Page 181 of With a Cherry On Top

I tense, my pulse kicking up.

“What?” Logan’s voice is wary.

“It takes two to tango, but...I can be very persuasive, and hedidtry to resist.”

“Yeah? How long did he last?”

“Two weeks,” she says, and I can hear the amusement in her voice. “Hey—the average man lasts two minutes before their hands are on me.”

Logan exhales a slow breath. “Sorry, I just don’t find it that impressive.”

I keep my eyes shut, but every muscle in my body is coiled tight. Fuck, I hate that Logan and I are here again after we just turned the corner on Josie. After we agreed to find a balance.

“You don’t like me, do you?” she asks out of the blue.

Logan clears his throat, and I canhearhis discomfort. There’s a beat of silence before he finally answers. “You’ll break his heart.”

She doesn’t sound surprised. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Another pause, like he doesn’t want to say the next part. “You’re young and beautiful. You’re a...a...”

“A cam girl?”

I crack one eye open just in time to see Logan give a sharp nod.

“And a model,” Charlotte adds, her voice light, almost teasing.

A snort. “Even better. What are you going to do with a dad approaching his forties?” Logan asks. “He can’t party. He can’t follow you in your private jet around the world. He has responsibilities. A daughter. A sick mother.”

Charlotte hums like she’s considering his words. “And a brother,” she adds. “Is that what you’re afraid of? That I’ll take him away from you and Sadie?”

Logan doesn’t answer right away. “I don’t even know what I’m scared of anymore.”

“Well, I know what youshouldn’tbe scared of,” Charlotte says.

I can picture Logan watching her, trying to decide if he trusts whatever is about to come out of her mouth.

“He will be okay,” she continues. “He’ll find another job, because he’s an exceptional chef. He’ll parent Sadie with Josie, and he’ll be here for you and your mom like he always has.”

Her words make my throat tighten, but I force myself to keep still.

“As for our relationship...” She hums, like she’s deciding something. “I wouldn’t bet against me if I were you.”

Logan lets out an amused noise. “Yeah?”

Fuck, how long did that take? And he sounds like he likes her.

My brother doesn’t likeanyone.

I risk opening one eye just a sliver, enough to see Charlotte watching him—calm, confident, unshaken by his earlier hostility.

“I love that little girl,” she says simply. “And I love her father.”

Wow.

She says it like it isn’t something big, something life-altering. But itis.

“It’s messy, sure. But what isn’t?” She gestures at him with a pointed look. “You seem messy enough.”

---