"I'm guessing you inherited your family's recessive shy genes," guessed Danielle.
"Let's go back to describing me as 'reserved,'" answered Logan. He stirred creamer into his coffee. "I liked it better." He took a sip from his cup. "So, when do you leave for home?"
"I don't have far to go," she reminded him. "I'm closer than you are. I'll probably leave sometime on Christmas Eve, and be back at my place by Saturday. Not much to do after we watch a couple of football games and polish off the egg rolls."
"I should call you," said Logan. "Skype you, maybe. You can digitally attend my family's embarrassing holiday party."
"I'll save you a spring roll," said Danni, smiling. "Consolation for being stuck in that ugly sweater all night. Although, I think you'll look pretty good in it."
"Don't rub it in," he answered, hiding his grin. "I'll be lucky if my mother doesn't make me wear those reindeer antlers again."
"No, not those," said Danni, with a giggle.
"She got my Dad one with one of those fake mistletoe sprigs on a wire."
"Please. No more. You're killing me," begged Danni. "All I have is sticky rice and a Macy's gift card to look forward to."
"So fall for a guy with a big family," suggested Logan. Maybe he had ulterior motives with this, maybe not. He couldn't help but notice that Danni had seemed a little jealous of the size of his own.
"Who? The last guy I went out with — remember Todd? — he had four siblings, and they all lived in different parts of the country. He hadn't seen his youngest sister in five years." She shook her head. "It's hopeless."
"It's not hopeless. You just date the wrong guys," pointed out Logan. And where exactly are you going with this? he asked himself. Are you going to ask her out, finally?
"Hey, Danni!" A woman paused at their table, her arms burdened with shopping bags. Her bright red hair was pulled back with a trendy hair 'bump', her leggings and top perfectly matched. She looked young at first glance — about seventeen — but a second glance proved to Logan she was closer to Danielle's age, just incredibly thin with small features.
"Gabby," said Danielle, smiling. "I didn't know you were off today."
"Just doing some holiday shopping," answered Gabby, whose glance was on Logan for most of this answer. Curious about Danni's lunch companion, he suspected.
"Oh. Right," said Danni. "Logan, this is my friend Gabby, Gabby, this is Logan, a friend and fellow connoisseur of Pauline's coffee."
"Nice to meet you," said Gabby, shifting one Macy's sack to the floor in order to shake Logan's hand. "How long have you two known each other?" She glanced from Danielle to Logan, then back.
So she'd never heard of him. Logan felt surprised and disappointed.
"Uh, since this summer, I think," answered Logan.
"Really?" Gabby's forehead wrinkled, lines of puzzlement. Danni hastily spoke up.
"Logan and I met at Pauline's just a couple of months ago," she said. "We shared a table a couple of times, then started talking ... you know, about work and the city and stuff...he's kind of new to the city ...." Her explanation trailed off at this point.
"Join us," suggested Logan to Gabby, who was still standing with her purchases. "Have a seat." He moved aside his sack with the two ugly sweaters, avoiding a mix-up that would send him home with an angel snow globe instead.
"I can only grab a quick coffee, though. I'm supposed to meet Cliff for lunch at that new French place," said Gabby, sitting down. "I can't believe I've never met you," she said to Logan, gazing at him with fascination. "Danni, why didn't you invite him to the barbecue at Mandi's in September?"
"I didn't think of it, actually," said Danni. Was she blushing? Logan thought she was, for reasons he couldn't imagine. Unless it was embarrassment for having deliberately excluded him, maybe.
"I'll bet your wife really loves the city," continued Gabby, a not-so-subtle attempt to determine his relationship status.
"Actually, I'm not married. Single," he answered, rather than wait for the next line about his girlfriend.
"He dated one of Lea's friends until recently," chimed in Danni. "Around Thanksgiving, so it was really recent."
"You know who I think he would really hit it off with?" said Gabby. "Nina."
"Nina?" Danni sounded dubious. "I don't know —"
"Oh, she is such a sweetheart," Gabby said, talking more to Logan than Danni now. "She's very pretty. She works in a bank, and she's a little shy, but I can just tell that you and her would get along really well."
