Page 51 of The Lost and the Found

“And what do you plan to do after?”

“Well, I’m an accounting major, so I hope to find a job in the field,” I said, and it wasn’t until I said it that I realized my plan wasn’t really much of a plan. It had always been graduate, find a job, and get out of poverty. But now that I was sharing it with someone like Mason and it felt… silly, almost.

He nodded, as if he was impressed. I couldn’t tell if that was really the case or not. “That’s a good degree to have. Very practical. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding something.”

“That’s the plan,” I said, taking another sip of my wine. I needed to pace myself. I was lightweight, I knew that. And wouldn’t it be something if I lost my inhibitions and started telling people what I really thought of them?

I smiled at the thought.

Logan joined the conversation then. “Hayden is one of the most dedicated people I know. She makes me look like a slacker with how hard she works to put herself through school.”

Mason smiled. “Is that so?”

Logan nodded, his arms tightening around me before changing the subject. I didn’t pay attention; I couldn’t. Because what Logan had said about me still rang in my head. He sounded… proud of me.

It had been a long time since anyone had been proud of me. My mom used to say how proud she was when I brought home high marks from a school project and what not, but that was years ago.

I blinked away the tears, thankful no one was paying any attention to me.

Logan wasn’t ashamed to have me on his arm tonight. He genuinely wanted me there. And he was proud of my accomplishments.

* * *

Dinner passedby quickly after that, and I especially enjoyed the dessert. I wasn’t usually a big fan of sweets, but the chocolate cake was divine.

The stage at the front was suddenly filled with commotion. I turned to it and found a well-dressed man stepping out, tapping the microphone a little, checking the sound. He offered a charming smile to the crowd, and everyone clapped.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Christopher Houston and I’ll be the host for tonight’s fabulous events. First of all, I want to give a special shout out to the folks at Kade, Walker, and Cross for sponsoring the night…”

I drowned out his voice as the applause died down, and instead, sneaked in glances at Logan next to me. He was a beautiful man. No one should be allowed to look like him. No one should have his kind of rugged handsomeness, because surely that kind of beauty was for someone, something, of a much higher power—something meremortals shouldn’t be able to possess.

But that was what Logan was for me. Someone so goddamn good-looking that he didn’t feel real. And he was with me, even if it was just for tonight.

But Logan was more than his looks; I knew that. I was never one to be so attached to a pretty face. If anything, it usually spelled nothing but trouble.And I wasn’t just attached to that, anyway. I was attached to how he made me feel. Like I wanted to give truly living a second chance. That I wasn’t just surviving, but living my life and enjoying it. That I could be whatever I wanted to be with him nearby. It felt possible.

Maybe that was why Logan scared me so much.

Because if he could so easily make me hope for the things I didn’t have, then it would be so much easier for him to take it all away from me.

I looked down when everyone around us burst into applause, and I took a small sip of my drink, trying to gather my thoughts. Logan made me vulnerable. But I would be damned if I ever showed him.

I set the glass down and looked to the stage, and standing there were probably twelve of the most beautiful women I had ever seen in my life. Each one screamed class and money. They must have been the “dates” Logan was talking about.

At that moment, servers came by and started passing out paddles with numbers on them.

“For the auction?” I asked Logan, just as I was handed a paddle with the number 10 on it. I doubted I would be bidding on anything tonight. I almost laughed at the thought… everything was out of my price range.

Logan nodded, waving his paddle in front of his face. Number 26. “Yeah.”

“Will you be bidding on anything?” I asked, looking back up at the stage. I knew Logan said he wouldn’t be bidding on a date, but had he seen the women there?

I didn’t have low self-esteem, but everyone on that stage made me feel like a mouse. A small, quiet, insignificant mouse.

Logan moved his chair closer to mine and, bending his head low until his lips were touching my ear, he whispered, “I can’t think of anyone who could turn my attention like you had tonight when I first arrived at your apartment. I can’t get enough of you. Do you honestly think I would ever bid on any one of these women?”

“I know,” I said softly. And I did. I loved how my insecurities didn’t make him run for the hills. There was probably going to be a lot more of it, the more time we spent together. “What about the other stuff?”

He pulled back to take in my face. “Is there anything in particular you want?”

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