Page 93 of Sapphire Sunset

Trying to impress his dad with a lot of elegant theatricswould have been one thing. Putting him on the walls of Sapphire Cove as if hebelonged here was another, far better thing.

From across the room, Connor caught Logan’s look. He smiledand shrugged, as if all this was the least he could do.

The next thing Logan knew he was sinking down into the chairnext to Connor’s, the one Connor had pulled back from the table for him as ifnext to him was somewhere he’d always belonged.

There were no interruptions, no crises that called Connorand Logan away from the table. The meal proceeded in dreamlike fashion, and itfelt to Logan like fate had brought them all together for this exact purpose.To share wine and stories and laughter and be kissed by warm ocean breezes andgive Logan’s dad some of the credit he deserved for turning his life around fiveyears before.

They’d just finished the entrees when Connor said, “What wasshe like?”

It took everyone a second to see he was staring at the photoof Chip, Logan’s mom, and baby Logan, the one he’d placed between the roses.The question was meant for Chip, who’d already entertained them with severalharrowing stories about the night of Logan’s birth—a sixteen-hour labor, abreech birth, all resulting in an eleven-pound baby with so much face fat itseyes disappeared if you tipped it slightly forward in one arm.

“Lucy?” Chip asked. “She was like her son.”

“Gay?” Logan asked.

There was a ripple of laughter around the table. Chipsmiled, but it looked like his heart wasn’t in it. His heart, it seemed, was inmemories of Lucy. “Nah, she definitely wasn’t that. Or if she was I sure ashell converted her.” Petey and Jed both guffawed.

“That’s not how it works, Dad. There are no conversions.That’s not a thing.”

“I know, I know. I’m only messing with you.”

“How was she like Logan?” Connor asked.

Chip paused, sipped his wine. It didn’t seem like he was offendedby the question, more like he thought any question relating to his late wiferequired careful, thoughtful, honest answers.

“She was strong,” he finally said. “We used to joke ananeurysm was the only thing that could take her because it was so quick, youknow? Anything else, it would have had to sneak up on her and she could havewhacked the shit out of it before it got her brain. But it wasn’t justphysical. She had a sense of obligation. Loyalty. Like he does.”

“And you do,” Logan offered.

“Meh. I’ve had my moments, but yours aren’t as few and farbetween.”

“That’s not true, Pop,” Logan said.

“It is true.” Chip was looking down at his plate. “I neverdefended my country like he did. And no offense, Mr. Harcourt—”

“Connor, please, Mr. Murdoch.”

Chip smiled. “No offense, Connor, but if I was him, I wouldhave quit this place forty-eight hours ago when the shit hit the fan. In fact,I even tried to convince him not to come back. But no way—”

“Dad—”

“Relax. It’s all good.” To Connor, he said, “The speech hegave me. About this place. About how happy it made him to work here. Ishouldawritten it down. You could have put it on thebrochure.”

“Good thing he came back then,” Connor said. “’CauseI don’t think any of us could do this without him.”

After they finished the crèmebrûlée,the evening ended with a round of hugs, during which Chip pulled Connor off toone corner of the suite to say things to him under his breath with a graveexpression on his face, their foreheads almost touching. Logan texted Joel tocome guard the door while Connor helped the catering staff break down thesetup. His dad’s little tête-à-tête would have made Logan nervous if Connorhadn’t looked like he was about tobustout laughingthe whole time.

Then Logan walked his dad and company down to the lobby at aleisurely pace.

They’d left the elevators and were approaching receptionwhen his dad turned to him and patted him on the chest, like he was proud of him.

“What?” Logan asked.

“You did good.”

“With the dinner?” Logan asked.

“All of it.”

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