Page 89 of Sapphire Sunset

“Naser wouldn’t dare. He soundsthe same way.”

“Oh, so, Naser’s your typetoo?” Connor asked.

“Listen, since we’re doing thiswhole thing on fast forward anyway, can we fast forward through your baseless jealousies?I didn’t spend five years crying to Donnie over too many beers about howNaserwas the one I let get away.”

“You cried over me?” Connorasked.

“A little. Now and then.”

“Cool,” Connor said with asmile.

“All right, now.”

“Okay, seriously, then,”Connor said. “I have to ask. Was this wholedifferent worldsthing inyour head five years ago? Or were your dad’s medical bills the only issue?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. But thisis a fact, Connor. My dad is seriously a pain in the ass. And you’ve got a lotof pains in your ass right now already.”

“Well, I can think of one Ireally want to add later.”

Logan closed the distancebetween them and gripped one of Connor’s shoulders with the hand that wasn’tholding his phone. “And you will get it, Mr. Harcourt. I promise you. But inthe meantime, I’d like to maybe start a new trend and have conversations aboutsex with you that don’t mentionmy dad. Like at all.”

“Deal. We can test thattonight when you bring him here for dinner. Does that work for you?” Connor asked.

“We’re going to find out.Once you spend an hour with my dad…”

“Well, we’ll have to see whatthe city officials say. It might not be a full hour. I might be in and out coordinatingstuff.”

“Thenwe’llbe inand out,” Logan corrected, “and he’ll have to understand.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Logan smiled.

“Would you like some privacy?”Connor asked.

“Stay right there,” Logansaid as he put a bit of distance between them. “Don’t move an inch.”

Connor dropped his arms tohis sides and sucked in a deep breath, as if he planned to stay wherever Logantold him to for the foreseeable future. And that fact made Logan happy in moreways than one.

16

It took twenty minutes of discussion, a fairshare of which bordered on heated, but Logan finally agreed to let Connor set upfor the dinner party alone in the penthouse suite, with Joel, who Logan hadpromoted from maintenance, standing guard outside the door. It helped that Joelwas a former college football player who dabbled in mixed martial arts on theweekends and had a glare that could stop a train. But Connor’s assurances hewouldn’t leave the room until Logan got back sealed the deal.

When he’d called to propose the change of venue earlier thatday, Logan’s dad had agreed, but in a guarded, neutral tone, using phrases like“If that’s what you need.”

Logan knew the signs. His dad would find a way to punish himlater.

Later, it turned out, was immediately upon his arrival atSapphire Cove that evening.

Chip Murdoch stepped from the driver’s seat of his buddyJed’s Nissan Sentra wearing a suspicious scowl. As for the rest of his outfit,he wasn’t dressed in what he would’ve worn if they’d stuck to their originalplan to visit his favorite steak house, a circa 1950 hole in the wall where youcould still smell the cigarette smoke from days of yore and the red leatherbooths seemed to sprout fresh holes before each visit. Blue jeans, maybe abraided belt and one of his nicer polo shirts, possibly a Chip’s Kicks baseballhat if he didn’t feel like running gel through his hair.

Instead, he’d run gel through his hair. And dressed in hisone un-bleach-damaged pair of black jeans and a red and green plaid dress shirthe hadn’t donned since Logan was in high school, possibly for Logan’s graduation.Someone had even ironed it. Not Chip, because he didn’t know how.

And that’s when it hit Logan for the first time.

Sapphire Cove intimidated the hell out of his old man.

“It’s so pink,” Chip said by way of greeting.

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