Page 9 of Chance of Romance
Chapter Three
Logan drove to Manhattan early Monday morning to surprise Sabrina by showing up for her big talk-show debut. If he’d told her ahead of time he’d be there, she would’ve put on a brave face and said she was just fine. But he’d seen the real fear in her eyes and, as soon as he found out from Mad that Sabrina was going alone, it was a no-brainer. Sabrina was like a porcelain doll—beautiful, perfect, delicate. Untouchable. Her dark blond hair was smooth and straight, never mussed or out of place, and she had these big innocent-looking brown eyes with round cheeks prone to blushing, and a sweet smile. Her body was trim and curvy, wrapped in perfectly tailored professional clothes.
Not that he was a complete Neanderthal, but he needed someone that could challenge him, a little more give-and-take. He could easily walk all over Sabrina with her sweet accommodating ways. And, for sure, if Sabrina was rattled, a talk-show host could walk all over her too. If his standing backstage during her big interview could give back even alittleof the support she’d given him, well, it was the least he could do. His sister-in-law Claire had gotten him on the VIP list so he could stand in Sabrina’s line of vision, off camera, letting her know a friend was there for her.
Sabrina didn’t know how much her quiet listening and support had helped him through some tough spots. Like last summer when his business partner, Ben, had been falsely accused of sexual harassment. Logan had been hurting for his friend and worried about their company when the news leaked out through business channels. Sabrina had encouraged him to ignore the whispers and let Ben know he believed in him. They’d weathered that storm.
Then later when Ben had been a bear to work with and Logan couldn’t figure out why, Sabrina was the one who’d zeroed in on the cause of Ben’s misery—Missy—and suggested Logan let her go a little early from her work contract so Missy and Ben could get together without professional boundaries holding them back. Now they were engaged. Sabrina was smart like that. Too modest for her own good, but, in his opinion, she wastherelationship expert.
Damn traffic. It had been smooth sailing all the way into the city. He inched his way through the last few blocks to theSunshine Americastudio, hoping it cleared up fast. He was excited for Sabrina and what this could mean for her career. Sabrina’s believing in him had really helped his own career. When he, the tech guy, had to take the lead on the investor meetings due to Ben’s damaged rep from that lying former employee, Sabrina had offered unwavering support, listening to him go on and on about his presentation and then confirming he was on the right track. Ben liked to razz him about Sabrina, calling her Logan’s sweetheart, which was part of the problem with Sabrina. She was too sweet; she even smelled sweet like honey and flowers.
Though she’d surprised him during their lunch on Friday, raising her voice for the first time ever and confessing her family was nuts. He’d always pictured her in a quiet family that went to orchestra concerts or the opera. In any case, she’d never given him any indication that she wanted to be more than friends. She was so reserved and professional. He couldn’t imagine even mussing up her perfect hair. The one and only time she’d touched him had been last week on New Year’s Eve when she’d given him the most awkward hug of his life. Even his most reserved brother, Josh, gave better bro hugs than that. She’d been so careful to keep her distance during their hug she’d actually squeezed his elbow—the most unexciting spot on the human body—and patted his back. When the hug ended, she’d jumped a foot away like she could barely tolerate touching him.
There were other complications. Sabrina was close with his loudmouthed sister, which was why he never got too personal during their talks. He hadn’t told Sabrina about Olivia, even though things were looking very promising for him and Olivia. He’d fallen hard for her his senior year of college and proposed on graduation night. Something he’d kept from his family and friends because she’d turned him down, saying he wasn’t from the right family. Translation: he had no money. She was from a wealthy family, and her inheritance depended on her marrying well, all sorts of stipulations, blah, blah, blah. All he’d heard wasyou’re not good enough. He’d thrown himself into work, mostly to prove he could be a success and shove it in her face. But that was in the early days. Eventually, he’d really enjoyed work and later building his own business.
Olivia’s rejection didn’t sting as much as it might have because she kept in touch, sending him birthday and holiday cards, occasionally emailing to see how he was doing. Deep down he knew her keeping in touch meant she still cared for him. A couple of months ago, she’d emailed with her usual friendly note, and when he’d told her Checkin was about to take it to the next level, she’d been happy for him. She’d even said she should’ve known he’d be a success and she’d been foolish to turn his proposal down. Now, he wasn’t naïve. He read between the lines that he was more appealing to her now as an established successful businessman than an entry-level employee from a working-class family, but still. There’d been something real between them before, and now that he was at a point in his life where he could reap the rewards of all his hard work, he’d been thinking more about making time for a relationship.
It helped that Olivia had confessed the real reason she’d rejected him was because she’d been too young. She was two years younger than him, only twenty when he’d proposed. He forgave her. She’d been sincere, and it had been her initial rejection, after all, that lit the fire of ambition in him.
He’d flown out to San Francisco six weeks ago to see her over the long Thanksgiving weekend. They’d connected like the fit of an old glove—comfortable and easy. He hadn’t seen her since—she’d flown to the Swiss Alps for Christmas with her family, and he’d wanted to spend Christmas with his own family while sneaking a little work in. But they’d talked and texted a lot. He’d told her if things went well for Checkin, he’d open a San Francisco office so they could be together. She’d been excited about the idea.
He hadn’t told Olivia about Sabrina either, even though they were just friends. Olivia was the jealous type. Besides, if everything worked out like he hoped for Checkin, he’d be moving to San Francisco, and Sabrina would be out of his life. No more lunches, no more deep conversations. His throat tightened, unexpectedly choked up at the thought. He’d miss Sabrina. No one had ever listened to him the way she did. He gave himself a mental shake. Priorities. His life was on the verge of great things.
He reached the studio an excruciatingly long time later and drove past it, looking for a parking garage. He found one a couple of blocks from the studio, left the keys with the valet, and booked it out of there. Her interview was starting in fifteen minutes. He went into the studio building and stopped at the security guard’s desk, giving his name and telling him he was on the list.
The security guard, a tough-looking man with a shaved head and deep lines in his face, looked skeptical. “Driver’s license.”
Logan pulled out his wallet and showed him. “It’s starting soon. I need to get in there.”
“Hold on.” The guy picked up a phone and checked in about Logan. He hung up and turned to him. “Set’s closed. All the seats in the audience are filled.”
“No, I’m with Claire Jordan. I’m supposed to go backstage. She cleared it with the producer.”
He looked around Logan, where there was no Claire Jordan. “Uh-huh.” No one ever believed he knew Claire Jordan. She was just that famous, but she’d married his brother Jake.
“Claire’s my sister-in-law,” he said urgently. “She cleared it. Check with the producer.”
The man eyed him. “What’s the producer’s name?”
He racked his brain. “Cindy. No, Sandy. Sally! She said Sally would help me out.”
The man’s gaze flicked over his shoulder, where another person was approaching the desk. Shit. This guy wasn’t moving fast enough, and Logan was going to miss the whole thing. He pulled out his phone and called Claire. She was going to kill him. It was before five a.m. in California. Voicemail. She must’ve turned her phone off. He called Jake. Voicemail.
The security guard let the other guy in.
Logan gestured to the security phone. “Please call again. Claire got me on the list.”
“Buddy, you’re not on any list.”
“I am!” His gaze darted to the elevator. He debated racing past the guy, but the chances of getting to Sabrina before he was hauled out of the building were slim. He focused on the security guard again. “Check with Sally.”
“There is no Sally.”
“Cindy, then.”
The man stood, bulky with muscle and fully armed. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Logan scrambled for an alternative. He had to let Sabrina know she wasn’t facing this alone. He lifted a hand, signaling the guy to stand down, turned, and left the building, still trying to think of a workaround.
