Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

MIRA

I kept glancing at Logan and Anya while Slate talked business. I'd tuned him out ages ago, simply making small noises every so often to keep him from realizing that I wasn't listening. My entire being was burning with curiosity to know what Anya and Logan were talking about.

At first, when she'd sat down, he'd been surprised. I'd seen it all the way from over here, but then they'd shaken hands and they'd been inseparable ever since. As I'd watched, they'd talked, laughed, and smiled at the pool's edge. Then Logan had made her cocktail and now they were reclining on Slate's loungers, seemingly locked in deep conversation.

Nerves fluttered through me. I wasn't worried and I wasn't jealous, but I wanted more than anything to go over there and join their conversation—preferably while sitting on his lap. Since I couldn't do that though, I stood next to Slate, daydreaming about what it might be like to be able to be with Logan publicly while also itching to go pull Anya away so I could find out what they were talking about.

When Slate said Logan's name, my attention finally went back to my brother. "Pardon? "

"Logan," he said, repeating his friend's name as he frowned at me. "What do you think of him so far?"

I stammered, misunderstanding him for a moment and thinking he was asking what I thought of him as a person. "I, uh, I like him. Not, like, in a weird way. Just, uh, he's nice. He's not as off-putting as he was when we first met. He's kind and clearly Anya thinks he's super hot."

He arched an eyebrow at me and I almost smacked my palm over my face. Why did I just say that?

Feeling like I'd slipped up and my brother was going to catch onto me and Logan, I tried to recover, but in my scramble to cover my ass, I ended up fumbling.

"Well, you know Anya. She thinks lots of people are hot," I started—not a strong start, but I thought that was okay until he narrowed his eyes at me. "Which is not to say that he's not hot. Obviously, he's hot. It's just that, well, you know Anya. Anyway, I guess I just wasn't expecting to like him."

"Why?" Confusion flitted across Slate's eyes. "Because Anya thinks he's hot?"

"No. No, it's not that. Obviously, I mean, she just met him today, but just because he wasn't supposed to be nice. I thought he was a jackass because of everything I'd heard about him, but he's not so much of a jackass, you know?"

"What did you hear about him?"

"Oh." I waved my hand around animatedly. "Just this and that. He's a player and I should be careful and?—"

" You should be careful?" Slate squeezed his eyes shut. "Where did you hear that? I get that the tabloids always say nasty things about him, but who told you that you should be careful?"

"Tess." Her name was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

Slate's eyebrows smashed together. "Tess? Like, your friend, Tess?"

"Yep. She was Mickey's maid-of-honor."

"Mickey?" His frown deepened. "Do either Tess or Mickey even know Logan?"

"Well, yes. Logan was Jude's best man. It should've been Flynn, but there was this whole thing about Flynn being too busy with the baby and?—"

I practically saw the moment he realized what I was saying. "You met Logan at the wedding, didn't you? That day when I introduced you two on the rig wasn't the first time you saw him?"

Fuck .

"No, it wasn't," I admitted, feeling like a terrified horse stuck in a corner and wondering if I could rear up and knock him out to get away from this conversation.

He seemed surprised, blinking a few times before he swept a hand over his face. "Oh."

Oh? What the hell does that mean?

Growing up, Slate and I hadn't been besties, but we'd always been friends. Now, at thirty-five to my thirty-two, we were closer than we'd ever been before. We also worked closely together. My brother and I spent most of our time on the rigs together, we were together at the office if we were both in town, and as a result, there wasn't much he didn't know about me.

"Well, I mean, it was nothing interesting. I was a bridesmaid and he was the best man, so it was a little bit weird at first when we ran into each other on the rig because neither of us ever expected to see the other again, you know? But it's all fine now. It's all good."

Once again, I wanted to smack myself. Clasp my damn palm over my damn mouth and never say another damn word.

Slate's expression tightened, his jaw and his eyes hardening simultaneously. "If it was nothing interesting, and you were simply a bridesmaid, and he was just the best man, then why was it weird?"

"Well, I uh, we…" Fuck. Fuck. Fuck .

I hadn't intended on telling him any of that, but now that it was out there, there was no putting it back.

Even more problematically, Slate was still looking at me with that disapproval etched into his features, his eyes dark and thundering like he already knew the truth. When he looked at me like that, I couldn't lie.

Besides, I knew I shouldn't. Who I slept with was none of my brother's business, and while I knew he wouldn't like it, it wasn't like Logan and I had planned for it to happen that way.

