Kiss Me in Carolina (Hunt Family Book 2)

by Brooke St. James

  "The bench was my favorite part," I said. I smiled at him and watched as his smile faded.

  He looked straight at my mouth. I knew what he was thinking. "Don't you even think about it," I said.

  He grinned at me, and I smiled back.

  "I'm gonna do it," he said.

  "Don't you dare," I said.

  "Just so you know, I can do a year standing on my head," he said, challengingly.

  "Oh, you can?"

  "Yes."

  "And what happens after that?" I asked.

  "Well, obviously you're mine after that."

  My smile broadened. "Oh, is that how it works?"

  "Yep."

  I knew he'd give up and move on without me, which was better for both of us, but it was fun to fantasize that he would actually tough it out. I could just image reconnecting. In those few seconds, I romanticized a whole reunion scene in my head.

  "You know you have to go without sex for that year, right?" I asked, just making sure we both knew the terms.

  "That's the whole point," he said nodding.

  "And then after that year, I'm still not gonna sleep with anyone until I get married."

  He nodded as if the terms were obvious. "You know you have to break up with that Ashton Kutcher dude, right?"

  I laughed. "I can do a year standing on my head," I said, repeating his phrase.

  "Great, so can I," he said.

  London must have been fed up with waiting because the next thing I knew, she was standing right beside us.

  "What can you do?" London asked.

  "A year standing on my head," Logan replied.

  "A year of what?" she asked.

  "Of anything." He looked at me. "I think we were just finishing up, right?"

  I gave him a curt nod. "Right."

  He looked at London. "We're shooting inside today, and then wrapping up after that. I'll be headed back home tonight." He said it with the finality of someone who was saying goodbye.

  "Do you want us to leave?" she asked.

  He nodded. "You wouldn't get to see anything today anyway." He paused and seemed as if he was considering something. "Hey," he added. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to see you again on your trip."

  "Oh really?"

  "Yeah. Actually, can I talk to you for a second?"

  Chapter 7

  Logan probably broke it to London as tactfully as he could, but she didn't take it well. She gave some serious consideration to catching the next flight home, but decided to stay in L.A. and shop away her sorrows. She never told me what Logan said to her that day, but I assumed it was that he couldn't see or talk to her anymore.

  I wondered if she would ask me what he said to me when we talked, (especially since she saw me hand him my telephone) but she didn't—it was like she was trying not to notice it happened. She never mentioned it, but that didn't mean it got past her. She knew something had transpired between us, and she took it out on me in her passive-aggressive way for the rest of her trip. She was flat out catty, which did nothing but make me feel sad for her.

  Thankfully, the remaining days went quickly, and before I knew it, London was on a plane, headed back to South Carolina. I thought about Logan a lot for the first few weeks. I'd scroll past his name in my contacts, letting my finger hover over the button as I contemplated reaching out to him. I watched a few of his movies and searched him on the internet, but every time I did that, it made me want to call him—if for nothing else, than to prove to myself that his number worked, or that I hadn't dreamed the whole thing.

  As bad as the temptation was, I didn't do it. I meant what I said when I told him I didn't mess around with relationships that could get me in trouble, and I figured that sticking to the plan of waiting a year was the most logical way to put our connection to the test. I didn't have my heart set on him waiting for me, but if he didn't, it wouldn't have worked out anyway.

  But what if he waits? What if I contact him in September, and he tells me there's no one else? What then? I remembered back to the conversation we had and thought he said something like 'I'd be his'. I wondered what it'd be like to be his? I thought it might not be so bad.

  I made lots of deals with God during those months. Well, mostly just one deal, it just got reworded and rethought several times as the weeks and months passed. Basically, I asked God to please let Logan move on if he wasn't meant for me. I sort of had it in my head that if Logan was still interested when September rolled around, that would be my sign that he was the one, and I could and should jump into a relationship with him feet first.

  I broke things off with Ashton. It was probably naïve of me to do that when Logan was, in all likelihood, seeing other women, but somewhere in my heart, I felt spoken-for.

  The waiting was hard—especially at first, but school kept me busy. I finished in May and had plans to take a couple of months off before starting my practice. I'd worked my butt off for the past eight years, and I needed a second to stop and catch my breath. The plan was to spend all of June relaxing at the beach like I had nothing better to do, and then go to Kenya for two weeks before starting work.

  I was still in the beginning of my relax at the beach phase and was loving every second of it. I had been sitting in a lawn chair all afternoon with my toes in the sand, and I didn't feel guilty about it at all. I didn't feel guilty about the delicious, super-fresh sushi that I was about to eat, either.

  I saw Kate, Victor, and Charles waiting for me at the sushi bar as soon as I walked in the door. They were all good friends of mine from dental school. We had grown so close during our training that we made a promise to get together regularly afterward, and this was our first date since graduation. They all greeted me as "Dr. Stephens" when I sat down, which made us all laugh.

  "This place is fa-a-ancy," I said, being silly as I took a seat on the end next to Victor.

  "Is this your first time here?" Victor asked.

