Page 40 of When You Left Me Speechless

“Soooo, tell me all about Pecan Grove,” Olive says.

“It’s going great, nothing really exciting.”

Lacey cuts me a look. “Oh, tell her about—” I try to kick her under the table.

“What the hell, Pop?” Olive yells.

Lacey lets out a laugh. “You missed.”

“Wait, what’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”

I hesitate before I open my mouth, and Lacey beats me to the punch. “Oh, come on, girl, tell her about Logan.”

Olive’s eyebrow raises and she sets her menu down, “Logan? Who’s that?”

I cut my eyes at my best friend. “She is being dramatic. There is nothing to tell. He’s a teacher I’m working with, and I may have said he was cute once, but you know I’m focused on school, so it’s nothing but a stupid little crush.” I stare at the menu in front of me and pretend to read the words on the page.I’m going to kill Lacey.I take a sip of my margarita.

Olive giggles, “Are you talking about Logan Peterson?”

I choke and start coughing immediately, “What? How do you know him?”

Lacey laughs again. “Oh, this is too good.”

Olive takes a sip of her daiquiri and smiles. “All the elementary school teachers in the county know who he is. He presented at a county-wide conference last year, and I’m pretty sure he’s all anyone could talk about for months. He has quite the reputation, so I’m not surprised you have a, what did you call it? ‘A stupid little crush.’” She exaggerates the last three words.

Both girls start to laugh, but I don’t. I wonder if there is more to his reputation than Olive is letting on. Like maybe, the past few weeks he’s treated me like he treats every other woman in the school district. Like that redhead I saw sitting on the edge of his desk. Maybe he is just a huge flirt.

CHAPTER 26: PLAY IT COOL

POPPY

By the end of the day Wednesday, I’m exhausted. The past few days have been filled with back-to-back sessions, leaving little room to take a break. When Beth said she had a big caseload, I should have known there would be little room to plan and prepare, so any prep work I need to do is done after the final bell rings. I stayed late again today to prepare for the remainder of the week.

I unlock the passenger side door and put my bags down when I get out to my car. Getting in the front seat, I can hear thunder in the distance, signaling an afternoon storm rolling in. When I turn the key in the ignition, I hear the sound of the car turning over and over but not starting. I try again and again and can’t get it to start.

Shit. Why does it have to be such a piece of shit?

I grab my phone out of the pocket of my bag, and with it, the napkin note from Logan falls out onto the floorboard. I stare at it, wondering if all of the little things leading up to the coffee were my imagination or if they meant he wanted more. I push the thought out of my head and remind myself he’s probably just a huge flirt.

Another loud clash of thunder brings me back to mycurrent situation. I call everyone I know close by, trying to find someone to help me jump my car. I try my parents, Olive, Lacey, David, and Beth, but no one answers and I look back at the napkin. There is a chance he hasn’t left for the day.How fucking perfect?God, as soon as I graduate and get a job, I’m buying a new car.The rain is coming down now, and flashes of lightning light up the sky. I try my key one more time with no luck and because I’m desperate, I dial his number.

“This is Logan,” a deep voice—that makes my core buzz—says over the phone.

“Hey, it’s Poppy. Sorry to be calling you, but you did give me your number. Any chance you haven’t left work yet?”

“I just left. Why? Are you okay?” He sounds worried. More worried than my friend or my coworker or whatever he is to me should be, but I push that thought to the back of my head.

Focus.

“Oh yeah, yeah, I’m fine. My car won’t start, and I tried a bunch of family and friends, and no one answered.”

“You in the visitor parking lot? I’m turning around now. I can be there in five.”

“Oh no, if you have already left, I don’t want to bother you. I’ll try Lacey again or my?—”

“You agreed to be friends, and this is what friends do. I’m already on the way back. You park in the visitor lot, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

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