Sabrina’s cheeks burned. “Logan.”
Becky slapped her leg. “Well, let’s get Logan in here. Stay tuned. Right after the commercial break.”
Sabrina relaxed a little. It would really help if she knew Logan was in the audience cheering her on. She’d answer Becky and Dell’s questions just like she was having a casual lunch chat with Logan. He was always so relaxed and laid-back.
The young woman who’d brought Sabrina’s water stopped by. “What’s his full name, and what does he look like?”
“Logan Campbell. He’s six feet, probably wearing a black down jacket, short light brown hair and beard.” The sexy one.
“Got it.”
Sabrina glanced over at Becky and Dell, who were in deep conversation. At least with Logan here, she knew someone was on her side. They’d probably laugh about this later.
Minutes ticked by during the commercial break, and she realized she’d never answered Becky’s question. She’d say she was inspired to write her article because she’d seen some of her friends struggle and wanted to help people like them. It was technically true because some of her friends had been through doozies of ex-boyfriends, and she could technically count herself as a friend too. Pleased with her answer, she looked forward to continuing with the interview.
She turned as if with a sixth sense, her gaze colliding with Logan’s. He lifted a hand in a small hello, standing just off camera. She jumped up and rushed over to him. His familiar features in this strange place so dear to her she impulsively hugged him, breathing in his fresh clean scent.
She pulled away, beaming. “I can’t believe you’re here!”
He grinned, his warm brown eyes crinkling at the corners. “Surprise. Claire was supposed to get me on the list, but there was some kind of mix-up, and I couldn’t get in.”
“Well, you’re here now. I really appreciate it.” She lowered her voice. “No one will even talk to me here.”
He glanced over her shoulder at the hosts. “They’ll talk to you as soon as the camera’s on. You have an answer prepared? I watched the live feed on my phone, and it looked like you froze up.”
“I got it now. I just needed a moment to think. It’s hard to spout stuff off the cuff.”
He gave her arm a squeeze, warming her at the spot. “You got this.”
She wanted to hug him again, but a crew member called her back on set. She slowly backed away, gazing at Logan with equal parts gratitude and warm gooey affection. He smiled encouragingly at her. She whirled and went back to the set, fully prepared to rock this interview.
“Welcome back!” Becky chirped the moment they went back on air. “We brought Logan Campbell into the studio, and our guest is all smiles now. Guess we know the happiness that led to Sabrina’s inspirational article.”
Sabrina’s cheeks heated, and she glanced over at Logan. His black down jacket was off, and a crew member was trying to attach a microphone to Logan’s shirt while Logan backed away.
“Let’s get Logan out here,” Dell said. “Ladies, you’d like him to join us, wouldn’t you?”
The audience clapped and hollered for Logan.
Logan raised a hand, shaking his head. Good. He was standing his ground. He gestured to her, like she was the star.
A surge of affection made her want to hug him again. He was willing to be supportive in the background, careful to respect her boundaries. This was her big moment, even if it was hard for her to claim it, and he respected that.
“Aren’t they cute?” Becky asked. “How long have you been together?”
“Six months,” Sabrina replied and then realized how that sounded. They’d been friends for six months. “I mean…” She looked to Logan, who was frozen like a statue, his expression blank.
“Looks serious,” Dell put in.
“I appreciate what we have,” Sabrina said. Okay, so it sounded like Logan was her boyfriend. At least she hadn’t said fiancé. She blamed her friends for putting the idea into her subconscious. Damn. She hoped Becky and Dell didn’t ask any more questions about Logan.
Becky smiled brightly at her. “How important is sexual compatibility in a relationship?”
“Top of my list,” Sabrina blurted and promptly blushed the mother of all blushes from head to toe. She didn’t dare look at Logan. He was probably smirking and would tease her mercilessly later.
“Sounds like you enjoy being on top,” Becky said in a suggestive voice. “Ladies, we like taking responsibility for our own happiness—” she made a big exaggerated wink “—don’t we?”