"He's not really Nina's type," said Danni. "She likes outgoing guys, and Logan is really quiet."
"I'm not that quiet," said Logan, feeling defensive. Not that he wanted to be set up with Nina, but he resented Danni's interference. Hadn't he just said he didn't like being referred to as 'quiet' and 'shy'? Those terms weren't the most flattering to the average guy, and Danni knew that. Why was she still using them to describe him?
"What do you do for a living?" Gabby asked him.
"I work in software," he answered. "In design, but right now I work in sales."
"That's very people-oriented," said Gabby. "I'll bet you talk to dozens of people a day."
"I take them to lunch and dinner," said Logan. "So, yes. I'm not a social misfit by any means."
"See? You worry for nothing," said Gabby, pretending to scold Danni. "He and Nina would be fine together." She looked at Logan. "Give me your number and I'll invite you to this little New Year's party at my place, if you're free."
"I'm not, actually," said Logan, trying to sound regretful with this answer. "I have a company deadline in January, and a meeting on New Year's Eve, believe it or not." Truthfully, he was relieved to have an excuse, although he didn't want Danni to know. Meeting a random friend of Danni's in a relationship setup — that sounded like the first step towards a disastrous date, in his opinion. And a good way to cause a rift in their social circle if — when — it didn't work out; and that might hurt his chances with Danni.
If he had a chance, that is. Something he suspected he was kidding himself about.
"Still. You could come to the next thing. I'll introduce you to Nina, or to some other nice girl who is dying to meet a guy like you."
Logan felt his face redden to the roots of his hair. "Thanks, but Danni's not entirely wrong in her assessment of me. I'm not the best relationship material out there." He'd cornered himself in this situation, he could see. Gabby clearly wasn't letting go that easily.
"I didn't say that," protested Danni.
"You've come close," Logan answered. It was true in some ways, he knew, even if he hated admitting it. Maybe he'd been too reserved when he was with Doris, who was always laughing and talking, and always encouraging him to open up more in public and private.
Maybe it's for the best I never said anything about liking Danni. Finding out from her lips that it wasn't mutual would've been more embarrassing than finding out through Gabby that I'm this low on Danni's list of friends.
Danni bit her lip, then took a sip of her coffee. "I don't know if I'll make it to the New Year's thing," she told Gabby. "I'm helping the cancer treatment foundation with its New Year's Eve fundraiser, and I might not get away from the plaza center until late."
"You didn't tell me that," said Gabby. "Oh, Danni ..."
"I know, I know, I'm not supposed to miss it," said Danni, with an apologetic smile. "But I couldn't say 'no,' could I?"
"Number forty-seven," called the barista. Gabby checked the coffee ticket in her hand — it was her number, Logan could see.
"At least try to make it for the midnight toast, okay?" said Gabby. "I'm going to talk you into it. Call me." She collected her shopping bags as she rose from her seat. "And I'm definitely going to keep you in mind," she said to Logan. "Bye now."
Danni breathed a sigh of relief when her friend was out of earshot. "Gabby is ... a little intense sometimes," she said to Logan. "She cares a lot. Sometimes too much."
He thought she was apologizing, b
ut he wasn't sure why. "She's an extrovert," he said. "We introverts are used to people like you steering us into situations."
Danni shot him a sulky glance. "Nina isn't someone you'd want to date," she said. "Trust me. She's sweet and she's quiet, but she's very clingy. More than Doris was, even. She'd drive you crazy after a couple of weeks, so I was just trying to save you the grief."
"Still, she's cute, apparently," ventured Logan, thoughtfully.
He waited for Danni's indignation to manifest before he added, "Kidding. I'll take your word for this one. I think it's a little late to make a date in time for Christmas, anyway. And you can't exactly brag about being in a two-week relationship, can you?"
"True," said Danni. She sighed again, her fingers tracing the surface of her peppermint latte's cup.
