Page 96 of Two Kinds of Stranger

No joy.

No anger.

Suspicion, maybe?

She left the door open, stepped back and disappeared into the apartment. For a moment, Logan froze. Fear glued his feet to the floor. When he walked through that door, either he would begin the best chance for happiness he’d ever had in his life, or. . .

He didn’t want to think of the alternative.

His coat continued its steadydrip, drip, drip.

A shudder rippled through his body, either from the cold or the fear.

He blinked. Swallowed. Stepped inside the apartment and closed the door behind him.

Grace leaned against the kitchen counter.

There was a brown envelope in her hands. Her beautiful face remained impassive. Neutral. Impossible to read.

Not a good sign.

Logan dug his hands into his coat pockets.

He said nothing.

But his right hand found the switchblade in his pocket.

Shifting her gaze from Logan to the refrigerator, Grace said, ‘So you saw my bills on the refrigerator door the other night?’

Logan nodded. He couldn’t speak. Didn’t want to. It was as if some other part of him was watching this all play out.

‘I didn’t know I was going to invite you back to my place after our date. As a rule, Idon’ton first dates. But I liked you, Logan,’ she said, her tone flat.

That one word replayed in his mind.

Liked.

Notlike.

Past tense.

His grip on the switchblade tightened.

‘I don’t have money. You probably realized my student loan came from a private company. Not a bank. I couldn’t get shit from a bank so I had to go to a private lender who charges a little less than a loan shark and I’ll be paying off interest until I retire. But it’s my debt. Lucky for me they don’t want the debt paid off early. I called them to transfer the money back into your account. It should be back there by morning.’

‘You what? Why? It’s a hundred thousand dollars, Grace. That’s nothing to me. There’s no reason why you should have this debt hanging over you when I could—’

‘It’smydebt, Logan. Notyours. I called my landlord and asked him to repay the money you transferred for my back rent. Getting money out of a landlord is impossible. He refused, said he didn’t care if it came from Santa Claus or Jesus Christ himself, he was keeping it. It was owed to him. So I went out and borrowed the five grand you paid him. Here, this is for you,’ she said, holding out the envelope.

‘Grace, you’re a great person. And I want to help you. I. . .I like you a lot. And, like I said, it’s not a big deal to me—’

‘But it is to me. Not the rent or the loan.You, Logan. You’re a big deal to me. I know we’ve only had one date, but I really like you. No one has ever talked to me like you did. I felt like we were connecting on a deep level. That this wasn’t just a date. It was like you were really talking to me, and I’ve told you things I’ve never told other dates. That connection I felt the other night, with you, that was real. I felt it. I know you felt it too. That’s what matters to me. I could tell you were wealthy by the watch and the clothes, but I don’t care about any of it. And I need you toknowthat. So here – take this back, please. It was so kind, but I don’t want it.’

He let go of the switchblade and pulled his hands out of his coat pockets. He stepped closer, and took the envelope, his heart racing. Grace didn’t let the envelope go.

‘I don’t want money, Logan. I wantyou.’

She pulled him in close, and kissed him.