But for now, I was spending the morning with the birthday girl.
“We’re going on a birthday adventure.”
“Hey.” I walked into the kitchen and found Thea at the sink.
“Hi.” Her eyes tracked my hands as they set down the screwdriver I’d been using to build Charlie’s Jeep. She was still refusing to look me in the eye. “All done?”
“Yeah.” I went right to her side and leaned against the counter, making sure to get close enough that I could bend and talk into her ear, but not so close that we were touching. “She’s driving it around.”
She was doing her best to act unaffected by my presence, but I heard the quick hitch of her breath as she washed a bowl. She’d been setting up for the party ever since Charlie and I had come back from our adventure.
“Sounds like you two had fun this morning.”
I smiled. “We sure did.”
The first place I’d taken Charlie this morning had been the lake house to meet with a realtor and get a tour. I’d assured her that I was buying the home for myself and she wouldn’t have to move but that I needed her help to decide if it was a place she could come for visits.
Charlie explored the house from top to bottom, inspecting every inch of the five-thousand-square-foot home. By the time she declared it was acceptable, the realtor—a man who’d stood by patiently the entire time—had earned his commission.
After we left my future Montana home, I took Charlie to a boat store about ten miles outside of Lark Cove. We went straight to the showroom where I told her to pick one. Just like with my house, she gave every boat a thorough inspection before deciding on a blue ski boat. And I’d handed the salesman my credit card.
From there, we’d returned to the cottage for lunch and to get Charlie’s Jeep assembled before the party.
“Can I help with something?” I asked Thea. It was almost three and guests were due to arrive at any minute.
“No, I think I’m all set.”
The cake, a camouflage rectangle with neon-orange piping, was on the kitchen table. The snacks were all in bowls ready to take out to the card table set up on the back lawn down by the dock. And the coolers on the porch were all full.
Charlie had invited over some friends to play outside and go swimming in the lake for her party. There’d be kids with their parents along with Jackson, Willa and a couple of Thea’s friends from the bar crowding their backyard.
There weren’t a ton of decorations, just some balloons on the porch and tablecloths on the card tables. It was the polar opposite of the birthday extravaganzas that my sisters and I had experienced as children. There were no petting zoos or Cirque du Soleil performers. This wasn’t a competition to see who could spend the most money for their child’s special day.
Because it wasn’t about the party at all. It was just about celebrating Charlie.
“That was a really nice gift you bought her.” Thea spoke to the kitchen window as Charlie came driving around the side of the house.
“Too much?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t care if you spoil her for a while, Logan. I get it.”
She did. Thea had been nothing but supportive of the bond Charlie and I were building. If only she’d let down her own guard, then the two of us could do some more bonding too. “It’s time to talk about last night. Why did you run away?”
She abandoned the sink, darting around the kitchen, looking for something to do.
I grinned as she shuffled the bowls on the counter around, then squared up the stack of army-green party napkins.
With her back to me, I crossed the floor and placed both of my arms on the counter at her sides.
“Logan,” she gasped as I trapped her, my chest pressing against her back.
“Thea.” My voice was low and quiet as I spoke in her neck. “You can’t avoid me forever. I’m not going anywhere. Talk to me.”
“Except you are going somewhere.” She turned her head, speaking to my bicep. “Back to New York. Back to being distracted.”
“Distracted? What are you talking about?”
She spun around in the space between my arms, leaning back against the counter and crossing her arms. Her breasts lifted under her simple gray sundress, revealing a hint of cleavage.
I fought the urge to press my hips into hers. There was fire in her eyes, a passion that made the bulge in my jeans even worse.
“You were different these last two weeks,” she declared. “Like you didn’t really have time to talk to us.”
My eyebrows came together as I mentally ran through our phone calls. Most of the last two weeks had been spent at the firm with my team buzzing in and out of my office with questions. Was that why she’d asked me if I had a girlfriend? Was she worried I’d been seeing someone else?
“I spent the last two weeks working fourteen-hour days at the firm. Every. Day. If I was distracted, it was because someone had barged into my office and interrupted our call. Trust me, there was nothing I would have rather been doing than talking to you and Charlie.”
“Then—”
My phone rang in my pocket. Damn it. I’d forgotten to put it on silent.
She dropped her eyes to stare at her bare toes as I declined the call.
“Hey.” I hooked a finger under her chin. “I work. A lot. My job is important to me. But that doesn’t mean you and Charlie aren’t important to me too. I’ll try to do better.”
“Thanks. Charlie will appreciate it.”
I grinned. “Just Charlie?”
She fought it, but I caught a twitch on the corner of her mouth.
A mouth I was going to kiss right now.
I leaned forward, holding her gaze until our noses touched. Before I brushed my lips to hers, I licked her bottom lip and pressed my hips forward, letting her feel how much I wanted her. Thea’s mouth had just fallen open with a gasp when the back door burst open.
“The— Shit,” Hazel cussed. “Sorry.”
Thea ripped her lips from mine, turning her head to the side, then ducking under my arms to escape. She cleared her throat, grabbing two bowls and walking right to the door as she muttered, “I better get these outside.”