"Being single at Christmas is as bad as the songs make it sound." She gave him a weak smile. "If you want Nina's number, I'll give it to you. I wouldn't want your family to give up on you for good."
"Thanks," he answered. "But I'll wait and take my chances with whatever the new year has in store."
"You'll send me a picture of you in the sweater, right?"
"Sure. But if it turns up on the front of your Christmas cards next year, I'll expect royalties per card," he reminded her.
Her sad smile disappeared in response, a smirk appearing instead. "You wish," she answered. And, for a moment, it almost made him wish that Danni was with somebody for the holidays, even if it wasn't him.
Almost.
Midnight Caffeine
New Year's
Eleven-thirty P.M. Logan checked the time on his phone. His cup of coffee, a plain black with a peppermint stick for holiday festivity, was two-thirds gone. A sign he should go home if he only felt tired after his grueling business meeting ended — and if half the city wasn't out celebrating, making his dark apartment seem a little cold and empty by comparison.
Pauline's was open until one in the morning for New Year's, calling it the "Midnight and Mistletoe" campaign. Logan wondered who came up with this ridiculous idea, and if it was mostly for the sake of exhausting the last of the menu's specialty selections for the holidays.
Not that he was the only one here tonight. The Scrabble-loving couple were at their usual table, cozying together with twin hot chocolates beneath the greenery and white twinkle light garlands strung above the windows. A group of college students, obviously on their way home from a party, were laughing over a plate of pastries in the way that suggested a little too much holiday cheer in the recent past.
"Another coffee?" Kimberly asked. She had a New Year's pin shaped like a firework's palm pinned to the front of her vest.
"No, thanks," he answered. "Stuck working tonight, too, huh?" he asked, sympathetically.
"Yeah. But we're closed tomorrow," she said. "I'm sleeping in, then watching the Rose Bowl parade." She smiled, then moved on to the next table, where the college students were laughing loudly over something one of them said.
"Howdy, stranger." Danni was across from him now, one hand on the back of the empty chair, the other holding a cup of coffee.
He felt surprise wash over him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I had an appointment run late tonight," she answered. "I didn't feel up to partying afterwards." She drew out the chair and sat down. "You?"
"No parties tonight," he answered. "Business meeting. We spent the whole evening debating advertising choices for a digital artist's app until about a half hour ago."
"Mmmhmm. Makes my evening of handing out door prizes sound charming," answered Danni.
"The cancer fundraiser," said Logan, remembering. "Good crowd?"
"Great. We raised enough for the first stage of funding a new treatment option this year, thanks to tonight's last hour contributions." She took a sip from her coffee. Peppermint latte — Logan could smell the familiar scent from here. It was Danni's seasonal favorite.
"I'm glad to hear it," he answered. "You look great, by the way. Ready for a party."
She was wearing a white knee-length dress with a gold scrollwork design printed all over the fabric, a matching half jacket. Her blond hair was pulled into a knot behind her head, with a gold clasp holding it in place. A modern look, but there was something classically elegant about her appearance. But there was always something elegant about Danni, even when she was dressed in sweats and faded denim.
He wanted to tell her this, but didn't. Not sure how she would take his admiring compliment, short of exactly how he intended it.
"Thanks," she answered. "I thought I should be dressy, since it was a formal dinner. Even if all I was doing was handing out little gift sacks of chocolate truffles."
Their eyes met; the glanced lasted a little too long, Logan sensed. He looked away for a second, then cleared his throat. "Peppermint latte again?" he asked. "You're practically addicted to those now. You know they'll be gone from the menu by tomorrow, don't you?"
"Shut up," she answered. "I'm pretending not to." She took another long sip. "It beats boring black coffee any day."
He responded with mock sensitivity. "Ouch. I'll add that to my list of flaws I'm working on, thanks. 'Give up boring coffee.'" He made a pretense of scribbling it below the last line written in his journal.
"New Year's resolutions," guessed Danni, looking at his page. "Mine is to stop trying to control so many things in my life that can't be controlled."
"What?" he laughed. "Like people? Forces of nature?"