"We sort of spent the night together," I finally admitted in a small voice. "The night of the wedding, I mean. It was no big deal. We?—"

Slate's teeth ground together as he stared at me with an unreadable expression on his face. My heart and stomach both plummeted and I seriously wished I could just turn back time to when he'd first asked me about Logan.

Crap. How did I end up dropping the ball this badly? Why can't I stop rambling?

"Will you just forget about it?" I pleaded with my brother, desperate for a drink containing only pure alcohol but knowing I couldn't just turn and walk away right now. "Let's get back to your original question, shall we? What do I think of him so far? I think he's?—"

Slate's head started shaking slowly as he scoffed. Then he turned and headed over to where Logan was still sitting with Anya. I looked over at the pair of them, still locked in an intense-looking conversation, and wondered if I could beat my brother over there, grab Logan's hand, and make a run for it.

He looked so relaxed where he lay on that lounge chair. Sure, the expression on his face was serious, but he was lying down with his feet kicked up, sipping on a beer and smiling every so often at something Anya said.

For her part, my friend was clearly doing most of the talking, and since she had her rare lecture face on with her eyes wide and her brow slightly furrowed, I had a feeling I knew which subject they were discussing. Me.

Which was even more of a reason for Slate to stay the hell away from there right now—before he ended up overhearing something else he definitely shouldn't.

I hurried after him, watching my footing on the wet paving around the pool and hissing at him to get back here. "Slate! Slate, stop! Seriously, just stop."

Each word was like a quiet little bullet shooting from my mouth, but he ignored me, obviously having no intention of listening to me at all. Meanwhile, my heart was pounding a mile a minute, my ears even ringing as shock started setting in.

Just a week ago, Logan had asked me what we were going to do about Slate and I was the one to say he didn't need to know. Yet, the first time the subject of his friend had come up between us, I'd gone and run my mouth, confessing almost everything I hadn't wanted him to know.

And why? Because I'm a shitty fucking liar .

Especially where my brother was involved.

"Slate! Slate, no!" I tried again, but to no avail.

My feet burned and the sun was hot on my shoulders and face, but I didn't pay any of it any mind. I might just have single-handedly imploded a decade-plus long friendship over nothing. Slate reached Logan and Anay, his voice gravelly as he gripped his hips and focused on his friend.

"Logan, can I borrow you for a minute. We need to talk?"

Logan looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun and nodding with a friendly smile on his face as he sat up. "Sure, bro. What's up?"

I tried to catch his eyes to warn him, but it was too late. As I watched, Logan glanced at me, and when he focused on Slate again, I saw the flare of realization in his eyes. The smile melted off his lips and his movements were sure but certainly no longer so easygoing as he stood up.

Slate spun around without waiting to see if his friend would follow, and Logan did, but as he passed me, he reached out, taking my fingers and giving them a lightning quick, reassuring squeeze before he let go.

My brother didn't stop marching toward his house. Didn't look back. His broad shoulders were tense and rigid, his jaw still clenched. There had been murder in his eyes when he'd spun away from Logan.

I hated that they were going somewhere to talk without me. I was the one who'd made this damn mess in the first place, and I should've been part of this conversation, but I also knew when not to push it. Obviously, what happened next was between Slate and Logan .

I was sure I would get my turn to face my brother's wrath real soon, but as much as I wanted to rush after them and face it now, with Logan, I hung back, collapsing into the lounge chair he had just vacated.

"What's that all about?" Anya asked almost fearfully. "Slate looked pissed. He doesn't know, does he?"

I scrubbed my palms over my cheeks, drawing a deep breath right from the very center of my being and releasing it slowly before I finally managed to glance at my friend. "Slate knows, and right now, he is not a very happy camper."

Anya winced and reached out to put her hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay, sweetie. Slate will be pissed for a while, but it will pass."

I shook my head. "I don't think it will. Not this. I don't know, Anya. Do you think I should just go in there with them?"

"No. Give them a few minutes, but then go in there and be your badass self. Slate is allowed to be pissed, I think. You guys did lie to him, but he can't keep you apart. Not if you don't want to be."

I, for one, didn't want to be, but I didn't know about Logan. Plus, we'd never been together anyway. Not in the way she was referring to.

For all I knew, Logan had already decided I was more trouble than I was worth as soon as he'd seen my brother's face and all this was for nothing. But that didn't stop my heart from pounding or my hands from shaking.

Whatever happened between them in that kitchen, today was definitely going to be a turning point for all of us. Now it was just a matter of waiting and seeing what kind of turn it was going to be.