Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

MIRA

A bout a week after Logan and I had left Stanislopoulos's rig behind, Slate hosted a summer BBQ at his place. Everything was running smoothly offshore, and my brother and I had decided to take advantage of the rare occasion on which we could both spend some time in the city.

It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies, only a light breeze, and a few white puffy clouds drifting in the sky. Despite the muggy heat, I loved June in New York. To celebrate, I'd invited Anya to come to the BBQ with me.

We were taking an Uber together so that we could enjoy some cocktails. Apparently, my brother had pulled out all the stops. In addition to the cocktails he'd mentioned, he'd also told me that his pool would be open, so we had our swim bags in tow, and I was wearing a sexy, see-through, glittery cover-up over my figure-flattering one-piece.

I wasn't built like a supermodel. I had curves for days with real hips, a tummy, and thick thighs, but I wasn't insecure about it. I'd embraced my figure a long time ago, and ever since, I'd genuinely loved and cared for my body.

I refused to be at war with it just because social media had opposing views of beauty. It didn't happen often that I got to flaunt what my mama had given me, and today, I was looking forward to being able to show it all off a bit instead of fighting to cover it up like I had to on the rigs.

Anya had been late getting to my place, so we were only really able to get caught up now. The driver had arrived just two minutes after she had, and she was practically bubbling with excitement in the backseat beside me.

"This is going to be so much fun! I haven't seen Slate for ages, and Logan's still going to be there, right?"

"Right." Truth be told, his presence was the main reason I was excited for the BBQ myself. And the main reason I bought this new swimsuit and sexy cover-up.

My friend jabbed me in the ribs when I didn't elaborate. "Bring me up to speed on what's been happening with him. Any new developments?"

I blushed. "Oh, there have definitely been developments."

Her eyes went wide, sparkling with curiosity and humor as she leaned a little closer to me. "You can't say that and then not tell me what the developments were. Seriously, what happened?"

"A lot," I admitted, thinking back to our time not only on the rig but even at dinner before that. "I can't seem to stay away from that freaking man. I don't know what it is about him, but somehow, he's even made it that I don't hate him anymore."

"Well, that's good," she said cautiously. "Is that it, though? He was nice to you, so you don't hate him anymore?"

I groaned. "No, that would've been bad enough, but it's not even the tip of the iceberg."

Glancing at the driver, I bent my head closer to hers and kept my voice down, wanting to catch her up before we got to Slate's so she could tell me if I was being crazy. I was still wondering what it all meant, and while I was trying not to overthink it, it would be nice to get her opinion later.

Even if she was a romantic who would probably insist that we go pick out my wedding dress if Logan so much as smiled at me today. On the other hand, Anya was also a lot more attuned to people and people in general than I was.

Where I'd had to learn to close myself off at times in order to survive in my line of work, she wore her heart on her sleeve and often made keen observations that would never have occurred to me. Ultimately, even if she was a romantic, I would still rather hear what she had to say than pretend like there was nothing happening at all.

So I went ahead and told her everything, becoming more animated and heated when I got to the part of how the crew and owner had treated me, and toning it down when it came to the effect Logan had on my body.

Anya's mouth hung open the entire time, her eyes stormy when I detailed the things the men had said and then dazed and dreamy when I told her how Logan had stood up for me. And brought me dinner, and then stayed with me all night after we'd hooked up just so I wouldn't have to sleep alone.

As I said it, she squeaked a little bit, clapping her hands as she literally bounced on the seat. "I can't believe I'm only hearing about this now. Why didn't you call to tell me? He sounds amazing. No wonder you don't hate him anymore. He's a dreamboat."

I thought about the warnings Tess and Mickey had given me about him. "He's definitely not a dreamboat, but there's also a lot more to him than I thought at first."

"Well, of course, there is," she said as if that should've been obvious. "It sounds like he's one of those guys who doesn't want people to know it, but who really does have a good heart."

"I think you might be right about that." I sighed, dropping my head back against my seat as mental images of him played on a loop in my mind. "What about the fact that he's Slate's friend?"

She wrinkled her nose. "That's not great. Maybe you should just talk to him, though? I mean, I know boys have their bro code and whatnot, but it's stupid. If they're going to trust you with anyone, it should be with a guy that they already know and love."

"I think that's part of the problem, though. If they know the guy, they also know about everything he's done in the past which might make them trust him less with their sisters."

"Do you feel that way?" She peered at me between her long lashes, her expression doubtful as she gave her head a little shake. "Everyone has a past by the time they get to their thirties. It's unavoidable, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't still have a chance to be happy."

"Whoa," I said laughingly. "Logan and I aren't in a relationship, and therefore, we're not happy in the sense you're talking about."

"But you could be," she said evenly. "Do you really think Slate will hold Logan's past against him?"

I nodded without any hesitation whatsoever. "Slate loves him. I know that, but I also know that he won't trust that Logan isn't going to hurt me. The man is literally tabloid-infamous for his exploits, many of which have had to do with women. His bed might as well be situated in the middle of a revolving door."

Anya thought it over for a moment before she shrugged. "Sure, but that might all be in the past. A lot of people enjoy their youth to the fullest when they think they're never going to settle down, but then they do settle and boom! They're the most dedicated, loving partners ever."

"I'm not sure Logan is interested in settling down at all." Neither was I, but I couldn't deny that the idea of spending more time with him was certainly attractive.

