Page 36 of Whenever You Call

“And what am I looking for, exactly?”

“Companionship? Excitement? The thrill of the chase.”

“You mean sex?”

The thought made my cheeks flame.

Memories of Cole above me, taking his time to play with my body, flashed through my mind, only for his face to slowly change into Logan’s, making me frown again. What the hell?

“Like I told you before, Hannah, my track record with women and relationships isn’t something to shout about. I doubt any of my exes would even give me a reference if I asked for one.”

“Ah, see. That’s where you’re going wrong. You never ask for references. You just embellish your resume a little and hope the new ladies don’t stumble across the old ones anytime soon.”

“Is that right?” he asked, a certain rasp to his voice before I heard him bump into someone and apologize.

I pulled my knees up closer to my body, my focus on the two girls having the time of their lives in front of me instead of the weird reactions I was having, speaking to Logan. None of it made any sense, and I didn’t like the uncertainty that tore through me.

More noise around him had him apologizing to somebody else, and I couldn’t help the soft smile that rose at just how nice he seemed to be in all walks of life. Perhaps it was his nature, or perhaps his job had nurtured it out of him, but Logan was a good guy.

Good, reliable, manly, strong, hot, and…

Woah, no, enough already,I thought, quickly losing my smile and dropping my legs back down on the lounger.No, no, no. There will be no more of those thoughts, Hannah Moore. He’s just a friend. Someone to confide in. Someone to be there whenever you need to speak without being judged.

“Sorry, Logan. It sounds busy where you are,” I said, running my free hand across the sudden dampness of my forehead. “I should let you go.”

“It’s fine.” I heard him rustle a paper bag in the background before the ringing of a cash register floated through the line, and Logan said thank you to who I assumed was the server. “I’m just leaving the market now. Thought it was time I ate something other than pop tarts, pancakes, or ramen noodles.”

“What’s wrong with ramen noodles?”

“Believe it or not, you can have too much of a good thing, and apparently my palate is now demanding something that will make my stomach last a lifetime rather than something that will rot it from the inside out. It’s no use me preaching to my patients about self-preservation and then ignoring my own advice. Nobody likes a hypocrite.”

“Just don’t take it too far, okay. You’ll be going vegan on me next.”

“I’ve considered it. A woman at the station is vegan, and she’s shown me some amazing options. Brought some meals to work for me a few times, too.”

“Ah, when a woman brings you food, she’s trying to sleep with you.”

“She’s fifty-seven with a husband she’s been with since she was fourteen.” He paused. “Banging body, though.”

I barked out a laugh I hadn’t heard from myself in such a long time. It made me clamp a hand over my mouth just as Bella looked over at me with another beaming smile on her face. I gave her a soft wave, and she waved back with such enthusiasm, I wondered if her hearing my laughter had the same effect on her as hers had on me.

“That’s gross, Logan,” I said, trying to sound appalled, even though I knew he’d been joking.

“Sorry,” he laughed again.

“You sound… different today. Happier than usual. It sounds good on you.”

He exhaled heavily but didn’t respond, and I began to panic, wondering if he could sense the shift in my thoughts toward him.

“Did you like them?” I asked, changing the subject. “The meals she cooked for you.”

“I like anything that’s good for me.”

Me, too,I thought. “You’ll have to send me the recipes.”

“Ah, see, that’s the problem. I know it tastes good, but I don’t know the first thing about actually making the stuff.”

“That’s a shame. I’d love to be able to cook.”

---