Page 49 of Paging Dr. Summers

Lola turned me around, and to my surprise, the last person I expected to see that night was striding determinedly toward me. He looked freakishly hot in a long-sleeve Henley, unbuttoned just enough to give me a tantalizing glimpse of his sculpted chest, and linen shorts that showcased his muscular legs.

“Good luck.” Lola kissed my cheek but frowned and narrowed her eyes at Logan. I might have mentioned to her that he’d been avoiding me.

Alejandro reached out a hand to her, and she pranced toward him.

“Good night. Thanks for coming.” I waved at them, feeling a sudden rush of nervousness. When I texted Logan about the party, I had been sure he would be a no-show. I didn’t even know why I’d invited him. Clearly, he didn’t want to be around me. At least, that’s what I’d thought.

“Hi,” Logan’s masculine crooner’s voice pierced the night air—and my heart.

“Hi,” I said shyly, refusing to look directly at him.

“Sorry I’m late,” he mumbled. “I hope the party went well.”

I looked down at my feet, admiring my pedicure. Lola and I had gone to the nail salon earlier in the day. My toes were now the perfect shade of coral.

“Brooke.” Logan stepped closer, his tone becoming more intimate. “Can we talk?”

“What about?” If he wanted to ignore me for the remainder of the summer, I wanted to know up front and save us both the time.

“Brooke.” He stepped so close, I couldn’t help but look up at him. His handsome face, illuminated by the glow of the firelight, was a mix of trepidation and admiration. “I’m sorry,” he breathed out.

“For kissing me?” I waited for the sting of confirmation.

“No.” He ran a warm finger down my cheek, sending a shock wave through me. “I’m not sorry about that. Only for my behavior afterward. Can we sit and talk? This might take a while.”

“Okay. Do you want to sit in front of the fire?”

“I’d like that,” he replied.

I settled myself on the plaid blanket, complete with a picnic basket, and he joined me, sitting closer than I had anticipated and shocking me when he took my hand and cradled it between his own.

I tried not to read too much into it because I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to happen. But one thing I knew: I loved the feel of my hand in his.

For a moment, we said nothing as Logan’s thumb brushed across my skin. We watched the low-burning flames crackle and pop, the lake lapping gently against the shore, while Michael McDonald’s soothing voice serenaded us.

“Brooke, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know what to do or say. All I know is I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“The feeling is mutual.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “You’re ruining my dating life,” I teased, but it was true. I couldn’t even say yes to a second date with Roman, even though he was a really nice guy.

“Every time I’m on a date, all I can think of is being with you ... but ... it’s obvious being with me causes you angst, and I don’t want to play backup quarterback to your wife. She was obviously perfect, and I’m definitely not. But dang it, Logan, I want to kiss you again, and I can’t imagine going on all my summer adventures with anyone but you.”

I figured I might as well lay it all on the line. The man had, after all, rescued me while I was naked. It doesn’t get more vulnerable than that.

A low chuckle erupted in his chest. “That about sums up my feelings too. However, Erica is part of the equation here—a big part. My feelings for you have caused a lot of guilt.”

“Why?”

“Because you are in many ways very different from Erica, and there’s our age difference to consider. I don’t want to look like a walking midlife crisis.”

“Yeah, you are kind of old, Grandpa,” I laughed. But on a more serious note, I added, “Is it bad that I’m not like Erica?”

“No. Not all. It’s just, honestly, I don’t think she would approve.”

“I see.” I had to admit, it pricked to think that Erica wouldn’t like me. Not sure why, as I would never meet her, but she was a part of Logan. And I’d kind of always assumed I would have been friends with her, as she sounded so incredible. I guessed I was wrong. “You don’t want to let her down,” I surmised.

He shook his head.

“Out of curiosity’s sake, what wouldn’t she like about me?”

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