Page 141 of Sapphire Sunset

“She did it because she’s desperate, and she’s losing thewar she started. She did it because you saved a child’s life and that was allanyone was talking about. This is another strike. She’s only destroyingsomething if you leave, Logan. We can fix this.Together.”

“Not if it takes this place over a cliff first.”

“You don’t trust me to do better than that?” Connor asked.

“It’s not about trust.”

“It is, though. It is. I’m five foot four. I’m barely ahundred thirty pounds. I’m never going to be able to break down a door for you.But this? Negotiating with powerful people who think they should run the world.This is what I’ve done for years. This is what I’m good at, and if you won’tlet me do it for you, you aren’t letting me fight for you. And I know I mightbe some little femtwink, but every now and then I’mgoing to want to save you too. And I can’t do that if you walk away from us.”

“Us?” Logan looked so stunned, Connor wasn’t quite sure whathad happened. “You think I’m walking away fromus?”

“I meant we’re doing this together. We’re supposed to bepartners in this.”

“Or we can’t be partners at all?” Logan asked.

“I didn’t say that!”

“What did you say? Because you’re acting like if I don’tstay here then we don’t stay together.”

“I’m just afraid, okay? We came together when we startedworking together, and I’m worried that if we lose that—”

“Then we lose each other? You’re afraid that if you don’thave a job to offer me, I’ll leave you? I’m sorry, Connor, but how is that anydifferent from what Sylvia Milton said on TV? I mean, is that who you think Iam? Someone who would walk away if you didn’t have Sapphire Cove to give me?”

“That’s not what this is about. You resigned without talkingto me.”

“From thehotel! Not from you. But you’re actinglike they’re the same, and I don’t even know what to think about that. Yousound just like her.”

Logan went for his bag, stuffed the spill of clothes insidethe zipper and yanked it shut, then hefted it up off the floor in one armpowered by anger.

“Please, Logan. Please don’t leave.”

Hand on the knob, Logan stopped and turned, but Connor sawonly hurt and anger in his eyes. “Five years ago I walked through the frontdoors of this place with as much fear hanging over my head as I had ridingthrough a combat zone. And fiveminuteswith you and I wanted to chuckit all and walk back out those doors with you in my arms, and by God, I would havedone it if it wouldn’t have sent my dad’s life down the tubes. Sapphire Covehas never been the reason I want you, Connor Harcourt, but somehow it alwaysturns into the reason I can’t have you.”

The door slammed.

And by the third time Connor called his name, it was clearthat Logan wasn’t coming back.

His ears weren’t ringing like they had afterhe was struck by an IED, but he felt just as deafened, and he could barelyfollow what the two men on the other side of his dad’s office were saying. Adifferent and more painful song was playing in Logan’s ears—the sound of Connorcalling out to him as he’d walked off down the carpeted corridor, each timewith more fear in his voice. He could still feel the anger that seized hislimbs, drowning out the call of his heart, driving him forward. Forward andaway. Away from that terrible moment in which the man he loved saw him exactlyas Sylvia Milton had described him.

Given how intently his dad was studying him now, Logan couldtell he was doing a lousy job of hiding his hurt. How could he hide somethinghe felt in every inch of his body?

“She spent that whole press conference dancing along theline of defamation,” Logan’s attorney was saying. Benjamin Bullfinch had been hisdad’s buddy for years and always dressed like one corner of a boxing ring, buthe knew his stuff. “Point is, I’d have no trouble pointing out where her feet landedon the wrong side, if you know what I mean.”

It hadn’t been Logan’s idea to meet with his lawyer.Instead, he’d wanted to get down to business with his dad about starting workat Chip’s Kicks. But when he arrived at the Irvine location, his vision wobbly,his jaw aching from grinding his teeth, the lawyer had been waiting for him inhis dad’s office, dressed better than he’d been the day he met Logan.

“But she’s got money to burn, right?” Chip said.

“Maybe,” Bullfinch said, “or maybe that’s only how it lookson TV. You find out those kind of things in a lawsuit.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to jump feet first into a lawsuitright now,” Logan said.

“Maybe not a suit,” Bullfinch said. “Maybe just a reallygood cease and desist letter to shut her up. You can always go for an apologyand a retraction without suing somebody.”

“Hold up here a second, son,” Chip said. “You’re saying youand Connor both thought it would be best if you resigned. I mean, how does thatprove the lady’s wrong? It makes you look guilty.”

“Conferences were threatening to cancel,” Logan said. “Wehad no choice.”

We.Yeah, right.

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