In the end it wasn’t Spencer that interrupted their brunch. Marissa’s mom called her halfway through and demanded she come home early. Despite Marissa’s best and most creative pleading, it was apparently not negotiable. They headed back to the house so she could drop off Cassie and get her things.
“This is total crap,” Marissa said, shoving her clothes from the night before into her bag. “I’ll be back next week, I promise. I’m only working two days.”
“I’ll be fine,” said Cassie, waving a hand. “I’ll be here, busy not working.”
Marissa stuck her tongue out at her and Cassie threw a pillow in her direction. They both laughed, but the lump from earlier was back in her stomach. Cassie didn’t really want to be alone all day, with her mood now wildly different than it had been at the same time just twenty-four hours earlier.
Instead of bored, she was anxious. She’d been counting on Marissa to distract her from what she had to do. All it took was a few texts from Spencer, however, (Hey babe, so it looks like my ride just left early. Wanna pick me up and have some fun today?) to motivate her to get in touch with Logan somehow. If she couldn’t work her ‘Marissa is great’ angle anymore, she could at least get started on the ‘Cassie is busy with someone else’ part of her plan. Knowing it wouldn’t be that easy, Cassie hoped that if she brushed him off enough, Spencer would eventually get the idea she wasn’t interested anymore.
This whole request from her dad still bugged her, though. Why was it so important to him that Logan be okay? The thought was swirling around in her head but she had no idea where to begin. How did her dad even know his name?
Cassie grew more and more frustrated as she set about finding Logan on social media. At first it seemed like there was a match: a Logan Hanes was in her incoming freshman group at Columbia. But the profile was totally locked down and the picture was something weird and artsy with sharks so she had no way of knowing if it was even him.
He seemed to have zero information public, and most of his accounts were private so she couldn’t even try to glean information that way about where he was staying this summer. Did his family have a place up here? Most people did. Had she seen him previous summers? Honestly, she couldn’t remember, and shame prickled at the back of her mind. Twenty-four hours ago, she wouldn’t have even been able to place his face, but now he was all she could think about.
All because she’d nearly killed him with her car. Well, Marissa’s car. Maybe it was a good thing she’d left early after all. There’d be less chance of Logan spotting the car around town.
After an hour of fruitless searching, Cassie found herself scrolling through Instagram, trying to ignore the gnawing at her stomach at the thought of failing her father. How could she help Logan if she couldn’t even find him?
Suddenly, there he was in her feed. Someone had posted a selfie at Chez Pierre, one of the nicer restaurants in the next town over. Logan was standing right behind a blonde, smiling girl, a tray balanced on his arm and a look of concentration on his face. Cassie looked at the comment.
Good food and cute waiters. What else can a girl ask for on her birthday?
She frowned. Who had posted this, anyway? She looked at the name again. Brittney something. Cassie tried to remember who she was. A daughter of one of her dad’s business partners, maybe? She followed way too many people to remember how she knew them all. Cassie checked out Brittney’s other pictures, and there were two more from the restaurant last night. One of them had Logan in the background, with a similar caption calling him cute.
Cassie frowned and looked at the pictures again.
He was kind of cute, Cassie had to admit, just a little skinnier and nerdier than she usually fell for. Not that big and beefy was really her type either; it was just the type that she always seemed to end up with. She’d never really noticed Logan before, but apparently Brittney whoever had zeroed in on him right away. Was it his deep brown eyes that had grabbed her attention? Or his dark blond hair, worn slightly longer than most guys at school did? It was combed neatly in the pictures, but last night it had been sticking up all over the place like he’d been running his hands through it. His expression had been angry, too, when Cassie had seen him, not the concentrated-yet-lighthearted half smile he of course would need to put on to keep the patrons of the restaurant happy.
He was really cute, she realized the more she looked at him. There was even a little dimple on his cheek that was doing something funny to Cassie’s stomach the longer she stared at it. Why had she never noticed him? Was she really so shallow that she only noticed jocks?
She shook her head and tossed her phone down on the bed. She didn’t need to think he was cute to help him, though it would certainly help her quite a bit in order to make Spencer jealous. Now that she knew where Logan worked, it would be easy enough to figure out where he was staying this summer, and she could finally get this plan started and her summer back on track.
Chapter Six
“Logan! There’s a hot girl at the door for you!”
From his seat on the couch in the living room, Logan nearly spit out his soda on his aunt’s clean beige rug. He was playing Call of Duty with Hideki and was losing, thanks to one arm being mostly immobile. The crushing pain from the previous night was gone now that his shoulder was back in place but it was still plenty sore.
When he jumped up, however, a bolt of pain streaked through him like lightning. He took a deep breath and headed to the door. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach that he knew who it would be, but he had no idea how she’d found him.
“Hi,” said Cassie Hart, smiling brightly as if she’d been invited to come over. She was standing there in all her perfect golden blonde glory, like some real life YouTube makeup star. Except her face seemed mostly bare of anything, which made her even prettier somehow.
Not that he noticed or anything.
