“You already know I’m Terry, thanks to my loudmouth wife.” He leaned back just enough to reveal her face, her eyes half-lidded and lashes fluttering. “And this is Janet,” he said fondly.
She gave a little wave, a tipsy smile tugging at her lips. “I’m having the best time,” she sighed, her elbow propped on the bar as she swayed gently to the music.
The bartender returned, sliding two more drinks in front of us. I tapped Logan’s arm.
“This is Logan,” I said, tilting my head toward him.
Logan gave a polite nod and small wave.
“Where are Ellie and Logan from?” Janet asked, blinking slowly. “And what brings you to our corner of the world?”
I looked at Logan, letting him take the lead. He set his drink down, resting one forearm on the bar as he turned slightly toward them.
“We’re from western Texas. A little town called Faircloud,” he replied.
Terry squinted, thinking, then shook his head. “Nope. Never heard of it.”
That was pretty typical. Very few people had heard of Faircloud.
One stoplight. A population small enough that we all knew each other by name.
“We’re here because…” Logan spoke.
I looked at him and instantly saw the panic flash behind his eyes. He didn’t know how to explain the real reason we were here without opening a can of emotional worms.
I reached out and gently tapped his forearm, flashing him a cool, easy smile.
“You see,” I began, turning to Terry and Janet, “Logan here is in the market for his next sugar baby, and I’m his handler.”
Logan nearly choked on his drink, sputtering with surprise.
He looked at me like I’d grown another head, but he said nothing. If he outed the story as fake now, we’d be caught in a lie. And if there’s one thing small-town folks don’t like, it’s being lied to. We knew that all too well.
Terry’s eyes went wide. Janet blinked.
Then, after a beat, Terry chuckled and held out his hand to Logan for a high-five.
Logan exhaled as he slapped his palm against Terry’s, giving in to the moment with a shake of his head.
“Oh dear,” Janet said with a laugh, touching her chest. “Then I’m assuming this old town isn’t your final destination.”
A heavy hand landed on my thigh under the bar.
Logan’s fingers curled gently, giving it a squeeze—his silent signal to stop before I dug us any deeper.
But I ignored him.
“Yeah, poor Logie hasn’t had the best run of it,” I continued, biting back a grin. “So here we are, road-tripping our way to the beach, hoping to find him someone he can spoil.”
Terry lit up like he’d found the juiciest gossip of the week.
Janet leaned closer, sipping her drink slowly, trying to process every word like it was a plot twist in a soap opera.
To my surprise, Logan leaned into it.
He made up names for ex-sugar babies. Invented an over-the-top job in real estate development.
Terry had a million questions. Logan answered each one with flair. I couldn’t believe it, he wasenjoyingthis.