Her mind flashed to Logan, naked, under her. Riding him with wild abandon, his hands on her—
She grabbed her mug and took a healthy swallow of cool water. The audience applauded loudly, enthusiastic about being on top. It was mostly women here.
Dell smiled good-naturedly. “I learn so much on this show.”
Everyone laughed.
Dell went on. “Sabrina, if you could give just one piece of advice to someone looking for love, what would it be?”
Sabrina relaxed. Thank God they were off the sex stuff. “Love yourself first. When you’re secure in who you are and what you want in life, it makes it easy to let go of toxic relationships and welcome in love.”
“That is beautiful,” Becky said. She turned to the audience. “Isn’t that beautiful?”
The audience applauded.
Dell chimed in with a question. “When a client comes to you with commitment issues, what’s the first thing you ask?”
Now she was back on familiar territory. She answered all the rest of their questions with professional confidence.
Once the interview was over, she practically floated over to Logan. She’d made it through her first time on TV, and now she could share the whole experience with him. Hopefully he wouldn’t tease her too much.
She stopped in front of him. “I think it went well.”
“Yup.” He jerked his chin. “Come on, they said there’s a back exit to avoid the crowd by the windows.”
She followed him out to a narrow hallway. “You want to ride back with me? Claire got me a car service. It’s a Mercedes with tinted windows.”
“I have my car,” he said tersely.
She studied him, his jaw set tight. “Everything okay?”
“No.”
They passed a couple of crew members talking and laughing.
“We’ll talk outside,” Logan said.
She bit her lower lip. He must be mad that she’d implied he was her boyfriend. Obviously he felt used. He probably respected her less for lying too. She felt awful. She knew the importance of boundaries, and she’d crossed one big time.
They reached the sidewalk outside, near the end of the block and a safe distance from the crowd by the windows.
She touched his jacket sleeve lightly. “Logan, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have implied you were my boyfriend. It just kinda came out.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I have a girlfriend. She’s not going to be happy to hear this on TV. She’s the jealous type.”
She stared at him. “What do you mean you have a girlfriend?” Her voice hit a high note, and she tried for a reasonable tone. “Since when?”
“Since six weeks ago.”
Here she’d been feeling so warm and gooey toward him, and he’d kept this from her. She’d thought they were so close. “You’ve had a girlfriend for six weeks and you never mentioned it?”
He lifted his palms. “I don’t tell you everything.”
“You tell me everything about Checkin.” It dawned on her then. Maybe he didn’t tell her about his girlfriend because he thought she might have feelings for him. Gah! So freaking embarrassing. And she’d thought she’d been so careful to hide it. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He looked away and then back to her with a scowl. “Because I didn’t want you to tell Mad, who’d blab it to everyone.”
She crossed her arms. “I would’ve kept it in confidence.”
“You threw me under the bus. Olivia’s going to be pissed.”
“Olivia who?” For some perverse reason, she wanted to hear all about the woman he’d hidden from her.
“Olivia Slater. You’ve probably heard of her family, they’ve got their hands in everything. Old money.”
“I’ve heard of the Slater Foundation. They do a lot of good work for children in need.”
“Yup. She runs it.”
Dammit. She sounded like a nice person. “Is she the college girlfriend you’ve been pining over for years?”
He jabbed a finger at her. “That is from Mad. First of all, I didn’t pine. She pined for me. Second of all, I was right not to tell you my personal shit.”
She pressed her lips together, eyes watering, throat tight, really hurt that he’d hid his life from her. Even if he didn’t return her lusty feelings, she’d thought at least their friendship was strong. “Is it serious?”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “If things go well with our investor meetings, I’m thinking of opening an office in San Francisco. That’s where she lives.”
She swallowed hard, her chest tight, making it hard to breathe. He was leaving, and she hadn’t had a clue. “And she’s happy about this?”
He inclined his head. “She seemed to be.”