“Um, hi?” Logan didn’t even try to mask the confusion on his face, glad to have it overriding his desire to blush furiously at her unexpected presence on his porch.
“How are you feeling today?” She tilted her head, her mouth turned down in a little pout.
“Um, fine?” He held his arm closer to his chest. The ace bandage they’d used last night to attach the weight was now being used as both a sling and to keep an ice pack strapped to his shoulder. He knew he looked ridiculous, but he hadn’t planned on seeing anyone today. With a sudden jolt of panic, he realized he was still in his pajama pants. But at least his shirt was a neutral gray, and not his normal Shark Week matching set his mom had given him for his last birthday.
“It’s dislocated, right?” Cassie nodded at his shoulder.
He raised an eyebrow.
“How do you know? Are you a doctor now?”
She rolled her eyes. It was the first authentic reaction he’d seen from her. All the frowning and worry she’d been showing seemed a little overdone. But maybe it was just because all of her seemed fake to him.
“How many dislocated shoulders on football and basketball players do you think I’ve seen?”
He held in a groan. Her boyfriend, Spencer, played both. He was headed to Gonzaga on a basketball scholarship, not that he needed it. The Huntingtons practically owned Flathead Lake.
“You should probably have a doctor take a look,” Cassie said, not giving him a chance to reply.
How could someone be so hot yet so annoying at the same time?
“I got it popped back in just fine.” He lifted his chin slightly, and puffed out his chest. He felt a little silly, but he reminded himself that high school was over. He’d never see her again after this summer, and he had a chance to decide how she remembered him. And it wouldn’t be as the dork with a busted shoulder.
“You should still have someone check it out.” She put a hand on her hip, tossing back her hair. “Come on, I’ll drive you.”
Well, that was unexpected.
“What?” He blinked, not sure he’d heard her right.
She sh
rugged.
“I guess I just feel bad that I couldn’t help you last night.” She glanced down at her feet, shifting a little from side to side. Logan felt the tiniest pebble of guilt settle into his stomach. He had been pretty rude.
“Why? It’s not like this was your fault.”
She brought a hand up to her hair, twisting a golden lock in her hand. The exaggerated pout was on her face again, along with a tinge of red on her cheeks.
“So you still don’t want my help?”
“Yes, he does!” called a voice from the living room.
Logan whipped his head around.
“Shut up, Hideki!”
Logan turned back to Cassie, his face hot. He was going to kill his cousin once she was finally gone.
“Why would you want to help me? Don’t you have like, keg parties to go to?”
She rolled her eyes again, waving her hand.
“I’ve been doing that for four years straight. I’m ready for a break before it starts again in the fall.”
“And driving me to a doctor’s appointment is your idea of fun?”
“Logan, seriously, what’s the issue here?” Hideki appeared at his side and slung his arm around Logan’s good shoulder. “I have to get to work soon. I can’t take you. You can’t ride your bike. Let the hot cheerleader drive you to the clinic. BSE man.”
Hideki gave Logan an exaggerated wink. Logan shoved him away, as rough as he could without his shoulder screaming in protest. Now his whole body felt hot, not just his face. He had thought the low point of his summer would be Cassie seeing him on the side of the road. Apparently his cousin had other plans.
When Logan finally gathered the courage to look back up at her, he was surprised to see that her face was as red as his. His resistance softened somewhat, to see that a random guy she didn’t know calling her hot made her blush, like she hadn’t been hearing it her whole life.
This still didn’t make any sense, however. Why would she want to spend time doing anything with him? Where was the bitchy cheerleader he had spent six years sitting next to?
“Look, do you want a ride or not?” She put a hand back on her hip. “I do actually have stuff to do today.”
Ah, there she was. That bit of normalcy somehow made the decision easier for Logan. Cassie Hart, Queen Bee he could handle. Blushing and shy Cassie made him a little more confused.
“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
She shrugged.
“Just thank your lucky stars it was me who drove by last night and not someone else who would have given up more easily.”
They rode in silence, Cassie turning up the radio too loud for him to attempt conversation. So she wanted to help him, but not talk to him? He didn’t have much brain space to worry about that, however, since the closer they got to the clinic, the more worried he was about how he’d pay. The whole reason for the internet video medical consultation was to avoid paying someone to check him out.
But as they hit a bump in the road and a flash of pain shot through him, he had to admit that Cassie and Hideki were right. He did need someone to see it, or he’d be out of work all summer and be worse off than before. Columbia had financial aid and other resources for low-income students, but they required him to come with some money saved up. Even if he spent a few hundred today, it would be worth it to be able to go to his shift the next day at the restaurant. Though he’d probably have to take on a few extra houses to clean whenever he could the next few weeks to make up the extra money. While the restaurant got him big tips, he liked the calmness of the empty houses a little better. He’d rather clean more than pick up extra shifts at the restaurant.
When they walked into the clinic, Cassie made a beeline for the desk, taking charge like he was a little kid. She gave his name to the receptionist, took a clipboard full of forms and pulled him down to a chair.
