The Posse

by Tawdra Kandle

  Logan rose and gathered the papers they’d been discussing. “Do me a favor, and don’t tell Jude that, okay? I’ve got her fooled so far into thinking that being with me is actually a good thing.” He winked at Abby.

  “You got it, boss.”

  Logan left the bed and breakfast and made his way down the sidewalk toward the Tide. He stopped at The Surf Line to say hello to Matt.

  “Hey, Mr. Holt!” Karl stood behind the counter, grinning broadly. “How you doing?”

  “I’m good, Karl. Thanks. Is Matt around?”

  “Nah. He took a couple of guys out on a fishing charter early this morning, and they’re not back yet.”

  “Okay. Tell him I stopped by, would you? No reason, just to say hey.”

  “Sure.” Karl cocked an eyebrow. “Did everything go okay the other night? With Miss Jude?”

  Logan shot the boy a stern look. “That’s between the two of us, right? You didn’t say anything to Matt?”

  “Me?” Karl looked wounded. “I told you I wouldn’t tell Mr. Spencer. And I didn’t.”

  “Good man.” Logan smiled. “I knew I could count on you. Don’t worry, we’re going to tell everyone tomorrow. But I appreciate your help.”

  He swung back out onto the sidewalk and headed to the Tide.

  Jude was working behind the bar, and for a moment, Logan stood just within the doorway and watched her. A couple of old fishermen sat on stools, hunched over mugs of beer, and she was laughing with them. Logan thought of all the times he’d had to avert his eyes from Jude’s smile or risk betraying his own feelings by the expression on his face. Knowing that he didn’t have to hide anymore was exhilarating.

  He sauntered into the restaurant. Jude caught sight of him right away, and her face brightened.

  “Watch out, gentlemen,” she said, leaning toward the fishermen. “Here comes trouble.”

  Logan walked around the bar and kissed her cheek. He paused just long enough to whisper in her ear.

  “If it were tomorrow already, and we’d told the world, I’d show you just how much trouble I am.”

  He was rewarded by her blush as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. The two men watching poked each other with their elbows and snickered.

  “You two, behave.” Jude pointed at them both in turn. “Or I’ll cut you off and tell your wives you come and sit here for an hour instead of coming right home every day.”

  They had the good grace to look abashed. The taller man laid his hand over his heart and looked up at Jude with wide eyes.

  “As if we ever do anything less than behave! Come in here every day only to support the local business. Just like we did with your dad.”

  His companion nodded with the same self-righteous expression. “It’s that boy there you want to be watching.” He gestured toward Logan. “I see the look in his eyes. He’s up to no good!”

  Jude leaned her elbows on the bar and set her chin in her hands. “I think you might be onto something. What’s your advice?” She tossed a smile of challenge over her shoulder at Logan.

  “Eh.” The first man waved one hand. “Keep him close, so you can make sure he’s doing as he ought. Don’t let him get away with anything.”

  “Nah, you got it wrong.” His friend shook his head. “Toss him back and take me instead.” He offered Jude a beatific smile, displaying a number of missing teeth.

  Logan raised his hands and backed away, wagging his head. “Okay, boys, I concede defeat. She’s all yours.” He lowered his voice and added, “Just be warned. She might be a little too much woman for you.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, and the men hooted.

  Jude tossed down her rag and turned toward the kitchen. “That’s it. You’re all on your own. I give up.”

  Logan followed her into the back and pulled her next to the fridge, where they were mostly hidden from the rest of the room. He pulled her tight to him, his hands molding her backside.

  “Did you miss me?”

  Jude linked her hands behind his back and looked up at him. “Miss you? Have you been somewhere?”

  He kissed her once, just a light touch of lips. “Brat. I’ve been slaving away all morning, catching up on work that I should have done this week when I was being your sex slave.”

  “Shh!” Jude peered around him. “Someone will hear you and think you’re serious.”

  “And I’m not?”

  She shot him a look and ducked beneath his arm. “Everything go okay with Abby?”