“And you’re happy about this?”
“It was my idea.”
His casual tone pissed her off. “Here I thought we were such good friends, and I had no idea you even had a girlfriend. And now you’re leaving! When were you going to tell me, huh? After you moved?”
He frowned. “Why’re you so mad? I’m the one that got thrown under the bus. Now I have to deal with Olivia and, believe me, I’m going to hear it from my family. They’re going to want to know why I didn’t tell anyone you and I were dating for six months.”
“I’m mad because I thought we were close.” Her voice choked, and she didn’t even try to hide her hurt, meeting his eyes directly. “You’re the only one who showed up here for me.”
His voice lowered, husky and coaxing. “Sabrina, come on. We are close.”
“Just go to your stupid jealous girlfriend. My car’s over there somewhere.” She looked up and down the street, suddenly aware of a photographer with a zoom lens aimed at them. Was that her dad?
She took a step closer to the photographer. “Hey!”
The guy turned and ran away. His hair was black in a long ponytail, unlike her dad’s dark blond, but definitely one of his ilk. Why would anyone want pictures of her? She couldn’t possibly be that famous after one article and a TV interview. Paparazzi stalked people for pictures they could sell to the highest bidder. No one would pay a lot for her picture. Unless…was that psycho relationship counselor behind this? Did Tara Brinkman actually pay someone to dig for dirt on Sabrina? Her mind boggled at the thought.
“What’s the matter?” Logan asked.
“Nothing,” she replied absently, scanning the crowd to make sure the man wasn’t coming back.
“An apology would be nice,” Logan said, all haughty and righteous. I was wronged, and you must apologize!
She turned back to him and scowled. “So sorry I said you were my boyfriend. We’ve officially broken up. Send me a postcard from San Francisco.”
He blew out a breath. “Don’t be like that. I was going to tell you when I told everyone else, once I knew I could afford to make the move. I should know in a couple of weeks the way things are going to go. I still want to be friends.”
Her shoulders slumped, her anger leaving her just as quickly as it had appeared. He was leaving for good, and she didn’t want to end things on a sour note. This was her fault, after all. And she was putting way too much expectation on the one friend who’d come through for her. “Me too. I’m sorry I screwed things up for you. I’ll talk to Olivia if you want. I’ll explain it was all just a misunderstanding and nothing’s going on.”
He rubbed his light brown beard. “Yeah, I wish it were that easy. I’ll handle it.”
Her ride, a black Mercedes, pulled up and parked a short distance away.
She managed a small smile for Logan and gestured to the car. “That’s my ride. Thank you for coming today.”
He tugged a lock of her hair. “Shy girl rocked it.”
Why did he have to leave? Her eyes welled, and she quickly turned away, hurrying to her ride.
She hadn’t even made it all the way home before she got a text from Lexi saying, What’s going on? There was a picture of her and Logan in what appeared to be an intense argument on the sidewalk, where they’d been standing not long ago. Logan was jabbing his finger at her. She had her lips pressed together, her expression clearly upset. She clicked on it, and the headline read “Trouble in Paradise?” The short article asked “Is this relationship expert not good at relationships?” Then went on to use their full names, mentioning her recent interview naming him her special someone, and then only minutes later having a serious fight with him on the sidewalk and going their separate ways.
What the hell?
Lexi texted another link a short while later. It was a celebrity gossip site and had Photoshopped pictures of her and Claire side by side. The headline read “Hollywood Love Guru.” The short piece quoted an anonymous source saying Sabrina’s boyfriend was related to Claire Jordan and continued with a juicy quote: “Maybe that’s how Sabrina got so good at relationships, helping all those Hollywood people. Those movie stars date a lot, but only a few stick, like Claire Jordan and Jake Campbell.”
Shit. This couldn’t be Tara Brinkman. She wouldn’t push for a positive moniker like Hollywood Love Guru. How did anyone know about the Logan-Claire connection or Sabrina’s friendship with Claire for that matter? She’d never use Claire for her fame.
