Page 19 of Landing Her Eagle
“Woman can’t live on carbs alone, Daph. You need protein too. You’re probably hungry by ten and ravenous by lunch.” Logan appears distressed at my lack of a balanced breakfast.
I won’t tell him about hitting the stash of pretzel rods in the break room around a quarter past ten to help me make it to lunch. I’ll keep my desk stash of granola bars a secret too.
“Yes, dear. You’re right,” I say instead. “Thank goodness you’re here to care for me today.” I take a bite of my delicious eggs. The flavors of ham and cheddar make my taste buds tingle. I could get used to this, but I know I can’t. He’s only here for a week, and then he’s off again for however long. I won’t dwell on that now. I’m going to enjoy the fact we’re together for breakfast.
I glance at him. “What’s your plan for today?”
Swallowing his sip of coffee, Logan replies, “Do laundry. If you have anything you need washed, let me know. I can do it with mine.”
I shake my head.
“While laundry is going, I figured I’d clean out the gutters, rake the yard. Then I’ll grab a shower and meet my gorgeous girlfriend for lunch.” He bats his eyelashes. He has the prettiest eyelashes, it’s not fair.
I nod. “Yes, please.”
“After that, assuming I can’t convince her to play hooky for the afternoon…” He casts me a hopeful puppy dog look.
I shake my head again. “Not a chance.”
His shoulders droop in resignation. “After that, I’ll swing by Uncle Will’s office and check in.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say. “Oh, that reminds me! I saw Liam the other day. He was doing some minor maintenance stuff in my area of the building. You should call him while you’re here. Maybe you can get together. He invited me out with his friends, but I was doing the challenge.”
“Do you hang out with Liam a lot?”
“No, I don’t hang out with anyone other than Jessica Fletcher. And now Shelby from college. You know that!” What a weird question. Why would he care if I hang out with Liam?
“We’ll all have to go out. Maybe go to the casino. We haven’t done that in forever. Maybe Devil’s Den?” He names one of the newer Atlantic City casinos. It’s smaller and more like an old-fashioned gambling club in nineteenth-century England than a neon wonderland.
I haven’t been there yet. I’m not much of a gambler. They do have lounges and restaurants besides the gaming, from what I’ve heard, so maybe it will be fun.
I stand and take my dishes to the sink to rinse them off. “That sounds good. Maybe Friday or Saturday? Talk to Liam and let me know.” I take Logan’s dishes from his hand and rinse them while he takes mine to load the dishwasher. He hasopinionson the proper way to load it, so I let him have his fun. I don’t care as long as I have clean dishes when I need them.
Turning away from the sink, I lean over to kiss Logan goodbye. “Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious. I have lunch at one this week. Where do you want to go?”
“It’s nice out. I could snag sandwiches and chips, and we could go to the park,” Logan suggests, resting his hand on my hip.
I look up into the face I love so much. His eyes are such a gorgeous forest green. There are flecks of gold in there if you look closely enough. I love being close enough to him to see them.
His hand flexes on my hip. “Daph?”
I got so lost gazing at him I forgot to respond. “Sandwiches in the park sound great. Turkey club and red bag Herr’s, please. Are we meeting there, or are you picking me up?” I ease back and snag my purse from the back of my stool, checking to make sure my keys are in the pocket. I glance up at him, waiting for an answer.
He nods. “A gentleman picks up his lady for their date. You know that, Daphne.” Logan slips his feet into his sneakers near the door. “If you’re going to insist on going to work, I’m going to insist on walking you to your car.” He holds his hand out for my keys, and I give them to him. He wraps the fingers of his free hand around mine, and we walk outside. I hear the click of the car door unlocking. He pulls it open, handing the keys to me.
Before getting in, I turn, wrap my arms around his neck, and stretch up to give him a kiss goodbye. His arms encircle me in return, and his hands rest right above my butt. Our goodbye kiss deepens. His embrace tightens, and I press myself closer. I can taste his morning coffee on his lips. Usually I don’t like coffee, but I could learn to enjoy this. I’m not sure how long our kiss lasts, but thebeep beepof the yellow school bus rumbling past causes us to break apart.
I laugh a bit breathlessly, hoping I didn’t give the school kids too much of a show, and get in my SUV. I peek up at Logan after getting settled.
He’s holding my door and has stepped in to press a quick kiss to my lips. “Have a good day, sunshine. I’ll be there at one to take you to lunch. If you change your mind about the turkey, text me.” He steps back and gets ready to close the door.
I stop him. “I’m so glad you’re here, Logan. I can’t wait for lunch.” With that, I let him close my door. Turning the key in the ignition, I give the car a moment to warm up and plug in my phone so I can listen to my current audiobook on my way to the office.
He stands on the porch, watching me and waving as I blow him a kiss. He catches it and presses it to his heart, causing me to melt at his romantic goofiness. After checking to make sure all is clear behind me, I back down the driveway, giving another little wave before I put the car in drive and head off. If I’m only going to get a handful of these mornings with Logan before he leaves me and we’re done, I need to remember every moment.
It’s all I’m going to have for the future.
16