Not even fifteen minutes into this adventure, and Logan was already starting to regret he’d accepted her offer of help.
“Full name?” The pen in her manicured hand was poised over the paper expectantly.
“I can fill them out myself.”
She looked over the edge of the clipboard, and eyed his makeshift splint, her lips pressed into a thin line of silent scolding.
“Fine.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Logan Hanes.”
“No middle names?”
He shifted in his seat.
“Cousteau.”
She raised an eyebrow, but thankfully said nothing.
“Date of birth?”
“June 26.”
“Ha! I’m two months older than you. April 26th.”
Logan rolled his eyes.
“So that gives you the right to be bossy?”
She ignored this.
“Address?”
“For the summer or back in Helena?”
“Permanent I guess. Are you just renting with friends this summer?”
Logan cleared his throat.
“I’m staying with my aunt and uncle. That was my cousin you saw earlier.”
Logan held his breath, waiting for the comment that always came. The curious stares, the random comments about different countries in Asia people had visited, the rude questions about adoption. He’d heard it all.
“Ok, so what’s the address?” was all she said, nothing registering on her face at all. He let out the breath he was holding and gave her the address.
“Insurance number?”
Logan shifted again in his seat.
“Um, just leave that blank for now. I’ll take care of it later.”
She looked at him over the edge of the clipboard again, her brows furrowed. He tried to ignore how adorable she was with her forehead all scrunched up.
“I’m not an expert or anything, but this could be kind of expensive without insurance.”
“I’ll have them bill me. It’s not a big deal.”
She pursed her lips again and tapped the pen against the clipboard. Without a word, she stood up, put the papers down on her chair, and walked up to front desk.
He let out his breath in a huff, and pushed himself out of the chair with one hand.
Could she be any more annoying?
“You can put everything on my card,” she was saying as he marched up next to her.
He blanched when he saw her take a sleek black credit card from her bag and hand it to the nurse.
“What are you doing?” He groaned inwardly at how screechy his voice sounded. He cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “You can’t just pay for me.”
“Why not? Do you have the money?”
He looked down, hot liquid shame spreading through his veins.
“I’ll pay you back,” he said, still not looking at her.
He heard her take a deep breath.
“Fine.”
He peeked up to see that she was biting her lips. Did she not believe that he’d pay her back?
“I’m good for it. I just need to take on a few more shifts.” A lot more shifts.
“No rush. I don’t want you to hurt yourself more by working too hard.”
Logan choked back a laugh. What did she know about working too hard?
“I’ll be fine. Thanks for the loan.”
He turned and made his way back to their seats. Before he sat back down he grabbed the clipboard off her chair to finish up the paperwork. He didn’t need any more of her help.
Chapter Seven
The clinic was pretty slow that day, and a nurse came out almost as soon as Logan had handed in his papers at the front desk. She led him through a door and he’d followed without another word to Cassie.
“All set?” Cassie looked up from her magazine as Logan came out of the door fifteen minutes later. He nodded.
As she took her purse and stood up, the doctor pushed through the door, waving a piece of paper at Logan. Cassie’s heart sank. She hoped it wasn’t another bill. Her dad had told her to be nice to Logan, not pay for his med
ical care. Seeing him with his sling and how much pain he was made her feel so guilty, though, she’d have paid whatever it took to make him better. But how would she explain it to her dad? He was the one that got the credit card bill.
“Logan, here’s your prescription,” the doctor said, handing him the paper. Cassie breathed a sigh of relief. That wouldn’t be too expensive. “Remember it’s best not to drive or bike for at least four weeks. No heavy lifting. Don’t let anyone pull too hard or lean on your arm.” The doctor winked at Cassie, clearly assuming she was Logan’s girlfriend.
Logan’s face turned such a bright pink he hopefully hadn’t noticed that Cassie’s had done the same.
“So, no bike for four weeks?” Cassie said once they were in the car. She’d been silent on the drive to the clinic, terrified that she’d just blurt out what she’d done to him. Now it seemed she’d be in chatterbox mode to hide her growing guilt. “Can I drop you off anywhere?”
“No, I’m not working today. I was supposed to go swimming for the first time this summer but…” he shrugged, then grimaced. Her heart sank at the pain on his face he was clearly trying to hide.
“I can take you to the pharmacy. Get you your meds.”
“Look, Cassie, I appreciate the lift to the doctor’s, but I can handle things. You don’t have to be driving me around like some charity case.”
“You’re not! I’m just helping you out. It’s a thing for Columbia.” She was thinking so fast, it just slipped out. Crap, how would she explain knowing about that without revealing her social media stalking?
“What? You’re going to Columbia?”
She nodded. At least it turned out to be the right Logan Hanes in her freshman group.
He groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.
“Great.”
Cassie bristled a little at this.
“It’s a big school, I’m sure you won’t have to put up with me once we’re there.” She wasn’t sure why she was so upset at the idea he didn’t like her, but she didn’t want to dig too deep into that right now. “For the summer, however, you’re stuck with me.”
This Summer At The Lake Page 4