"I mean everything. I should just let things happen as they will," she said. "Naturally. Go with the flow around me. That, and I'm giving up sugar."
"Yeah, right."
"Okay, that one's a stretch," admitted Danni. "But what are yours, really? It had better not be to give up boring coffee. I like your coffee. I think it suits you."
"Reserved and plain?"
"No," she answered. "Tall, dark, and handsome." She tilted her head, giving him an impish smile.
He choked on his latest sip. "Really? The oldest corny coffee joke on the planet," he said. "Come on, Danni, have a heart, will you?"
"I know. All right ... it's warm, strong, and has hidden depths that can't be seen. How's that?"
"Better."
There were quiet little giggles from the Scrabble lovers' table. Both Danni and Logan glanced in that direction, seeing the snuggling couple were now nuzzling each other. Danni made a face, then caught Logan's eye at the same second.
"Wanna go play a game?" he asked. He closed his journal.
"Sure."
Nobody was taking up the sofa in Pauline's cozy lounge corner, for once. The battery-operated candles on the side tables were pumpkin pie scented, the lights dimmed to show off the twinkle light garlands strung above the cubby shelves holding the cafe's small stack of board games.
"How about Monopoly?" asked Danni.
"Too long. It takes a million years to play a round," answered Logan. He pulled off his jacket and tossed it onto the sofa's arm. "Yahtzee?"
"Too noisy," answered Danni. "Dominoes?"
"The box looks half empty to me."
There were pieces missing from Chutes and Ladders, and clown cards absent from Hands Down when they opened those boxes. Logan flopped down on the sofa, leaving the board games half-open on the coffee table.
"I think the only complete game in this place is Scrabble," he said.
"Not that we'll ever know, since it's always taken," answered Danni. She flopped down beside him. "Think they'd give it up if we begged?"
"Nope. Not a chance." He stretched, propping his feet on the table's edge. Through the windows across from them, he could see the college partygoers making their way home, arms linked as they weaved along the sidewalk beneath the streetlamps.
He felt cozy and relaxed at this moment. Actually, he was grateful to whoever thought of this New Year's Eve gimmick for Pauline's. It was a warm, familiar place to be on a night when he had no place else to belong. Low lights, small crowds, quiet except f
or the Christmas music playing from Pauline's stereo system — it was the first time he'd ever seen the place like this.
"I should have brought one of the leftover bags of chocolates from the fundraiser," Danni said, slipping off her shoes as she folded her legs onto the sofa, curling up against the back cushions. "They were dark chocolate. You would have loved them."
"Kimberly will give you a complimentary chocolate mint if you ask," he said.
"Not the same," she answered, closing her eyes.
He waited a second before stretching again, letting his arm fall casually along the sofa's back. Danni opened one eye.
"I know that trick," she said.
He grinned. "It's an old one, too," he said. "But it's more comfortable for me to sit like this. I promise. No ulterior motives."
"I see. And if it was more comfortable for me to snuggle against your shoulder, would that be acceptable, too?" She lifted an eyebrow with this mock question.
"Be my guest," he answered.
To his surprise, Danni actually shifted closer, her head resting against him. A bad idea, Logan realized instantly. He could smell her shampoo, and feel the pressure of her body against his.
"This is comfortable, actually," said Danni. "For me, anyway. Probably not for you," she added.
"It's not bad," he lied. It was better than fine, but he couldn't exactly say that to her, could he?
"I've always thought guys must grow tired of having another person leaning on them like dead weight," mused Danielle. "You probably secretly wish you could shove us back to our own half of the sofa."
"That's definitely not true," Logan answered, with a faint laugh.
Danni didn't say anything in response. His arm had slid lower, around her shoulders. He half-expected her to push it away, but she didn't. He could feel her heart beating against him, and was surprised how fast it was.
"Your heart's pounding," he said, softly.
"No, it's not," she answered. Defensively. "It just beats fast sometimes. Maybe I'm anticipating the New Year with excitement."
"All those resolutions you can't wait to experience," he said.
Table for Two Page 6