  “Yeah. We scheduled all the shipments, and she’s meeting with Emmy and our other suppliers this week. Everything’s on track for opening day.”

  “Wonderful.” Jude began breading chicken tenders and dropping them into the deep fryer.

  “Oh, hey, guess what? Abby thought I was asking her out.”

  Jude stopped and cast him a look. “What? Why?”

  “I invited her to my house tomorrow, and she thought it was like a date. I had to tell her the truth.”

  Jude smothered a sigh. It was becoming less and less likely that she could keep her kids from hearing about her new relationship from someone other than their mom.

  “So is she coming?”

  “I think so. Don’t you think Cooper would like her?”

  Jude moved to the sink to wash her hands. “Cooper? I don’t know. They’ve met, haven’t they?”

  “Yeah, but Cooper...” Logan trailed off. Telling Jude that Cooper had been saving himself for her wasn’t something he was ready do. “That was working. It would be different if they met with all of us, just hanging out.”

  “Logan Holt, are you turning into a matchmaker?” Her eyes dancing, Jude tilted her head at him. “After all the teasing you gave me about Matt and Sandra? Could it be?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “No. Hell, no. I just thought they might like each other, is all.” He scowled at her.

  Jude just smiled at him, saying nothing.

  Logan heaved a sigh. “If I’m just going to get harassed, I’m going home.” He stomped past her, stopped and wheeled around.

  “See you tonight,” he said, so low she could only just hear him. “I’ll have dinner ready when you get there.” He brushed his lips over the top of her hair. “I love you.”

  “Bye!” Jude called across the room as he left. “Try to keep some of those arrows in your quiver, Cupid!”

  Logan stopped at the door, turned and shot her a rude gesture before stalking out, leaving her bent over, dissolved in laughter.

  ***

  Jude kept busy all day Sunday and tried not to worry about the evening. She loved her friends. She was confident in their love for her. But she wasn’t certain what this new relationship would mean to the dynamic of the group.

  At five o’clock, she turned the sign over on the door to the Riptide and locked up. Since Logan had driven her to work that morning, she’d asked Emmy for a ride to his house.

  The red mini-van sitting in the parking lot was an old model, but it was carefully maintained, the way all of Emmy’s possessions were. Jude climbed into the front passenger seat and turned around to say hello to the kids...who weren’t in the back.

  “Where are they?” She pulled on her seatbelt and looked at Emmy.

  “My parents took them to the mountains this weekend, up in Georgia. Totally spontaneous grandkids and grandparents weekend. Wish I’d known earlier, I might have planned something fun.”

  “Ha!” Jude shook her head. “No, you would have booked some extra work for the weekend.”

  “True.” Emmy pulled out and slid a sideways glance at her friend. “So...not that I mind at all, but you want to tell me why I’m giving you a ride to Logan’s house? You having car problems?”

  “No.” Jude knew that Emmy’s curiosity would get the best of her, and she had already decided she wouldn’t lie if asked. “Logan drove me to the Tide this morning.”

  Emmy was silent for a beat. “Why did Logan drive you to work?”

  Jude licked her lips. “Becaus
e I slept at his house last night.”

  Emmy braked at a red light and turned in her seat. “Are you going to make me pull this out of you, or are you going to come clean with me?”

  Jude expelled a breath. Look at this as a dress rehearsal for telling everyone else, she thought.

  “Logan and I are...involved.” She chose the word with care. “We’ve been seeing each other. And he invited everyone over tonight so we can tell you all.”

  “What does ‘involved’ mean?” Emmy’s tone was neutral.

  “God, Emmy, what do you think it means?”

  “I hope it means you’re having hot and dirty sex with that gorgeous man.”

  Jude felt the red creeping up her neck. “Nice, Emmy.”

  “Well? Is that a yes?”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Yahoo!” Emmy thrust her hand in the air. “I am so happy for you and so totally jealous. Not of Logan,” she added hastily. “Just of the hot and dirty sex.”

  “And here I was hoping we could keep this whole thing on a higher plane. You know, talk about love and all that. Old friends who grow to be more.”

