Chapter Twenty-One

LOGAN

"You're looking chipper this morning," Oliver greeted him between his office and Logan's. "I don't think I've seen you walk in with a smile for years."

"You may be right. But the warm weather always puts me in a good mood. And who the hell uses the word chipper ?" He snickered. "I don't know if it's you being preppy or the fact that Alexandra has you watching too many British shows."

Oliver grinned. "Probably a little of both. But I am serious. Happy Logan hasn't made much of an appearance here. I've been worried about you."

"And now you see there's no need to be. I'm good."

But Oliver didn't have a reputation as one of the sharpest litigation attorneys in the city for getting easily duped, and he never backed down. He dogged Logan's steps to the coffee machine and then to his office.

"Who are you kidding? You've never given a damn about the weather. So try me again." He paused by the doorway, blocking the entrance, and crossed his arms. "What has you grinning at eight thirty in the morning? Or…" Oliver's brows rose high. "Should I say who? As in Ryan?"

"You want the truth?" He leaned in, and behind Oliver's glasses, his big brown eyes widened. "I got an extra muffin at the coffee shop because the cashier thought I was hot. Want it?" He held up the bag, and Oliver's jaw set in a stubborn tilt.

"You are such a bullshitter."

"Takes one to know one," he razzed.

"What the hell is this, junior high or a law office?" Simon stood in the reception area.

"Ask him." Logan tipped his chin toward Oliver. "He thinks I'm lying. I told him I was in a good mood because I got a free muffin for being hot." He smirked. "I still got it."

"And I said he's in a good mood because he and Ryan are hitting it off, and I don't understand why he wants to hide it from us." Oliver's expression darkened. "I'm your friend, Logan. You were best man at my wedding, and you're Haley's godfather. I've known you for twenty-five years, and if you don't think I want you to be happy, then something is drastically wrong, and maybe that friendship is really one-sided after all."

To his dismay, Oliver didn't wait for a response but stormed off, and Logan winced at the sound of his office door slamming shut. Simon raked a hand through his hair, his usual cheerful manner grim.

"Okay…that was weird. But I gotta say, Logan. Ollie's right."

Frustrated, Logan tossed the bag holding his pastries onto the small conference table. It had been a good morning—great, in fact. A night of the most incredible passion he'd ever experienced. Waking up with Ryan in his bed was an unexpected bonus, though he sensed Ryan's lingering uncertainty as to what their night together meant.

For him…he'd expected the sex to be white-hot and electric, but there was more to it than the mere physical, and that realization had shaken him. He had to restrain himself from holding Ryan and never letting go.

But Ryan had learned to mask his emotions so well, it was impossible to know what he was thinking, and it wasn't a discussion to be had as they were both rushing to get ready for work. And Logan suspected Ryan needed actions more than words.

However, the one thing he'd learned was not to ignore the people who'd been by his side throughout his life. With his parents gone, Ollie, Simon, and Denise were the only family he had left.

"I'd better talk to him." He left Simon and strode to Oliver's office, where he knocked but didn't wait for an answer and opened the door. Oliver was on the phone, so Logan stood and waited.

"I have to go. Talk to you later." Oliver replaced the handset in the cradle. "Come on in." He peered past Logan. "You too, Si. Don't think I can't see you hovering over there."

"I'm not hovering. I'm waiting."

"For what?" Logan took a seat.

"For you to pull your head out of your ass."

"Always a pleasure, Si," Logan tossed over his shoulder, then gave Oliver his full attention. "Ollie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Oliver pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Were those tears he spotted? Logan was stunned, as Oliver had told him long ago he'd been taught by his parents to never show emotion and live with that stiff upper lip.

"I'm only upset because you're pretending you're okay when I can obviously see you're hurting. Like when you were looking for Ryan. Simon and I knew how painful it must've been because of what happened to Todd, yet you wouldn't let us help you. In fact, you did everything you could to basically cut us out of your life."

"You're right," he whispered, head in his hands. "Seeing the road Ryan was heading down and knowing it would lead to the same result was killing me. I'd never felt more helpless."