Her breathing was shallow, and she forced herself to calm down, closing her eyes and slowly counting backward. Okay, first things first—
Talk to Claire and explain Sabrina had nothing to do with that gossip.
Be clear with everyone that she was not a love guru of any kind and definitely not to Hollywood.
Try not to fly off to a remote desert island never to be heard from again.
Chapter Four
Logan returned to work that day, wishing he could call Olivia right away, but it was too early in California. He had to talk to her before Sunshine America aired out there. He couldn’t seem to find his focus while he worked, checking the time repeatedly, his mind drifting back to Sabrina. She’d actually gotten really worked up after the show, practically yelling at him, her eyes flashing, cheeks flushing with indignation. She hadn’t seemed so porcelain doll in that moment. She’d seemed fiery and strong. Touchable, even.
Sexual compatibility was at the top of her list.
She must be wa-a-ay into sex.
Nope. Not going there. He was not going to screw things up any further with Olivia just because Sabrina tempted him one time.
Okay, technically it wasn’t the first time she’d tempted him. Sometimes when he saw her talking and laughing with her friends, looking so open and warm, he’d been tempted to get closer. But as soon as he did, she went right back to reserved and quiet. Untouchable.
He raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t have time for this. He had a lot of work to do.
Ben walked into his office and took a seat. His business partner and honorary brother with his short light brown hair and angular face looked tough at first glance, but his dimpled smile gave away his easygoing good humor. Ben slapped Logan’s desk. “Sly bastard! All this time you said Sabrina was too sweet for you when you’ve been secretly dating for six months.”
“Still just friends.”
“Ri-i-ight.” He pressed both hands to his heart and made a big fake sigh. “I saw her interview. She lit up when she saw you like she was in love with you.”
She did? He shook his head. “She was just grateful a friend showed up to support her. You know how shy she is.”
Ben stared at him. “I never
thought she was shy.”
“She blushes all the time.”
“So? Some people are blushers. She has no problem talking to tons of fighting couples who walk in her door, she has a posse of close friends, and she just went on TV.”
Logan thought about that. If she wasn’t shy, then why did she blush so much around him?
Ben went on. “Missy says Sabrina can be downright snarky in a funny way. And coming from Missy, that’s a compliment. If you’re not together yet, I say go for it.”
Logan barely resisted rolling his eyes. Ben had been a die-hard bachelor. They used to laugh at the guys who fell head over ass for their women. Now Ben was one of those guys. So whipped. Logan might be starting things up with Olivia, but you wouldn’t catch him being all lovey-dovey goofy like Ben, or like Logan’s brothers, or most of his friends. Geez, it was like everyone around him was getting shackled. Must be settling-down time for the old guys. He was thirty, the youngest Campbell brother, and one of the youngest of the honorary brothers he was raised with. He had no plans for marriage. He wasn’t that impulsive kid he’d been in college. Now he took everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. “Wait and see” was his relationship philosophy.
Ben drummed his fingers on Logan’s desk. “Sabrina laughs at all your stupid jokes. That means she’s into you.”
“I’m back with Olivia.”
Ben straightened. “No shit?”
“Yeah. She got in touch and asked if we could reconnect. I saw her over Thanksgiving.”
“That’s why you’ve been so cheerful. I thought it was because of the investors.”
“It’s both.”
Ben inclined his head. “Good for you. So when do I finally get to meet her?”
Ben had only heard about her, since Logan had gone to college in California and Olivia had stayed there. “Maybe sooner than you think. We’ll see.”
“You all set for Elias?” That was their most important investor. Logan would be meeting with him first. Only eleven days away. That meeting was on a Friday, and Logan had scheduled the rest of the meetings for the following week, hoping Elias’s interest would lead to some good buzz in Silicon Valley. If Elias made an offer, the other investors would be in a frenzy to get on board with Checkin.
Chance of Romance (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 8) Page 4