Page 21 of Chance of Romance
Lexi winked. “And things got pretty heated on the sidewalk between you two.”
“I explained that,” Sabrina said through her teeth. Though the story her friends had heard was that Logan was mad she’d pretended he was her boyfriend. She was especially careful what she shared around Mad, who’d surely pass along any juicy tidbits to Logan. Only Lexi knew the truth. Sabrina had spilled her guts on the drive over here with Lexi, confessing she really liked Logan so much more than a friend, despite every practical reason she shouldn’t, including the pertinent fact that he had a girlfriend and was moving to San Francisco. Lexi had informed Sabrina that they’d all been hopeful for her to get together with Logan, but had believed her when she said they were just friends. Only Mad hadn’t been hopeful, convinced Logan was stuck on his ex. Too bad Mad was the one who was right. Sabrina still swore Lexi to secrecy because she didn’t want her one-sided longing for Logan to get back to him. Also Logan hadn’t yet told his friends and family about his move. Everything hinged on his investor meetings.
Lexi blew her a kiss.
Sabrina scowled. Sometimes Lexi’s sensitivity level was on par with a guy’s. Not that all men were like that, but the vast majority Sabrina encountered in her practice were oblivious to sensitive issues. Just like her clueless ex. Not only had Kevin sent her a wedding invitation—her! His jilted bride! He’d followed up with an enthusiastic email, telling her how wonderful his fiancée was and how he really wanted Sabrina to meet her. The man had no clue about boundaries or her emotional state. It suddenly occurred to her that it was a blessing she hadn’t married Kevin. Clearly his cluelessness hadn’t improved over the years. It would’ve worn at her, small slights and bigger wounds that he wouldn’t have noticed.
Joe cocked his head. “Logan was on TV?”
Logan. He wasn’t clueless at all. He’d been there for her during her TV appearance, reading between the lines to the fear under her bravado. Her heart cracked open, feeling so much more than lust for him. Her brain knew better; her heart didn’t care.
Sabrina turned to Joe. “He was backstage.” Her cheeks heated, and she willed herself to stop blushing. Joe studied her intently, showing his wily cop ways, and she cracked under the pressure. “He showed up to cheer me on.”
One corner of his mouth lifted, reminding her of Logan’s amused smile. “Is that right?”
Lexi added fuel to the fire, informing Joe, “He drove all the way to the city at an ungodly hour on a Monday.” She thumped her chest. “Above and beyond, A for effort.”
Joe’s brows went up, staring at Lexi, but he said nothing. What was there to say? Lexi made it sound like Logan had a thing for her. Joe’s attention returned to Sabrina, and she felt the telltale blush spread to her neck.
“We’re good friends,” she assured him.
Mad piped up. “Yeah. Logan’s still stuck on whatshername from college.”
“Olivia,” Sabrina supplied.
“Since when?” Joe asked.
Mad stood, back to wearing her usual black work boots. “Since forever, Dad. Everyone knows.”
Joe’s brows scrunched together.
“I only recently heard about her,” Sabrina offered, trying to make Joe feel better for being out of the loop. “I think he likes to keep his private life private.”
“Then how’d I know?” Mad asked.
Hailey distracted Mad, taking Rose out of her doggie purse and handing her over for cuddles. Mad had taken care of Rose right before they all gave Hailey the little dog as a present, so they had a special bond. Rose was part of an intervention Sabrina had orchestrated for Hailey on New Year’s Eve, trying to help her slow down from the hyper speed she’d latched onto after she’d ended her long-term friends-with-benefits arrangement. The real stressor for Hailey, in Sabrina’s professional opinion, was losing her sparring partner in Josh when he’d become involved with the beautiful bohemian Clarissa just as Hailey became single. Swing and a miss for Hailey, though she’d never admit it.
Joe looked to Sabrina, his brow crinkled. “Logan was with her eight years ago. How could he be hung up that long?”
“They reconnected recently,” Sabrina said. She looked away, her eyes hot. She’d been lucky to have Logan in her life for the short time that she had, and now he was leaving. Her throat tightened, eyes stinging, heartaching. She gave herself a moment to acknowledge her loss. It was time for her to let go of Logan.
She had to look to the future, to her career, to her upcoming book and helping so many women. That was where she should focus all of her energy. She stood, holding up her shoes, and forced some cheer into her voice. “Brandy, I’ll take these.”
Brandy smiled and gestured for her to follow her to the counter.
Once they’d all paid for the shoes, with an employee discount courtesy of Brandy, they headed for their next stop—lunch. Hailey had made reservations in a private room of an Italian restaurant nearby.
“Joe, you’re welcome to join us for lunch,” Hailey said. “I’m sure the restaurant could add one more to the reservation.”
Joe smiled. “Thanks, but I have to go. You ladies enjoy yourselves.”
Mad gave him a hug. “Thanks for coming. Not every day your daughter is a bride, huh?”
Joe’s eyes misted and he ruffled Mad’s hair. She scowled and smoothed it out. “You’re a beautiful bride, Mad. Couldn’t be more proud.”
Mad’s lips twisted to the side, her own eyes misting. “See ya.”
They all headed out the door, except Joe, who turned and went back to the counter. Sabrina stopped in front of the door and peeked over her shoulder. Joe was talking to Brandy, the pair of them showing all the classic flirtation signals. Joe standing tall, shoulders thrown back. Brandy smiling, looking away and back. Whoa.