  “Love? Did you guys already use the ‘L’ word?” Emmy pulled into Logan’s driveway and grabbed Jude’s arm. “So this isn’t just, you know, a physical thing?”

  “You mean friends with benefits? That’s what Sadie said.” Jude rolled her eyes.

  “Sadie knows? You told her before you told me?”

  “I didn’t tell her so much as she caught us. In the bar.”

  Emmy threw back her head and laughed. “Whooo, boy. I would’ve paid money to see that. What did she say?”

  “She’s happy for us. She said we both deserved a chance at happiness.”

  Emmy laid a hand on Jude’s arm, squeezed lightly. “And that’s what we’re all going to say. I couldn’t think of two people who deserve it more. A second chance at love.” She sighed.

  “I know.” Jude leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I can’t really believe it. When Daniel died, I thought that was it. I figured that part of my life was over. No one is more surprised than me that I’m in love again. And with Logan.”

  “Every time you say love, I want to cry.” Emmy sniffed a little. “He loves you, and you love him...I’m so glad for you, Jude.” She opened her car door and grinned at her friend.

  “Now we get to go in and tell everyone else.”

  Jude groaned. “Just make sure I get a glass of wine the minute I go in. I’m going to need it.”

  The front door was unlocked, and Jude could hear noise coming from the back of the house. Taking a deep breath, she followed the sounds.

  The great room flowed into the multi-level deck through a wall of sliding glass doors. All of them were pushed open, as was the door to what Jude and the other women referred to as the Posse Cave. Jude spied Logan at the massive grill on the deck, head back as he took a swig of his beer. At the sight of him, standing legs wide, laughing at something Eric was saying, a possessive wave of lust swept over her.

  “Look at you.” Emmy stood at her side, murmuring. “You’re totally smitten.”

  Jude didn’t deny it. She just smiled.

  “There she is!” Mark jumped up from where he was sitting at the kitchen counter. He hugged his sister. “We were starting to think you’d blown us off.”

  Jude kissed his cheek. “I’m not late. It’s not even five-thirty yet.”

  “Yeah, but the rest of us have been here all afternoon.”

  She snorted. “Some of us work for a living, brother of mine. Seven days a week.”

  “Mark, leave your sister alone and let her into the kitchen. We need another hand.” Samantha gave her husband a gentle shove. “Go outside with your little friends and let us cook.”

  Jude followed Sam back behind the counter as Emmy wandered out onto the deck. “What can I do?”

  “Not a thing. That was just me rescuing you from Mark. You’ve been on your feet all day, I bet. Sit down. Want a glass of wine?”

  Jude glanced out at the grill, where Emmy was now chatting with Logan. “Sure, wine sounds perfect. Are you sure I can’t help?”

  “Nope, we’ve got it covered. Sandra is doing the baked beans, Janet’s got the salad, and Logan is handling the meat.” She set the tall glass of Sauvignon Blanc in front her sister-in-law and leaned toward her. “Any movement on the Logan front?”

  “Ahh...” Jude stalled. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

  Sam cocked her head. “Sure. You all right?”

  “It’s been an interesting few days.” Jude sipped the wine, closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation. “This is so good.”

  “It is, indeed. We’re just about ready to eat, I think.” Samantha shot out her arm and snagged her son as he tried to run past. “Hey, you. Go tell Uncle Logan we’re all set in here. He can bring in the meat. And--” She stopped him one more time when he tried to squirm free. “Be sure you stay and help him bring it in.”

  “Okay, Mom.” He skidded away before she could hold him up any longer. Sam sighed.

  “Boys.” She set a stack paper plates and a basket of plastic ware on the end of the counter. “Logan said he wanted to make a toast once we were all here, before we eat. So I’ll set us up, and then we can dig in when he’s done. You know anything about that? The toast?”

  Jude shrugged and her stomach rolled a bit. She and Logan hadn’t talked about how they were going to make this big announcement, but she had assumed it would be something quiet, casual. Mentioning it to a few of their friends, letting word spread through the party. Apparently he had a different idea.