  I nodded as I looked around. Most sushi places I'd gone to had some sort of cheap looking things scattered about, like the brightly colored ceramic cat with one paw up in the air, or a poorly framed poster of all the types of sushi they offered. Not this one. It was upscale with a capital U. There was nothing cheap about it. Even the barstool was heavy as I scooted toward the counter on it.

  "First time, yes," I said, remembering that Victor had just asked me a question.

  "Charles has had these reservations for weeks, by the way," Kate said, leaning forward to talk to me over the bar.

  "We had to have reservations for the bar?" I asked.

  "You have to have reservations to even say the name Sakura," Charles said.

  "What's so special about it?" I asked.

  "The chef's an artist. You don't tell him what you want, he just makes you a plate of food, and you eat it."

  "What happens if you don't like it?" I asked.

  "That won't happen," Victor said, confidently.

  "I think you guys told me about this place," I said.

  "It's really popular. They're only open three nights a week, and they only feed fifty people a night. It's a supply and demand thing. People kill for reservations."

  Sure, it was the summer of celebration, but old habits die hard, and I hated to waste money on what I considered overly-lavish things. "How much does something like this cost?" I asked, tactfully in Victor's ear.

  Victor used his thumb to gesture to Charles, who was sitting at the far end on the other side of Kate. "Charles wanted to do this as a graduation present," Victor said. He leaned closer to me. "But if you wanted to know for the future, it's two hundred dollars a person."

  "Thank you for this," I said, leaning forward to address Charles. He smiled and winked at me. "You're very welcome. You earned it."

  "You did too," I said with a smile. "Maybe I'll buy you some ice cream after this."

  He reached out to give me a fist bump.

  "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness," Kate whispered.

  She had turned aro
und to adjust her purse strap, but she was now stunned and wide-eyed, staring straight at the rows of fish lined up in front of us at the sushi bar. We all just looked at her like she was crazy.

  "Don't look now," she whispered slowly. "Don't even look close to now. Wait like thirty seconds, and when you do look, don't do it all at the same time."

  "What is wrong with you?" Charles asked.

  Victor immediately swiveled in his stool and started scanning the room to try to see what she was talking about.

  "What is it?" I asked him.

  I was trying to play it cool and keep my eyes on Kate, but it was hard—especially seeing how shaken up she was.

  "I don't see anything," Victor said. "It's just people sitting at tables, eating fish."

  "If I'm looking at twelve o'clock right now," she whispered, still staring straight ahead at the fish, "then he's at seven or eight o'clock. Don't look now."

  "Behind us?" asked Victor, turning instantly.

  "Don't stare," Kate whispered frantically.

  "I don't even see anything," Victor said.

  He looked in that direction for several seconds, but turned with a shrug once he didn't see what she was talking about.

  "Still just people eating fish," he said.

  Charles was the next to turn. "Ohh," he said with a knowing smile. "It's that guy from Killing Streak." He smiled at Kate. "Is that who you were talking about?"

  She nodded stiffly, which I barely even noticed because my gut was tied in knots at the mere mention of that movie. It was one Logan had starred in. Of course, there were other actors in it as well. I told myself that it was one of the other ones she'd seen.

  "Are you talking about Logan Ritchie?" Victor asked, turning again.

  "Uh, huh," Kate said, nodding dazedly. "I'm really nervous," she said, leaning past Victor to speak to me. "I heard some stars come in here, but I've never seen one. Can you believe it?"

  "You sure it's him?" Victor asked after looking again.

  "Definitely." She looked at me and nudged her head in in Logan's general direction. "Look," she said. "You know what he looks like, don't you?"

  I nodded, but I had trouble swallowing past the lump in my throat.

  "What's wrong?" she asked.

  "Nothing," I said, managing a smile.

  "Look behind you and tell me that's not Logan Ritchie sitting over there," she said.

  "I don't think it's him," Victor said. "I don't think he'd be caught dead wearing those goofball glasses."

  "Movie stars don't care about wearing crazy stuff like that," Kate said. "They do it on purpose so people won't think it's them. Obviously, his date doesn't think they're too goofy looking."

  "He does have a hot girlfriend," Charles said.

  "It's totally him," Kate whispered, taking a sip of her tea. "Is it okay for me to ask him for his autograph?"

  Forget doing flips or being tied in knots, my stomach was roaring like an angry ocean during a storm. I honestly felt that fight or flight reflex that had me wanting to run for the door. For some strange reason, I had myself convinced that September would roll around and I would ride off into the sunset with that guy, and the thought of him eating good sushi with a gorgeous blonde made me more upset than I cared to admit.

  How did I know he was with a gorgeous blonde, you ask. Because I turned and looked at them the second Charles said he had a hot girlfriend.

  It was Logan. There was no doubt in my mind. I stared at him for several long seconds before turning my attention to his beautiful, fashionably dressed companion.

  "Those are some goofy glasses, though," Kate said, after stealing one more glance. "Do you think I could go ask him for an autograph?"

  I had a ton of thoughts all at once. Part of me wanted to march right over there with her just so Logan would know that I saw them together and that all bets were off. He probably hadn't even been betting with me in the first place. I had several more cynical thoughts like that before finally deciding to come out with the truth to my friends.

