Page 64 of The Opposite of Romance
Stella wakes up, and Sandy feeds her before they leave. When Logan gets ready to leave, I intercept him.
“Hey, thank you for today.”
“No problem. Do you mind if I work in the afternoon until the end of the week? I have some other things to take care of.”
“Yeah, sure. But I have to warn you—Liv will probably want to work with you again.”
“That’s ok.” He chuckles. “I enjoy having her as my apprentice.”
“Either way, I feel like I’m always asking for something from you.” I fidget my fingers in front of me.
“Good thing I don’t mind doing things for you.” With a soft smile, he’s gone, and I’m left replaying his words.
He does look like a chill guy that has no problem being nice to others. But he added ‘for you.’Good thing I don’t mind doing thingsfor you.
I’m sure he meant it generally, but the words still settle low in my stomach, causing mayhem.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liv’s thrilledto find Logan at our house after school. She does her homework in record speed, changes her clothes, and then runs out to work with him until dinner. Asher joins them a couple of times, but his focus is short lasting.
Afternoons with Logan are almost … domestic. It’s silly, I know, but I feel like the three of us will miss him when he finishes the job. Mornings, on the other hand, are much more boring when he’s not around. I get my writing done, do some cleaning around the house, but there’s no one to talk to. No one to stare at. It’s lonely.
On Friday, I bring Logan a cold pitcher of lemonade.
“Good news. You’re on your own today. Ash and Liv are with their dad.”
“Too bad. I enjoy having them around.” He notices my suspicious look, so he continues, “I’m serious. Believe it or not, building decks is not the most mind-stimulating job. They make it more interesting.”
“Oh.” I’m surprised to hear he actually enjoys spending time with them. “Well, Liv has already complained about missing work today.”
He chuckles at my joke, and my lips pull up into a smile. “Does she like weekends at Dad’s?”
“She does, generally. I think it’s normal that she misses him.” My words sound foreign to me, like I’m reading them from a teleprompter. I take a deep breath and continue, “They have a complicated relationship. He has a specific image of how she should look or act. And she doesn’t quite fit that image.”
His jaw tenses as he places his hands inside of his pockets. “That must be hard for her.”
“It is. I try to support her as much as I can. But he’s still her father. And she loves him.”
“I just…” He shakes his head. “It sounds crazy to me. Liv’s amazing. She’s much smarter than her age suggests. She’s determined and stands her ground. It’s crazy to think she should change.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I’m barely able to utter my next words. “Yeah… I agree.” Looking away, I clear my throat. “I should stop bothering you and let you get back to work.”
“You could never bother me. Matter of fact, these little chats of ours are the highlight of my day.” His words pierce through my chest as his mouth morphs into a smirk.
“Don’t say things like that,” I whisper.
“Why not? After what happened between us, I think it’s safe to admit I like you.”
“You … like … me?”
“Wasn’t that obvious the first day I came here? I squeezed your deck in with absolutely no availability.” He smirks. “And I thought it was transparent that I was flirting with you from day one.”
I stare at him, wide-eyed, like he sprouted a new head.
“Am I that bad at flirting?” he continues, jokingly.
“No, I just thought … you were a flirty person.” I shrug, but I feel anything but relaxed. There’s a certain charge present in the air around us. Like we’re tiptoeing a very thin line, and who knows what will happen if we cross it.
