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Chapter Ten
After his text exchange with Jeni, Logan tried to throw himself into work to calm his wandering thoughts. He’d received a text from Andrew that morning, saying his lymphoma was stage two and “greater than 80% cure rate” but that he’d need chemotherapy. Logan was relieved the prognosis was good, but the downside was that the good news meant the other concern weighing on his mind moved to the forefront.
Jeni.
She plagued his thoughts all day. He tried to focus on diagnostic reports from the social media platforms the past week, but he kept going back to her and the night they had dinner together.
Logan had really enjoyed himself. She was witty and interesting, and he’d actually started to enjoy her jabs about the Chiefs. When his team ended up Super Bowl champions this season, which appeared to be a real possibility, he’d enjoy rubbing that in her face even more. He admired her dedication to her job and couldn’t think of a better person to stand up for children who needed someone on their side.
He thought about all the other things he’d learned about her too. At Mateo’s, they’d discovered several things they had in common—both loved action movies. Favorite cuisine was Mexican. Both had a desire to travel. Best of all, he’d finally met a woman who shared his interest in home brewing.
And then, of course, there was that powerful thing called attraction.
Damn, but he was drawn to her. He’d had to physically restrain himself more than once to keep from touching her. The first time he had the urge was back when they had lunch at the ramen place and she’d told him about her accident. Her pull on him had only increased with time.
And that kiss. Shit. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d experienced a kiss like that. He’d felt something deep inside during those few minutes, something electric and soothing yet almost painful, all at the same time. It had been more than simply a physical response, of that much he was certain.
What did that mean? Did he want to date her?
He considered her a friend of sorts, and the thought of doing something to ruin that rubbed him the wrong way. He’d seen enough of people’s backs as they walked away from him to last a lifetime and didn’t like the idea of Jeni joining the crowd.
But she’d said she was starting to like him and, even following the awkwardness after the kiss, admitted she was glad she’d texted him. What if she saw something in him? What if she was different from the others?
By the time he got home that evening, his thoughts were all over the place. But one thing was sure: he wanted to see her again and soon.
He considered several options, but nothing felt right. Ask her to dinner? Too date-ish. Just drop by to say hi? Too stalker-ish. Then he realized he hadn’t given her the Chiefs tickets yet, and the game was that weekend.
A grin spread across his face as he sent her a text.
Logan:Can I bring the game tickets over tonight?
Jeni:Actually, do you mind if I come get them? I’m dying for an excuse to get out of here.
Logan:Fine with me.
Jeni:Send me your address, and I’ll be there at seven.
* * *
The knock sounded at his door ten minutes before seven.
“Sorry,” she said the second he opened the door. “I couldn’t wait any longer to get out of there.”
“Why do they annoy you so much?” he asked as she walked past him. He’d tidied up a little when he’d found out she’d be coming over, though there wasn’t much to clean. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice how empty his house was.
“For the same reason it’s annoying to have a cricket right outside your bedroom window. They never stop.” Jeni stopped in the middle of his living room and turned in a circle. “Haven’t you lived here a while?”
“Yeah.” His house was set up similarly to hers—living space and a small office nook just off the entry, leading to the kitchen. A short hallway with two bedrooms and a bathroom. That was it. Twelve-hundred square feet of living space that he couldn’t bring himself to decorate.
She looked at him in confusion. “It’s so…bare.”
He wasn’t offended. She didn’t say it rudely, and besides, she was right. “Yeah. Do you want to sit down? Can I get you something to drink?”
“Okay,” she said with a shrug. “I’d love a beer.”
Logan grabbed two bottles from the fridge, opened them, and carried them back to the living room. Jeni had made herself comfortable in the middle of his couch, looking entirely too appealing in some sort of yoga pants that hugged her legs and a hooded Nebraska sweatshirt. Women in loungewear was a particular weakness of his. He’d take a woman in a soft T-shirt over a lowcut dress any day.
Not that he’d mind seeing Jeni in a dress though.
