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Because Jinx needed her privacy tonight.
She walked with Teddy along the bay beach.
She went to her garage studio and worked on her latest jewelry pieces.
Then she and Teddy shared watermelon and popcorn watching stupid sitcoms that did not make her laugh.
Then she went to bed where she cried her eyes out all night long.
11
Amonth went by and Jinx did not see Logan. They occasionally exchanged simple one- or two-word texts that were kind of dumb, like “Doing good?” and “Fine, thanks” or “Cold today” and “Too fast and “Blueberries.” Or sometimes he would forward her some brief info that he thought would be useful, like a juried metal craft show that was open for submissions. Jinx wanted so badly to plead her case to him, to convince him they could be together regardless of her stubborn brother and her parents who took Victor’s side.
Okay, she knew there would always be an elephant in the room when it came to Logan and her family, but at this point that was not nearly as bad as the constant feeling that a part of her soul was missing or the effort of trying to act like everything was all right when her heart had been shattered into broken pieces.
And tonight she knew Logan would be here at Portia’s after party. The rock star would be having a big bash out in LA given by her manager when she ended her tour and actually invited Jinx to come out to that as well, but tonight was a more modest affair—if you could call taking over a New York City club modest.
It turned out Portia went crazy over the breastplate-quasi-choker that Jinx had made for her in braided gold and silver with a ruby at her throat and sapphires that matched her eyes flowing all over her chest. Jinx managed to get tickets to the concert for Anthia and a friend of hers, but not an invitation to the after party. That was just as well because if Jinx saw Logan with another woman, she was going to do a quick greeting with Portia to let her know she was there and then make a speedy exit.
As Jinx wandered through the club in Tribeca, she could feel eyes on her, but she knew they were not Logan’s eyes. No, his eyes were the only ones that could make her burn with a heat she could not control.
Tonight, hoping to attract his eyes, she had purposely worn a tight-fitting top that highlighted her breasts and cleavage, along with “painted on” pants and her red stilettos, leaving her hair down, and of course plenty of her own jewelry. Hey, this was a rock and roll crowd, so she was tame by their standards.
Several people stopped Jinx and complimented her on the necklace she had made for Portia. How did they know who she was? Finally she ran into Erica, Portia’s assistant, and asked her.
“You haven’t seen it?” Erica pulled out her phone and scrolled to a photo in Vanity Fair of Jinx and Portia looking at the necklace before it was complete. Logan had occupied her mind so much lately that Jinx had forgotten about the day when Portia had showed up at her studio with a photographer. Of course, permission for publicity had been part of the generous contract they’d made for the project back when Portia had looked over the preliminary drawings Jinx had made and chosen one. And, yes, Portia had told her to include the price of the earrings she’d taken from Jinx the first night they met.
“Wow, I had no idea that was in there,” Jinx said.
Erica smiled. “Get ready to be swamped with commissions.”
The high of her successful work carried Jinx through one chocolate martini before her spirit was dashed to the sub-basement when she saw Logan with a beautiful blonde on his arm. Which meant he was able to move on from their relationship—something Jinx knew she would probably never be able to do.
“Another chocolate martini?” the sexy bartender asked her.
“Yes, please.” Jinx had not even realized she was standing at the bar. The fact that the first drink she’d ordered was such a strong one told her she had expected to see Logan with a woman—and was determined to get good and drunk over it.
No, she would not make an effort to say hello to him. In fact, as soon as she got herself good and drunk she would then exit swiftly and not even let him see that she was here.
But as she waited for her drink, there it was. The heat that told her Logan’s eyes were on her. No one else could make her burn like that. Only Logan. And that would never change.
Now that she was caught, Jinx steeled herself to face him with his new woman and in one swift movement turned to him.
He was alone.
As usual, Logan could read her thoughts and said, “She’s not my date. Just some woman who latched on to me when I got here.”
“Well, tell her to keep her hands off.” Oops. She hadn’t meant to say that.
He burst out laughing, reached for Jinx, and pulled her close. His mouth near her forehead, he murmured, “I’ve missed you like crazy.”
Joy and arousal spread through her like a wildfire. “So, why didn’t you tell me that in your messages instead of those silly robot words?”
“Your texts weren’t any better.”
“At least some of mine were complete sentences. Most of yours were downright weird. Like ‘Coffee?’ or ‘Nonstop.’ What were they supposed to mean?”
“And I thought you were so perceptive. I was sharing my coffee with you. And telling you the kind of day I had.”