My friend rolled her eyes at me. "Guys like that are never interested in settling down until it happens, at which point, that's all they want. It just takes meeting the right girl and then coming to terms with the fact that she is, in fact, the one. Once that happens, it should be smooth sailing."

"You've been reading too many of your romance novels again."

She scoffed back a burst of laughter. "So what? That doesn't mean I'm wrong. Either way, you should probably talk to Slate about it. Does he know about any of this at all?"

"No," I said quickly. "He's not going to find out either. He can't, Anya. Please don't tell him? If it ever starts looking like it might go somewhere, Logan and I will talk to him ourselves. "

Eyes on mine, she mimed zipping her lips but I could see the worry staring back at me. I got where she was coming from. I really did, but if I mentioned it to Slate now, he'd insist on ending it—even if he had to do it himself.

He'd also probably get into a huge fight with Logan, which wouldn't be great considering we were still consulting on his rig. Moreover, I'd hate to get between them if this thing with Logan probably wouldn't even go anywhere.

Right now, it was just fun. Fun we'd had. Not even fun we were planning on having again. At this point, I wasn't saying never anymore and I certainly couldn't promise that I'd resist his advances if he tried making any, but I also wasn't planning on buying him an engagement ring.

I really felt that it was better to simply let sleeping dogs—and big brothers—lie.

We arrived at Slate's house soon after that, pulling up at the curb and grabbing our bags before waving the driver goodbye. Anya was back to thrumming with excitement as we wound through all the cars parked along the street and Slate's driveway as we walked to his front door.

"Why has it been so long since we've done something like this? It's crazy." She pointed a finger at me. "From now on, let's promise that while you're in town, we'll have more days like this one. During the summer, we can have pool parties, and if it's winter, we'll drink red wine by the fire or go skiing or something."

"You want to go skiing?" I arched a brow at her, barely able to stop the grin from spreading on my lips. "That's funny. The last time we tried it, you swore you never wanted to see a slope ever again."

"I've matured," she joked. "I've realized that if at first you don't succeed, you should definitely try again. Besides, it'll be fun. For you, at least. You get to laugh at my clumsy ass trying not to break a bone."

"Maybe we should stick to red wine by the fire." We reached my brother's door, finding it open and letting ourselves in.

Loud, easy rock music flowed through the speakers in his living room, the entire house already looking like a bomb had hit it with so many shirts, towels, and empty glasses scattered around. I smiled, though.

The atmosphere was definitely relaxed and festive, and the faint scent of sunscreen and coconut rum hung in the air. Now this is what summer should be.

Slate had invited a bunch of his old friends, and Anya grabbed my hand as we made our way inside, saying hi to people I hadn't seen in a while and introducing her to those she hadn't met before. My brother was behind a makeshift bar in the backyard.

I could see him through the windows lining his living room, and he was laughing with some guy while they jiggled silver cocktails shakers around. Anya followed me out to the deck, then slid her sunglasses over her eyes as we set down our things and headed for the garden.

When Slate had bought this place, I'd thought he was trying to keep up with the Joneses a little bit. Some of his friends had been starting to settle down and get married, and when he'd told me he'd made an offer on a single-family home in the suburbs, I'd thought he was just trying to compete.

I mean, why have a backyard with a pool, an entertainment deck, and four bedrooms when you're hardly ever home?

Now, however, I realized that he'd done it for precisely this purpose. He'd told me then that he wanted space when he wasn't confined to a rig. That he wanted to be able to have people over and look out at greenery when he was relaxing by himself after a long day at the office.

I knew he entertained here sometimes when he was in the city, but this was one of the first times that I really understood why he'd bought it. I couldn't stop smiling as we took the few steps down into the garden from the deck, but then the far end of the pool came into view and I nearly started drooling.

Sitting on the bricks with his legs in the water, Logan was wearing a pair of bright blue swim trunks and nothing else. He had mirrored sunglasses over his eyes and he'd clearly already been in the water because his hair was slicked back and only just started to dry .

I tapped Anya's arm, leaning closer to her to point him out. "That's Logan."

She lifted her own sunglasses as she spun to check him out, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. Then she smacked me. Hard.

"Ow!" I rubbed the sore spot, frowning as I scrunched up my face. "What was that for?"

"For not telling me that he looks like an AI generated, chiseled, dreamy, drop-dead?—"

"I get it," I said, shushing her. "You can stop now. Before anyone hears you."

Naturally, that only encouraged her to kick it up to a whole new level, and she was still swooning about how hot he was when Slate's low laughter rang out from behind. "It's good to see you, Anya. He's single, by the way. Why don't you go over there and shoot your shot?"

My friend turned neon pink, even squeaking softly before she turned to meet my brother's intent gaze. "No, I could never. I?—"

Amusement shone in Slate's eyes as he took her by the shoulders and turned her around again, giving her a gentle shove toward Logan. "Go get him, girl. If you really think half of what you were just saying about him, you'd regret not even trying."

She shot me a panicked look now that she was no longer facing him, and I shrugged. I trusted her not to make any real moves on him, and if he made a move on her, then at least I'd know where we stood.

"Go for it," I said easily, waving a hand out ahead of me. "Have fun. Tell him I said hi, okay?"

A furrow appeared between her eyebrows. Then she rolled her eyes and nodded at me. "Fine, but you two better have a cocktail waiting for me when I strike out."