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My morning at the park with my relatives was followed by a quiet afternoon of reading with Mama on the couch. Ever since the encounter with Eloise, the dog had started answering to Mama. It looked like Ryan had a good point.
Snuggling with the dog and accepting her affection was a wonderful salve to the ache in my heart, while the book was another attempt to distract my mind.
My phone ringing startled me. I got to my feet and went to my bag. There was no caller ID when I checked the screen. I usually declined such calls, but some feeling within me told me to answer this one.
“Hello?”
“Aria?” a deep voice on the other end of the line said.
“Yes, this is Aria.”
“Hi, Aria, this is Jackson Cole, Logan’s boss. We met at Natalie and Liam’s barbeque a few weeks ago?”
“Yes, hi. It’s nice to hear from you.” My heart began to pound in my chest.
“Your friend Jennifer contacted me. She told me you’re concerned about Logan.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. I cleared my throat in an attempt to remove the lump that had formed. “I’m sure I’m not supposed to ask. But I haven’t heard from him since . . . well, since he left and I’m worried about him.”
“I’m afraid I can’t go into specifics. However, I can tell you that my colleagues are in regular contact with him and he’s okay.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. Do you . . .” I trailed off again.
“Go ahead, Aria. Ask your question,” Jackson said encouragingly.
“Do you know when I might get to see him again?”
“I’m afraid not. He’s on a highly sensitive job right now. Even we can’t contact him. He has to touch base with us.”
That was strange. What the hell was Logan doing for them?
“I assure you, we’ll keep you in the loop as much as we can from now on. I’m sorry you’ve been kept out in the cold. I’m looking at his file now, and I can see that he’s written you down as his next of kin. I didn’t realise you’d gotten so serious. I apologise for that oversight.”
I could tell Jackson was sincere, that he cared about his employees, and took his position seriously. He seemed like the kind of man who took responsibility for everyone under his employ.
“I’m going to send you a list of numbers,” Jackson continued. “They’re the numbers of the women you met when you were down here, Mark’s, plus my own. If you ever need anything, you’re not alone. You are more than welcome to turn to us. I don’t doubt that you have loved ones of your own; however, it can be helpful to have people in your circle who know what it’s like to have partners in this line of work.”
“That would be wonderful.”
“I’m sorry you were left out, Aria. That wasn’t our intention. We didn’t expect for it to get so serious between the two of you.”
“Neither did we.” I wasn’t sure if Jackson heard me or not since I’d whispered it so softly.
“As soon as I hear anything, I’ll be in contact.”
“Thank you.”
We hung up and I went back to the couch. With a shaky breath, I slumped down onto it. Mama rested her chin on my shoulder, and I pulled her into a hug. Logan was alive, though not necessarily safe. Not only hadn’t he forgotten about me, but I was important enough to him that he’d made me next of kin and his emergency contact.
I sat with that thought for a while, just me and my foster dog, alone with our thoughts.
When I heard the shower go, I knew Zoey was finally up. Probably getting ready for another big night since it was Saturday. Then Lily bowled in, her arms laden with a gazillion shopping bags.
Mama and I both jumped up and I went to help her. “Woman, did you buy half of Manhattan or something?”
“Hey, it’s my birthday weekend, I’ll buy all of Manhattan if I want to. Do you know how many deals people give you when you tell them it’s your birthday? I cleaned up!” The biggest smile lit up Lily’s face as she spun around with her bags.
I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. “Your birthday is . . . when?”