I took a few moments to get myself under control. Then I ran a hand over my lips before turning around to Hazel.
“Sorry.” She barked out a laugh. “Bad timing.”
“It’s okay.” I shrugged. “It’s probably not the best time to be kissing her anyway. Not with a bunch of party guests on their way.”
Hazel went to the sink and filled a glass of water as she scanned the backyard through the window. Thea was setting the snacks down outside on the tables.
“Come and sit.” Hazel motioned to the table so I followed her over, taking the seat with my back to the door. “This town is small and people like to gossip. After today, everyone in Lark Cove is going to know about you.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. It’s an opportunity.”
I grinned, leaning my elbows on the table. “I’m listening.”
“Thea doesn’t have a ton of friends here in town. She spends her free time with Charlie, and she works at the bar. Not exactly a place to host play dates. She’s never been able to really connect with the other moms in town. They just don’t have anything in common except their kids.”
I wasn’t quite following how I fit into this, but I stayed quiet as Hazel slowly sipped her water before continuing.
“If you put Thea behind a bar, she can charm anyone on the other side. Hell, she could charm the lights off a Christmas tree. But the women in this town are cliquey and a bunch of them are coming here for the first time. I don’t want to see Thea uncomfortable at her own daughter’s birthday party.”
Neither do I. “I’ll make sure Thea has a good time today.”
We nodded at each other and I stood, going straight for the door. I wanted to find Thea and do whatever I could to keep a smile on her face.
I stepped onto the porch with
a smile on my own.
It dropped as I watched Jackson kiss Thea.
Thea
Carrying two bowls of snacks, I hustled across the yard to the tables set up on the shoreline. I should be thinking about Charlie’s party, but my head was in a fog.
A Logan fog.
I’d almost kissed him. Again. Something I’d sworn after last night I wouldn’t do. Except I sure hadn’t put up much of a fight when he’d trapped me against the counter.
Goddamn it. Going for a walk last night had been a colossal mistake. What had I been thinking, barging into his hotel room? Why had I had sex with him?
Stupid question.
I’d been so happy to see him in Lark Cove that I’d acted purely on emotion, letting my immense relief, joy and desire lead the way. I’d kissed him because I had no other way to explain how much it meant to me that he’d kept his promise.
But now, the emotions were waning and worry had filled in the gaps.
What did Logan want from me? Was he looking for a fling? A long-distance relationship? I didn’t know how to ask him what he wanted because I didn’t want to tell him what I wanted.
Him.
I wanted him to stay in Lark Cove. To be a full-time father to Charlie. To explore this thing between us. I wanted that damn phone of his to stop ringing.
His job was demanding. I could support and respect his commitment to work. But Logan’s passion went well beyond career commitment. In the short time he’d been here, I’d discovered his only flaw.
Logan was a workaholic.
If he was so dedicated to his career, did he have room in his life for anything else?
Whatever the answer, I didn’t have time to worry about it now. Today, I needed to focus on Charlie’s party and entertaining a group of parents who were coming to my house for the first time ever. People who gave me polite but distant smiles at the school programs and soccer games.
I could picture the awkward afternoon now. Me, Jackson, Hazel and the bar folk on one side of the yard. The other kids’ parents on the opposite. Logan would likely be mingling with them, impressing them with his small-talk skills and big-city anecdotes. Tomorrow’s grapevine topic would be predictable.
Did you meet Charlie’s father?
What a wonderful man. And so handsome.
How did Thea manage to trap a man like him?
Puke.
“Snap out of it,” I muttered to myself, arranging the bowls of snack mix and potato chips on a card table.
I’d asked Charlie what she wanted for her birthday party food and she’d requested snacks. It was fitting that Logan had taken to calling Charlie peanut. She loved them. She loved all snacks. I was constantly sneaking down to her fort to replace the stashes in her lunch boxes.
So today we were having a variety of chips and crackers and snack mixes. And since our local grocery store made delicious cakes, I’d ordered one for Charlie, just like I’d done for her other five birthdays.
There were juice boxes for the kids and mini water bottles. I’d also filled a couple of coolers with beer because my side of the lawn divide would definitely be drinking.
I was allowing myself two beers, max. Beer had a tendency to make me loose and flowy. If I had one too many, I’d be defenseless against Logan’s next advance. Three Fat Tires and I’d let him drag me back to his motel room without a peep.
Just the thought of another night with him sent a wave of pleasure down my back. Last night, though a huge mistake, had been incredible. I’d forgotten what real orgasms were like.
“Earth to Thea.”
I jumped at Jackson’s voice, spinning around and clutching my heart. “Hi.”
“You okay?”
“Oh, yeah.” I shrugged him off. “I was, um, just thinking about what else I needed to do for the party. Did you get my text about putting up a sign at the bar? I forgot to make one yesterday.”
One luxury of running the bar was that Jackson and I dictated hours. If it was slow, we closed early. And we did the same on days like today when we had family functions.
“It’s done.” He nodded, leaning past me for a chip.
I caught the smell of alcohol on his breath. It wasn’t uncommon for him to have a couple of beers at the bar, but I was surprised he’d had some before Charlie’s party.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked while crunching.
