Page 50 of Sapphire Sunset

Logan was so startled by this offer, so startled by hisgrumpy dad’s sudden sincerity, he wasn’t sure what to say. He let his eyeswander the gym, saw all the eyes glued to the two of them.

“I love you, Pop, but Igottagoback. I love Sapphire Cove, too. I spent eight years of my life in combat zoneswhere nobody wanted us around and most of us didn’t even know why we werethere. And then I ended up in a place everybody wanted to be, day after day,and most of them left happy, or they forgot about their problems while theywere there. So call it stupid, or call me a big baby, but I like being part ofthat. And the people who work there, they’re our friends, our family. You knowthem. You’ve been to Gloria Alvarez’s house for Thursday potluck.”

“I love Gloria. I asked her out. She totally freaked on me,though.”

“She’s married, Dad.”

“I didn’t know when I asked. She didn’t have a ring on.”

“She was cooking. The point is, Dan Harcourt, Martin Harcourt,they were good men who took care of their employees. They gave better benefitsthan most of the resorts on the coast. They didn’t find a way to force you outbecause you sprained your ankle or gained a few pounds, and Rodney and Buddy,they can’t ruin all of that. They’re not that powerful. I won’t let them be. AndI won’t watch this place go down without a fight. It’s more than a hotel tome.”

His dad threw up his hands.

Logan’s temples were throbbing. He felt like he had a massivehangover even though he hadn’t had a drop of hard stuff the day before. Eventhough he’d wanted to down half a liter ofStolilikeit was water.

Then he saw something on one of the flat screens that caughthis attention. A familiar face captured in an inferno of flashbulbs and brightlights. A beautiful face. A face he’d jerked off to two nights before. Again. Aface that had once radiated boyish innocence before unleashing mischief. Butthere was confidence in his eyes now.

Connor. The logo beneath his chin said the footagehad been taken last night, and the wide shot of the car speeding away revealeda glimpse of John Wayne Airport.

Funny how the name suddenly felt like a relief, when a fewdays before, it would have triggered embarrassment and a sense of defeat. Nowit felt like something else. Something warm and familiar, something emerging froma time before Sapphire Cove was a hotbed of scandal.

Connor was back.

Connor was coming home.

And he was probably headed to Sapphire Cove.

Finally.

“I appreciate that, Pop. Really. I do. But I’m still on myfeet.”

“Fine, but just so you know…if you get knocked down forgood, I’ll be here.”

He wanted to hug the old man, even if it freaked him out abit. But if he did that, he might break down himself. Because he was tired.That’s all. Tired. It wasn’t like his dad had made a moving, life-changing offer.An offer that also showed gratitude for all the sacrifices Logan had made forhim five years before.

He started for the exit.

“Son!”

“Igottago, Pop.”

“I know, I know. You’re a man of honor and integrity, andyou honor your commitments because that’s the Marine Corps way. But you stink,son. You stinkhard. You stink like the towels at this gym whenthey’ve been in the hamper for two weeks. You haven’t had a shower and you’rewearing clothes you wore all yesterday. And no son of mine is going back to thatshit show smelling like a landfill. There’s enough there that stinks already.”

Logan was about to check his pits when he caught the eyes ofa woman standing a few feet away with her trainer. They were both nodding gravely.“Sorry,hun, he’s right,” she said softly. “We cansmell you from over here.”

“And it’s a gym, dude,” her trainer added.

“Go shower,” his dad said. “Get yourself some Chip’s Kicksmerchandise on the house, then wrangle up a new uniform once you get to thehotel. Look at it this way, it’s not like there’s a general manager who’s gonnaget on your ass for not dressing to code.”

Deep down, the Marines had made Logan good at followingorders.

But the shower in the end became an excuse for one thoughtto circle through his head again and again, like a plane that couldn’t bringitself to land.

Connor’s home.

9

Sylvia Milton looked like she slept eachnight in an isolation tank and spent several hours every morning in the companyof skincare experts she had on retainer. She was that indeterminate ageextremely wealthy women arrive at shortly after forty and never seem to leave.On camera, her cascade of platinum hair shimmered, and her big blue eyes wereas radiant as they’d been when she modeled for a living.

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