The comment is meant to be a joke, but it doesn’t sit right with me. The idea that anyone could forget about her is fucking absurd. I could throw some ridiculous pick-up line her way, but that would be a stupid way to start things between us. “Sorry, darlin’. I was in the middle of my shift when I saw you. It’s been a long couple of days.”
“Are you alright?” Her voice is soft, almost hesitant, as her eyes trail over my body like she’s searching for any signs of injury.
“I’m good,” I assure her. “Better now that I get to see you.”
Her lips press into a thin line as she shakes her head, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. I’ve never been a fan of the color, but it looks damn good on her.
Chapter twelve
Tessa
It’sbeenafewdays since I saw Logan, and my mind has been a whirlwind of emotions ever since. I wasn’t expecting to see him again, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to see him while I was out shopping with my son.
He’s a firefighter.
It feels like some sort of cruel joke the universe has decided to play on me. He could have had any job. Construction worker, bank teller, teacher, grocery store cashier, literallyanyother job besides something in emergency response. Even a dispatcher, which is still a huge part of emergency response, would’ve been better than this.
And the worst part is… I like him. I like him despite what he does for a living and the inherent risk that comes along with it.
In my head, I know that plenty of people who have jobs in law enforcement or emergency response live long, healthy, happy lives. What happened to my husband was an accident, something we never could have seen coming. Most, if not all, of Ryan’s colleagues are still with the Hartridge Police Department. As far as I know, Zack is the only one who left town after Ryan’s accident, but he was Ry’s partner.
Knowing Logan puts his life on the line every day he’s at work stirs up an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know if I can putmyself through this again. Through developing feelings for someone, only to have them later ripped away from me.
I’m also not the only person I have to consider in this. Jake is my world. He has grown up without a dad, without someone who even resembles a father figure, aside from doting grandparents. If I were to pursue things with Logan, how would Jake feel? How would Logan feel?
“What do you say, darlin’?” Logan asks, holding his cell phone out toward me.
Right.
I’m spiraling, but all he did was ask for my number. I tried to tell him I’ve only got another thirty minutes before I’m off the clock and need to leave to pick up Jake from school, but he insisted that half an hour was more than enough time. He followed me back inside, ordered coffee, and has been talking to me for the last fifteen minutes in between customers.
Taking his phone from his hand, I type in my phone number and hand it back to him. A bright smile spreads across his face as his thumbs tap across the screen, and my eyes dip to the dimple he has in one cheek. Somehow, that one little feature makes him seem even more enticing. I must have been too wrapped up in the haze of lust during our first encounter to notice the detail.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket, and I pull it out to find a new message from an unknown number. I sink my teeth into my lower lip as heat rises to my cheeks, and my gaze meets his across the counter. “Really? While you’re standing right here in front of me?”
He shrugs as he slides off the barstool, slipping his phone into his back pocket before he grabs the solid black baseball hat from the stool beside him.
The same one he wore the night we met.
The thought sends liquid heat coursing through my body as the image of him on the couch, me straddling his lap, and his light brown hair curling out from beneath his hat fills my mind.
“Just makin’ sure.” He winks as he holds the brim of his hat and slides it on backward. “I want to see you again and not while you’re working or grocery shopping. This way, I know you have my number and can’t pretend you didn’t get my text.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t think it would be possible to ignore you.” I have a feeling he wouldn’t allow me to forget about him. Theuniversewouldn’t allow it, not with the way it keeps throwing us together.
“Okay, okay, I’m here,” Liv calls as she opens the front door, walking in with a tote bag full of snacks. “I wasn’t sure what the vibe was for this, so I brought choices.” She sets the bag down on the coffee table before she drops onto the couch beside me. Assorted chocolate and sour candy to deal with matters of the heart, and a few salty chips and cracker options if we’re going to be gossiping. She swears that different emotions require different snacks.
“Pizza should be here in a few minutes,” I tell her.
“Aunt Liv!” Jake calls, running down the hall from his bedroom. “Are you gonna watch a movie with us?”
“I sure am, little man. But your momma and I gotta have a little girl talk first, okay?” She smiles and ruffles his hair. He scrunches his nose in response to her mention of “girl talk.”
“Hey, buddy. Why don’t you pick out which movie you want to watch while Aunt Liv and I talk?”
The streaming app is already loaded on the TV, and he grabs the controller as he plops down on the floor and begins to scroll through the various children’s movies.
“Okay, tell me everything,” Liv says, nudging my arm with hers.