“Nothing.” I started walking for the porch. “Want a beer?” Or another?
“Are they cold?”
I rolled my eyes. “Once. I served you lukewarm beer at one birthday party. Are you ever going to let that go?”
“Probably not.” He threw an arm over my shoulder for a sideways hug.
The gesture confirmed he’d been drinking. Jackson was always playful and touchy after a few beers. But it was one of the rare afternoons where we were both free to relax, so if he wanted to get a buzz, I wouldn’t hold it against him.
I was just glad he was here. One thing was for sure: even if the other parents huddled together on their own, I’d always have Jackson on my side.
“Uncle Jackson!” Charlie’s Jeep came into view from behind a clump of trees. “Look at what Logan got me!” She waved at him while one hand was firmly gripping the steering wheel.
“Looks great, Chuck!” Jackson waved back with a smile, then dropped the arm he’d had around me. His good mood vanished as he looked from my daughter to me. “So, he showed?”
“He came in last night,” I said, not meeting his gaze as we continued to the porch.
When I’d gotten home last night, Hazel had still been awake. She’d taken one look at my face and known I’d slept with Logan. Apparently, the I-just-had-three-orgasms look took longer than five blocks to fade. If it was still lingering, I didn’t want Jackson to see.
“Hold up.” He caught up to my side, gripping my elbow as we walked.
I tipped up my chin and smiled. “What? Come on. I’ll get you your beer and then set out the other snacks.” I squirmed out of his hold and hurried to the porch, jogging up the four steps. I’d almost reached the door when Jackson grabbed me again, spinning me around.
“Thea,” he warned. “Did you fuck him?”
“Hey,” I hissed, glancing toward the yard to make sure Charlie wasn’t close. “Keep it down and watch the language.”
“We talked about this, Thea. You’re setting yourself up to get used.”
I glared up at him. “It’s not like that. He’s not using me.” I had complete faith that Logan had been honest last night when he’d told me he was single. There had been only truth in his eyes.
“So what then?” Jackson asked. “You’re using him? Is that it? Haven’t gotten laid in a while, so you take advantage of having Baby Daddy around? You know, if you needed to get off, you could have just asked me.” He shuffled closer, right into my space. “I’d be happy to help.”
“Jackson.” I gaped at him. “What is wrong with you?”
He inched closer. “Nothing. I’m just offering to help you out so we can get rid of this guy.”
“This guy is Charlie’s father.” I dug my heels in, not letting Jackson push me backward. I wasn’t sure what he was playing at, but I’d had enough people push me around in my life. I wasn’t going to take it from my best friend. “Logan’s not going anywhere. Get used to it.”
“Oh yeah?” His eyes flicked to the side, but before I could turn to see what he was looking at, his lips came right down on mine.
Jackson’s kiss stunned me for a split second, but my anger kicked in. I planted both hands on his chest and shoved him back with all my might.
“Damn it, Jackson!” I shouted at the same time the door to the house flew open and Logan stormed out.
“Get away from her.” Logan moved in a flash, stepping between me and Jackson and shoving me behind his back.
“Butt out, rich boy. This is between me and Thea.” Jackson stood to his full height, but Logan didn’t back down from my idiot of a friend.
<
br /> “No.” Logan stepped closer. “This is between you and me.”
I’d seen this standoff at the bar more than my fair share of times. We were seconds away from flying fists and bloody lips.
No way I was letting that happen on my daughter’s birthday.
“That’s enough.” I grabbed Logan’s arm, yanking it as hard as I could to get his attention. He barely moved an inch, but it was enough to slip around him and stand between the men. “It’s Charlie’s birthday. Ruin this for her, and I’ll kill you both.”
That got through to Logan. With grinding teeth and clenched fists, he took one step back.
I spun around to Jackson and shoved my finger in his face. “Don’t you ever kiss me again.”
A pained gasp echoed across the porch. My head whipped down the stairs, just in time to see Willa’s face pale. Blond hair streamed behind her as she ran away.
Goddamn it.
Everyone within a twenty-mile radius of Lark Cove knew that Willa Doon was in love with Jackson Page.
Everyone except Jackson.
Willa was as sweet and shy as they came. She’d worked up the courage about a year ago to ask me if there was anything between me and Jackson. I’d assured her that our love was the purely platonic kind. It always had been and always would be.
But if she’d only caught the tail end of that exchange, she wouldn’t have realized that Jackson had only kissed me to get a rise out of Logan.
“Damn it, Jackson.”
“What did he do?” Hazel asked, coming outside to the porch.
“He kissed me to pick a fight with this one.” I jerked a thumb at Logan. “And Willa saw.”
Hazel’s face hardened. “Damn it, Jackson.” Before he could respond, she swung her arm back and brought it up fast and hard, smacking him in the back of the head.
“Hey!” He winced, rubbing the back of his head. “That hurt.”
She stuck her index finger in his face. “You deserved that.”
“Gran, why did you hit Uncle Jackson?”
All our heads spun to the little girl climbing out of her Jeep at the base of the steps.
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