  "I sort of know him," I said.

  "You do?" Kate asked.

  "What'd she say?" Charles asked.

  "She said she knows him."

  "Logan Ritchie?" he asked, looking at me as if he must be mistaken.

  "How?" Victor asked.

  "It's a long story," I said. "It was from when that girl London was staying at my house."

  Kate laughed, obviously remembering some of the stories I told her. I had conveniently left out the part where I met, and maybe fell in love with Logan. I figured it wasn't big news since most women in America were also in love with him.

  "Take me over there," she pleaded.

  Just then our server came by to bring a fresh pot of green tea and give us an update on our meal. We spoke with him for a second, but it was hard for me to pay attention with the chaos that was happening in my own heart.

  This whole time, I'd been telling myself nothing would ever come of everything that happened last September, but I must have still had my heart set on it, because seeing him with her wasn't fun for me. I hated the idea of him being there with someone else. Part of me wanted to confront him, and the other part wanted to make an effort not to let him see me at all.

  "Would he remember you if you went over there?" Kate asked.

  I nodded. "I think so," I said.

  I felt like I was in some alternate reality. It was a delirious feeling that I attributed to the nervous energy coursing through my body.

  "Please can we?" she asked. "I'd really like to meet him."

  "I don't think we should interrupt their date, "I said.

  "I'm sure he's used to it," Victor countered.

  "I don't think I want to do that," I said, reluctantly.

  "The restroom's that way," Kate said. "We could just walk by there on our way to the restroom. If he happens to remember you, fine. If not, we won't bother them."

  A crippling wave of nerves hit me at the thought. My knees started tingling, and I felt that even if I did decide to go over there, I wouldn't be able to walk right.

  "Come on, let's go before the sushi gets here," she urged.

  "No," I said, shaking my head.

  "Please!" she begged. "It's probably the only time I'll ever get to meet someone that famous."

  "I'm too nervous," I said.

  "Why? You said you've already met him. And besides, all we're doing is going to the restroom. No pressure."

  I was quiet for a few seconds before I narrowed my eyes at her as if to say you'll owe me for this. "I'm not walking right by his table," I said.

  "Fine," she replied, already standing. "Let's go."

  Chapter 8

  Everything seemed so surreal as I got to my feet with the intention of heading to the restroom with Kate. The adrenaline made it feel like cold waves of air were hitting my body. The hallway leading to the restroom was on the other side of the small dining room. We didn't have to walk directly next to Logan's table to get there, but we had to go in that general direction. I had planned on not looking at all, but it was literally impossible to keep myself from glancing at his table.

  He was smiling and chatting it up with the lovely blonde, which caused an ache in my chest. I was still staring at him when he caught our movement out of the corner of his eye and glanced our way. Having been caught staring took me by surprise, and I broke eye contact instantly, smiling casually as I did.

  "This is a nice place," I said to Kate as we walked.

  It was the stupidest thing ever to say, but I felt like I might burst into a thousand pieces from all the nerves. She gave me a courtesy giggle, but she was just about as nervous as I was and didn't really care what I was saying anyway.

  I led the way, and we walked quickly down the short hallway into the ladies room.

  "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, that was him for sure!" she said as the door closed behind us.

  There was only one stall in the restroom, and its door was wide open, so I kn
ew we were alone. I took a deep, calming breath and leaned against the wall.

  "He looked straight at you!" she said. "Did you see that?"

  I nodded, still taking deep breaths.

  "I think he recognized you!"

  I paced a little, trying to calm my racing heart. "We have to play it cool," I said. "When we go back out there, we shouldn't look that way at all—just go straight to our seats. Don't even glance."

  "I can't stop from looking," she said. "It doesn't matter. I'm sure he's used to it."

  I had seen movies where someone was in the restroom at a public place and they snuck out of the window to avoid whatever the other option was. That sort of escape felt like a reasonable idea at this point, and if the restroom would have had a window, I honestly might have used it. The only alternative was an air duct, but that was even sillier than going through a window.

  "Do you need to pee?" Kate asked.

  I shook my head.

  "Me neither. I guess we could wash our hands."

  I stared at my hands absentmindedly as I scrubbed and rinsed.

  "I'm excited about the sushi," she said.

  I smiled and nodded, but was completely preoccupied with what… who was on the other side of that door.

  "Just talk to me the whole way back to our seats so that we look busy," I whispered as we opened the door.

  No sooner did the last word leave my lips did I see Logan standing in the hallway. He was just standing there, leaning against the wall, waiting. Our eyes met for a split second before I quickly glanced at the wall behind him. I realized as soon as I looked away that I had to look back at him. He was smiling at me. I couldn't just ignore him. I was so nervous that I had to make myself focus on him again. All this was taking place while Kate and I were walking out of the bathroom, and it caused an awkward few seconds in the hall where we weren't sure whether to walk or stand still.

  Finally, I just stood up straight and looked Logan in the eyes with a smile. He had taken off the glasses, and his eyes seemed bottomless in the dimly lit hallway. I felt a bit like my body was on the verge of melting. He had on dark fitted jeans and a T-shirt with a baby-blue windbreaker. He was smiling straight at me.