Simon pulled up a chair next to him. "And yet you kept pushing me away every time I made an attempt to talk to you."

"Because I couldn't stand being pitied."

"We're not pitying, you, Logan." Oliver came from around his desk to flank his other side. "We love you. And we couldn't stand seeing you literally fall apart in front of our eyes." The hard lines of his face softened. "But ever since Ryan moved back in, you've done a complete one eighty."

"Yeah." Simon elbowed him. "You're your normal snide, sarcastic self. I missed it."

"Glad to oblige. I'll make sure to send more of it your way."

Oliver, once again proving to be that trial lawyer at heart and refusing to give up without getting the answer he wanted, prodded him. "So did you and Ryan finally get together?"

His lips twitched. "We did. But." He put a hand up when Simon and Oliver both opened their mouths to speak, their faces bright with what he knew was true happiness for him. "I'm not going to go into any detail about it or what it means for the future. Mainly because I don't know."

"But it's different this time," Oliver pressed him. "All the people you've been with over the years have never left an impression. Yet Ryan has."

"It's true," Simon added. "I've never seen you so wrapped up in one particular person." His eyes twinkled. "Except yourself."

Oliver busted out laughing. "He's got you there, Logan."

This was what he'd missed—the sense of belonging that only the people who knew you best could give. "Ha-ha. Okay, the party's over. Someone needs to be the adult here and get to work." His two friends followed him to the door, where he stopped and pulled them both in for a surprise hug. "Thank you. I don't say it often enough, but you two really mean everything to me. I couldn't have made it through without you."

"Now that's what I like to see. All my men happy together," Denise called out from the reception area.

Surreptitiously wiping his eyes, Logan waved to her as he entered his office, but he wasn't surprised to see her standing at his desk a moment later.

"Yes?" He pulled the muffin out of the bag. "Do you want a muffin? I have one extra." He took a bite and chewed.

"No, I don't want a muffin. I want to know what was going on in Oliver's office."

Any other employee would've never dared to speak to him like that, but Denise was more than that to him. He grimaced and swallowed. "I upset Oliver, so I apologized." A wry smile tipped up the corner of his mouth. "Of course that necessitated Simon sticking his nose in and giving his two cents. Or in his case, a dollar."

"You upset Oliver? How? I don't think I've ever seen him anything less than calm as a sleepy cat in the sun."

Logan leaned back in his chair. "The thing between myself and Ryan."

"Oh? There's a thing?"

"All right. I know you're dying to tell me how you feel."

Denise pursed her lips. "I'm only concerned for you. Have you two become more than roommates?"

Logan's lips twitched. "You're being so discreet." Gathering his thoughts, he drummed his fingers on his leg, debating how much to reveal. "We're working on our friendship." Suddenly shy, he licked his lips. "And maybe more."

Denise's brows shot up. "You think you can trust him?"

"I guess I'll never know unless I try."

* * *

Late in the afternoon, his phone rang. He'd finished reviewing a contract for a new client and saved the file before answering.

"Yes?"

"There's an Ash Davis here," Denise said.

"Ash? I don't recall him having an appointment—did he?"

"Well, no…" She hesitated. "He did call earlier to see if there was availability but didn't give any details, so I wasn't sure if he'd show up or not. I think you might want to see him."

Interest piqued, he glanced at his calendar. It was clear for the rest of the afternoon. "Send him in, please."

"Okay."

He straightened his tie, checking his reflection in the mirror. With someone like Ash Davis, you always wanted to be at the top of your game. The door opened, and to his surprise, an elderly lady walked in, supported by Ash's arm on one side and a cane on the other. Logan watched as Ash settled her in one of the chairs in front of his desk, took the silver cane from her, and placed it against the wall.

"Logan, thank you for seeing us without an appointment."

"You're welcome."

Ash regarded the woman with a loving smile. "This is Drew's grandmother, Esther Klein."

"Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Klein."

"Lovely to meet you too, dear." A gentle voice with a slight Eastern European accent greeted him, reminding him of his own grandmother, who'd passed away when he was eleven.

"Can I have my secretary bring you anything? Water or tea?"

