Page 55 of The Wanderer

When Rick's brow furrowed in confusion, he clarified. "With the possibility of a company restructure.”

Rick shook his head. "You've lost me, mate."

Logan hoped this harebrained idea wouldn't sound as stupid articulated out loud as it did in his head. "I want to delegate more jobs and install you in a higher management role."

"You're giving me a promotion?" Rick's eyebrows shot up, before his mouth eased into a lop-sided grin. "Maybe I should take time off work with a bad back more often."

Logan clasped his hands together and rested them on the table between them. "I'm making a few changes for the benefit of the company, that's all."

"Bullshit." Rick thumped the table. "You're a control freak. That's why you insist on quoting every new job personally, no matter where it is." He guffawed. "So the fact you're even talking about delegating means something major has happened."

Logan should've known his oldest friend wouldn't believe the professional spiel. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss his relationship with Hope, but after he'd got home late last night after she'd effectively ended things between them, he'd spent a sleepless night re-evaluating his priorities.

He wanted her, but on his terms.

She'd refused.

So what did he have to do to convince her that his feelings were beyond the physical?

He'd mulled various scenarios, discounting them all, until he came up with one he hoped she'd find doable. If not, he was plain out of options.

"Fuck me." Rick snapped his fingers. "This is about that woman Hope, isn't it?"

"Maybe."

Rick didn't buy his offhand shrug for a second.

"Never thought I'd see the day, my friend." Rick leaned back and folded his arms, his wide grin annoying as fuck. "You've fallen for a woman for longer than a nanosecond."

"Fuck you," Logan said, his grouchiness more to do with how easy he was so easy to read these days than his friend's intuition.

Rick laughed and fake-knuckled his eyes. "Quit stalling and tell me what your grand plan is."

"No grand plan," Logan said, managing to sound offhand. "I wanted her to travel with me, but she's starting up a new business so that's not possible. So if I delegate more jobs, that means I can stay in Melbourne more often."

Rick mouthed 'wow' and Logan balled up a napkin and flung it at him.

"You're actually thinking about the C word?" Rick continued mocking him. "You're actually committing?"

Logan flipped him the finger and he laughed again.

"Seriously, mate, this is a good thing you're doing, but why the change of heart? For as long as I've known you, you've determinedly avoided staying in one place and only hooking up with transient women…oh." Rick lost the goofy expression. "You saw your dad?"

Logan nodded. "It helped clarify a few things."

"Good for you." Rick studied him. "Can I ask you something?"

"No.”

"You know I'm going to ask regardless," Rick said. "You're not planning on sticking around Melbourne permanently, yeah?"

"That's right."

"So what happens if things get serious between you and Hope? What then?"

"Fucked if I know," Logan muttered, well aware that was a major flaw in his plan.

But at least he had a plan, when after leaving Hope last night he'd had nothing. This new plan involved making her see that he wasn't some spoiled brat who expected her to give up everything to be with him, that he didn't only want their relationship dependent on his way or the highway.

---