told their own story of intimacy.
Rachael Elizabeth Darling loved her best friend Logan Wolfe.
Her heart dropped to her toes. It was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her. “Shoot me. Now.”
***
“So how did your first day go?” Logan asked, dishing out food onto plates, and then shoving them in the microwave.
Rach gulped hard, watching his muscles under his black T-shirt. She dropped her gaze and encountered his nice butt in faded jeans. Why did you have to go there? “Great.” She wasn’t just talking about her day, either. “I’m already designing the dress.” At the look he threw her over his shoulder, she continued. “The one for the ball or party, whichever it is, and it will be the big reveal dress for the ad campaign.”
He turned, leaning against the counter. “It’s all worked out then?”
She shrugged. “Charlie and a couple of their ad people came to visit me this afternoon. God, that woman is a whiz when it comes to these things. Storyline’s a go and the set is being built.”
“Fast work.”
“Even for the likes of you? Wow, I’m impressed.” She giggled, resting one bare foot on top of the other.
“You’re different,” he said, his voice soft and dreamy.
“Good or bad?”
“You glow.”
Rach stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s good to be back to designing. I’m usually in my little attic studio by myself. I guess I didn’t realize it’s nice to be around other people. They poke fun and laugh.”
His silence unnerved her.
Say something, anything, just to break this stare. “And your day?”
A shadow crossed his face. “Interesting, I guess.”
“That’s it? You used to tell me things…I get it, it’s awkward now since you’re tearing apart Darling Enterprises.”
The bell dinged, making him jump. He shoved away and finished getting the food on their plates. She followed him to the dining area.
“Hit a nerve?” Sitting opposite him and raising her gaze to his, she gulped hard.
His eyes, dark and troubled, captured hers. “I don’t enjoy this, Rach. Look, I’m doing a job for a friend. It’s messy and hopeless and sad. I’m in it until the bitter end.”
Somehow all the talk leading up to this point didn’t sink it, but this did. The way he looked—beaten and defeated—hit her straight in the chest. “Logan, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Too close to home.”
It was true. He’d bottled up all this to shield her; that much she could read in his features. “I can take it.”
“Can you?” He seemed to ask himself as well as her. “Your grammy is on her first vacation since well before the accident. She worked hard to make a living after you two lost your folks and your grandfather. I get that. She wanted something to leave to you.”
There, she’d seen the flash of pain in his eyes. “That kills you.”
“Her risking so much…” He stopped himself, took a deep breath, and then nodded to her heaping plate. “Your food’s getting cold. I’m not sure how much more nuking it can take.”
With a sad smile, she glanced down. Limp, pale food stared back at her. “Pathetic, huh?” But she wasn’t sure if she was speaking about just the food or how much distance sat between them right now.
He was her rock in this crazy world. Her anchor in every storm. Her best friend throughout her entire life. And she was slowly, achingly losing him.
***
Logan shook at the booming silence stretching between them. The scrape of their forks on the plates broke it on occasion. Awkwardness pulsed.
For the first time in the history of them, it didn’t feel right.
“It tasted better the first time around,” she murmured, plopping down a heaping pile of crusty mashed potatoes.
He pushed back his plate. “We’ll go out. Chinese food? I promised you egg rolls.”
She jerked her head up. “Sounds good.” Rach shoved back her chair so fast it toppled over, hitting the plush carpet with a thump. “Sorry. I’m usually not a klutz. But you know that already.”
“Not a big deal. I’ll clean up here. You can go grab your shoes.” Why did every word come out forced and, well, lame?
Her scurrying out of the room had him sighing with relief. Logan rested his head in his hands.
How was he going to do this? Could you break up with your best friend?
Everything in him screamed no. Long-term didn’t look so good for them. She’d find out and then he’d be kicked out.
“But, until then…” He clung to a small ray of hope. “We still have now.”
What if he could make her see him, the real him, again? Could he shower her with friendship and more so that when the time came and she discovered his role in all this, it may erase the betrayal?
Alarm bells rang in his head. Mistake. Do not pass go. Turn back.
He wanted her to forgive him later for what he was doing to her and her family now.
Could he pull this off?
Chapter 11
“Stop! You’re too much.”
Rach held her side. “How can I eat and laugh at the same time?”
“Good, huh?”
“You or the food?” She sunk her teeth into a loaded nacho and then murmured.
The buzz of conversations and clinking of glasses enveloped them. “A sports bar? How’d you find out about this place anyway?”
“Danny. This is Whitfield’s Sports Bar. Or hadn’t you noticed?” She nodded to the scores and scores of sports memorabilia hanging on the walls.
“Wow! Is that—”
“Signed and that one, too.”
He whistled low. “Perfect! Oh, and let the record note, I did offer Chinese and egg rolls.”
“We take that one on tomorrow.” She grinned with a twinkle in her beautiful eyes.
It kicked him in the gut and snatched the breath from his lungs. “You still can’t cook?” That made him laugh. “The cooking classes in Italy…”
“Were a dud. I’ve discovered I’m much better at eating than cooking.”
Logan held up his chicken wing. “Cheers, I think, to having that in common.” She tapped her nacho to his food.
“Try some. It’s good.” She held it up and fed him.
“Hmm…” He chewed. “Really good. Wing?”
Rach sunk her teeth in the white meat. Her lips brushed his fingers and she quickly licked them. He suppressed the bubbling moan in his chest.
Maybe feeding one another wasn’t such a bright idea.
Noises from the oversized screen above the bar caught their attention. An intense soccer game between European rivals took place. “Come on. You could have made that score.”
“With his eyes closed,” Rach agreed. “Overpaid.”
“Most athletes are.”
“Oh and those ridiculous ads they do, what about those? Have some pride, why don’t they?”
He chuckled, watching her become animated over the subject just like he had a thousand times before. “You know, after your ad tomorrow, some people may say the same about you,” he pointed out.
“Wh…no.” She went from surprise to a frown in all of two seconds. “Me?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Bother you, does it?”
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