  Logan came in, carrying the platter of hamburgers. He set them down and turned to scan the room. The rest of the guys were making their way inside, and the kids clamored to get to the front of the food line.

  Jude made an instant decision. She climbed off the stool and maneuvered her way across the room until she reached Logan’s side. His attention distracted by something Matt was saying, he didn’t see her until she slipped her hand into his.

  When he turned his face to smile at her, Jude reached up her other hand to cup his cheek, drew his lips down to hers. Their mouths met in a kiss that was intimate, aggressive and promising.

  All around them, conversation stopped.

  Logan brought his arms around her, meshing their bodies. One hand rubbed slow circles on her back.

  She eased back, ending the kiss. Logan still held her, even as she turned within his arms to look at their friends.

  Logan cleared his throat. “So...I don’t have a drink to raise a toast, but I can make one anyway. Jude kind of stole my thunder. We’re together. This isn’t something temporary, and we’re not--” he glanced to where Sadie sat on the sofa “—friends with benefits. We’re friends who now just happen to be in love.”

  In the kitchen, Janet gasped, and Samantha sniffled. The men shifted on their feet, looked around at each other.

  Cooper was the first to speak. He stepped toward Logan and Jude, threw an arm around them the two of them

  “I’m happy for you both.” He glanced around the room. “We all are.” There was a murmur of consensus—at least, Jude hoped it was consensus. “But let’s get to the important stuff. Is it finally time to eat?”

  The laughter broke any tension, and everyone streamed toward the food. Logan stood where he was, holding Jude. They stood and watched their friends find places to sit, juggling plates and full cups.

  “Are you hungry?” Logan’s hands, crossed in front of Jude, tightened on her hips as he spoke low by her ear.

  “Mmm.” She turned her head to shoot him a suggestive smile. “But food would be good, too.”

  “Are you relived now that we’ve told them?”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Mostly. It was kind of weird, don’t you think? The guys didn’t seem very surprised. Janet, yes, and Sam and I had talked a little before, but Cooper didn’t. And look at my brother! He’s just sitting the
re eating.”

  Logan found her hand, linked their fingers. “Maybe people see more than we give them credit for?”

  “I guess. We need to tell them all that the kids don’t know yet. And, crap, Logan, I need to tell them about Joseph.”

  “Yes, you do. Or we do. But I thought that was more of a one-on-one thing.”

  “Good idea. I didn’t know about the toast.”

  Logan grinned at her. “You do know I was just going to raise a glass to good friends, both here and no longer with us, right? I was surprised when you came over and kissed me, but then I figured I had to say something.”

  “Oh.” Jude closed her eyes. “Sorry. I thought—and then I just decided to take action. I should have trusted your plan.”

  “Yeah. Hey, do you see that? Abby’s sitting with Cooper. I told you they’d get along.”

  “You’re so smart.” Jude kissed his cheek and wriggled away. “I’m going to grab a plate before the burgers are gone and go do some talking.”

  Telling her friends that she was an unexpected grandmother turned out to be the bigger news of the day. Eric and Matt were angry with Joseph at first. They asked her questions about paternity tests and timing, and Jude found herself defending the girl she had never met.

  By the time she returned to the kitchen to help with clean up, she was exhausted.

  “But you haven’t told Meggie and Joseph yet?” Janet was drying dishes as Jude washed.

  “No. I want to talk to them in person. It’s happened so fast, Janet.”

  “Mmm.” Janet pursed her lips and put away another pot. “Too fast?”

  “No, I don’t think so.” She rinsed her hands one last time and dried them. “I can see it might seem that way to you, but it’s not like we had to get to know each other, go on all those awkward first dates...we’re friends.”

  Mark wandered over to them. Jude noticed a sway in his gait and thought he might have had a little more to drink than normal.

  This suspicion was borne out when he flung an arm around her shoulders.

  “I’m happy for you, Jude. Really happy.”

  She might have been touched if not for the slur in his words.

  “Thanks. I hope you remember that when you’re sober.”