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“I can understand that. I have a place in Aspen that I don’t get to often enough anymore, but I can’t bear the thought of giving up the skiing.”
“Oh, hot tubbing after a day on the slopes. Sounds heavenly.”
“We’ll have to go there this winter.”
“I’d like that,” she began, her voice sounding peculiar. “But...”
He shot her a glance and was surprised at how concerned she looked. “Time to talk?”
She directed him onto Interstate 10 before answering, “Let’s wait until we get to my house.”
* * *
Little more passed between them until they reached the Pacific Coast Highway. Scarlett could tell Logan had a lot on his mind, but for once she wasn’t interested in knowing what it was. As they drew closer to her house, she warned him so he wouldn’t miss her driveway.
“I hope you like it,” she said, unlocking the front door and leading the way into a spacious white living room with tiled floors, a turquoise-blue couch and panoramic views of the Pacific. “I called ahead and had the property management company stock the fridge. I thought we could have dinner and take a walk on the beach.”
“That sounds nice,” he said, regarding her intently. “Where do you want me to put the bags?”
The question hung in the air between them.
“It would be easy to tell you the master bedroom,” she responded. “So many things are wrong between us, but sexual chemistry isn’t one of them.”
Scarlett threw open the sliding glass doors that opened onto the oceanside terrace and let in the breeze.
“Yesterday you said you needed someone who had faith in you,” Logan said, coming up behind her.
Even though he didn’t touch her, Scarlett felt his presence like a caress, and it was hard not to lean back against him. “And I gave you ample opportunity to say you did.”
Logan put his hand on her upper arm and spun her to face him. “I’ve given you no reason to grant me another chance, but I wish you would.”
Scarlett couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I don’t know why you’re asking. No matter how hard I try not to irritate you, I’m eventually going to do something and you’re going to get mad.”
“Would you believe me if I told you that I like being upset by you?”
“No.” But her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“How about if I told you that you’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been?”
She grew somber. “Then I consider my work here finished.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“I don’t, but the way things are between us, I can’t see our future being anything but one long argument.”
“If this is about your accusation that I don’t believe in you, that’s not true.”
Logan’s scowl made hope flare in Scarlett’s heart, but could she trust his declaration?
“I’m only speaking from what you’ve said and how you’ve behaved.”
“Including the night I showed up at your place demanding you stay in Las Vegas?”
“Yes.” She would forever cherish the memory of that night. “And how, less than twenty-four hours later, you were furious at me. And that the day before you couldn’t wait to find out when your life was going to get back to normal.”
Logan looked chastened by her words, but he continued to argue. “That’s when I thought you were leaving. I didn’t want you to go, but couldn’t bring myself to ask you to stay.”
“So you pushed me away?”
