Page 34 of Breathless

When we get there, don’t disappear again. Stay with me in my condo this weekend so we can hang. Okay? I miss you,Bitsy.

Splat goes myheart.

Grinning at the nickname he gave me when I was six, I agree. God, he makes meinsane.

Now that we’ve cleared the air a little, I keep an eye out for his truck, but we never spot his Ford, even when we get on the ferry. Disappointment keeps building in me, ramping up my desire to see him until I’m crawling out of myskin.

When we eventually pull into the condo complex at Port A, I scan the parking lot, looking for histruck.

“Your boy’s over there,” Brady says and gives me a wink in his rear viewmirror.

IfBrady’steasing me, everyone must know I’ve got it bad forLogan.

I feel a flush burning up my neck, and then I’m embarrassed for being embarrassed, but I’ve never really done this before. I’ve never had a boyfriend or even come that close to having one. Taking care of my grandmother sucked up most of my energy and time, and the little I had left, I wanted to spend withLogan.

Hanging out with Trent in Florida didn’t make me feel like this, half crazed out of my mind if I didn’t see him, which is why the friends-with-benefits thing we did sort of worked because my heart wasn’tinvested.

Well, it would have worked had I not startedcrying.

Staring hard at my phone, I re-read Logan’s messages.I miss you,Bitsy.

It’s not like he hasn’t told me he’s missed me since I’ve been back, but for some reason, this feels different. Like we’re crossing some invisible forcefield we’ve always stoodbehind.

Unless I’m totally misreadinghim.

It wouldn’t be the firsttime.

Kat twists in her seat. “Amiga, I’ve been Team LoJo for ages. You boot those girls outta his truck and take what’syours.”

God, she’sobservant.

She holds out her fist, and I laugh and bump it withmine.

We’re a few parking spots over, but there aren’t any cars between ours and his. All this talk about me and Logan has made me nervous, and I’m not sure what I should do when I hop out of the truck. Suddenly, I feel like I’m fifteen all over again when I liked, well,Logan.

I take a few deep breaths, the ocean air calming me. We’re so close to the beach, which is on the other side of the dunes, I can hear the waves crash along theshore.

But when Logan slides out of the driver’s seat, I don’t have to guess what I should do because he heads straight for Brady’s truck, and the moment he reaches me, he wraps me in a hug and kisses the top of myhead.

“Sorry about that misunderstanding,” he murmurs againstme.

I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod. “Sorry I got upset. I should’ve told you I was going with Kat.” Tentatively, I rest my hands on hiships.

“Wrong answer.” I lean back to look up at him, confused. “You should’ve kicked Renee’s ass out of your seat and come withme.”

A bark behind him makes us turn, and Renee is standing there, looking irritated, holding Rambo against her hip like he’s a fashion accessory. Yikes. I wonder if she heard what hesaid.

But Logan doesn’t seem worried. He shifts, keeping an arm around my shoulders. “Hey Renee. Can you give Joey herdog?”

Her frown deepens, her eyes darting between us and narrowing on Logan. “I thought this was yourpuppy.”

“Nope. I bought it for Jo as a welcome home gift because I missed her so damn much while she was inFlorida.”

Dead. For real this time, I’mdead.

I only hope there’s at least a kernel of truth in hiswords.

13

---