"No, thank you."

"Very well." Still mystified as to the purpose of their visit, Logan took his seat behind his desk. "How may I help you?"

"Go ahead, Asher." She patted his hand. "You can tell Mr. Silver for me."

"Esther's will is out of date, and now that her granddaughter is expecting her second child, she needs to update it."

"I understand, and of course I'm happy to help, but isn't that something you could handle, Ash? Trusts and estate planning is in your wheelhouse as well."

A faint blush tinged his high cheekbones. "True, but not if I'm a beneficiary. I thought it best to keep my firm out of it entirely. Oren suggested your partners, but both are with clients at the moment." His eyes twinkled. "I think you can handle this, even though it's not your usual."

"So you'd like me to prepare a new will for Mrs. Klein? That won't be a problem. Do you have a copy of the old one? And an idea of what you'd like the new one to say?"

Ash left his chair. "That's my cue to leave you two. Esther, like I told you in the car, Logan is one of the best. He'll take good care of you." He bent to kiss her cheek. "I'll be back in a little while. Take care of her, Logan. She's a special lady to all of us."

He met Ash's eyes and nodded, signaling a mutual understanding. Esther Klein had to be well into her nineties, and Logan, who had experience with several elderly clients who loved to ramble on about the good old days or had difficulty remembering, prepared himself with an indulgent smile.

"Okay, Mrs. Klein. Do you have a list of what you'd like to bequeath?"

She opened her rather large purse, and she extracted a sheaf of neatly typed papers. "Yes. Here is everything. Not much has changed since my great-grandson, Max, was born, but now that Rachel is expecting, I've made some updates." She scanned the papers. "I'm lucky in that I have not only Drew and Asher, but all the men watching out for me. Lucas, Jordan's husband, is my financial adviser, and as you can see, my investments have done exceedingly well. That's why I'm increasing my donation to the clinic as well as the center named after Keith." She sighed. "It's been almost ten years since he passed. I still remember him well. A lovely man."

Logan blinked, impressed by her mental acuity. "He's the one the center is named after?"

"Yes. Have you been there?" Her bright eyes met his. "It's truly a worthwhile cause."

"I haven't, but a friend of mine has. He works at the clinic as well."

"Ryan? Yes, Asher mentioned you two know each other. I met him when Asher brought me to the clinic. He's very sweet. Always has a kind word for everyone."

Not wishing the appointment to go off course, Logan studied the papers and began to take notes. "Now about the will, Mrs. Klein—"

"Please. Call me Esther. Mrs. Klein sounds so stuffy. As I was saying, Ryan has been a perfect fit for the center."

"He's very happy working there. Getting back to the will—"

"Have you known Asher and Drew long?"

Sensing defeat, he set the papers on the desk. "No, I've only met your grandson once. And Ash and I know each other from meetings or sometimes being on opposite sides of a case."

"Oh, dear." Her eyes danced with mischief. "And you didn't mind losing to him?"

He chuckled. "I don't consider it losing. We've come to mutual compromises."

"That's life, isn't it? Learning to compromise and get along to achieve a mutually beneficial end? I think if the world tried more of that, we'd be in much better shape than we are right now."

"Mrs. Klein—Esther. You are a very smart woman."

"Thank you. I've always held that belief through my darkest days. That and never to give up hope."

A pang seized his heart, thinking of Todd. Would the pain of his loss ever fade? Probably not. He pinched his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I've upset you. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"No…you didn't." But even he could hear the sadness and doubt in his voice.

"I don't know you, Mr. Silver, but you have such sadness in your eyes. You remind me of someone I love very dearly. And years ago, I told him the same thing I'm telling you. When you give up all hope, you are lost. So please. Don't ever give up hoping for whatever it is you're searching for. Because you never know what life has in store for you. One moment it might be bleak and dark as night, only to have the sun rise to shine its glory on us."

The best response he could give Esther was a halfhearted smile. It wasn't her fault she didn't know that no matter how hard he wished, nothing would bring his brother home. "I'll keep that in mind." He shuffled the papers. "About these bequests…"