Page 65 of Red Captive

“Yes, good to meet you, Logan. I will need to be your shadow for the afternoon.”

“I completely understand. Please make yourself at home. I’m putting some steaks on the grill later. Unless you prefer fish or—?” Logan turns back to me.

I smile. “Steaks are fine.”

“It’s steak and salad, a little boring, but I’m pretty good on the grill.” He winks at me. It isn’t icky like some of the others have been.

“Don’t worry about me,” Steel says. “I’m on duty. Do your best to pretend I’m not here.”

“Shall we?” Logan says, gesturing down the hall. “There is a light breeze blowing today, so the terrace out back might be nice.”

“Sounds good.” I nod.

As soon as we sit, someone comes to take our drink orders. I order an herbal tea and Logan doesn’t flinch. He has a homemade lemonade.

“Your view is lovely.” It’s peaceful. Swans glide on the lake, which is bigger than I thought.

“Thank you, I like it. It’s home.” He sighs, leaning back in his chair, looking at me. “I have to say I was skeptical about this whole thing.”

“About meeting me?”

“Not just about meeting you but competing for you. It feels a little too much like ‘The Bachelor’ for my liking.”

“I know. It’s a little weird. It’s weird for me, too. This is not how I pictured my life going.”

“What did you picture?” He keeps his eyes on me, listening intently.

I shrug. “I don’t know, the normal stuff, like going to college, getting a degree, having fun, dating…the kind of stuff that young adults do. I thought I might travel. Do fun things in fun places. Then maybe meet someone and move in together, maybe get married. You know…that sort of thing.”

“Didn’t you go to college? What happened? Listening to you talk, I would say that none of that happened.”

“I did go to college, but only for about six months. I had to drop out when my mom got sick. I had to help her take care of my brother, who was just a tiny baby at the time. She wasn’t coping, and my stepfather had to work. Everything fell apart from there. My relationship ended. My boyfriend was still in college, and he couldn’t handle all of my responsibilities, and I can’t say I blamed him. I couldn’t go out much or do any of the normal stuff that young adults do. We drifted apart, and he broke up with me, but it was already over by then.”

“That’s not right. You say your mom got sick. He should have supported you.”

“We were young at the time. What am I saying? I’m still young.” Except I don’t feel young. I haven’t in a long time. “Anyway, I don’t blame him at all.”

“Still, if you love someone, it shouldn’t be a burden.” He takes a sip of his lemonade. “What was wrong with your mother?”

“You know what? Let’s talk about something a little more fun. I only just met you; you don’t want to know all of my family dramas.”

“It’s good to talk, Jen. To get it off your chest. I don’t mind.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” He’s sweet and trying hard to be caring and understanding. “So, you watch television?” I try to change the subject.

He nods. “Yes, I enjoy reality television, including cooking shows. I like experimenting in the kitchen. As well as taking long walks on the beach and reading crime novels. In my spare time, I…” He gives me a look, and we both laugh. “No, really, I do enjoy reality television and movies. I’m a sucker for movie night with popcorn and all.”

“Me, too.”

“Do you want to go and watch a movie?” He points into the house.

“What about your barbecue?”

“Yeah, let’s get those steaks on, and then we can watch something. What kinds of movies do you enjoy?” Logan sounds animated.

“Romcoms, horrors, anything with Jamie Dornan in it.”

“Oh?” He lifts his brows. “You’re a ‘Fifty Shades’ fan, I take it?”

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