“I know what you mean, but Tinder doesn’t do that either.”
“No, you are right, it doesn’t. But this guy, L.J., I think he might actually live or work around here. I swear each time he’s messaged the location is on this block or just a couple of streets away. Perhaps we will stumble into each other in the café, or in your bar, or on my way to the train.”
Logan finished his cocoa and turned to wash his cup. He needed to be more careful about when he messaged her, or she was going to work it all out. His stomach churned over, and he couldn’t decide if that was through excitement or dread.
Harriet walked around the counter and stood next to him, her hand on his arm as he took her cup from her. “What about you, are you seeing anyone new?”
He shook his head. “Nah, about the same as you. I’ve messaged this cute blonde a few times.” She grabbed the tea towel and leaned back against the sink, drying their cups. “Oh, what’s she like?”
Logan wondered if she was just being polite, or whether he heard something else in her voice. He laughed. “Oh, she is totally out of my league. Smart and beautiful. Honestly, I have no idea why she isn’t dating anyone.”
“Hey, you’re smart. “Her cheekbones reddened a little. “And I think you are kind of beautiful, too. Um, I mean handsome.” They turned an even deeper shade. “You are quite the catch, Mr. Jackson.”
He raised an eyebrow. “A college dropout that works a bar is not a catch in most women’s books.”
“Why not? College doesn’t make you smart, and you don’t just work in a bar. You own the place, Logan, and you have turned it around from a sleepy little business to a thriving, happening, trendy place that is pretty much packed out every night of the week. You are killing it, and for most women, there is something sexy about a successful businessman.”
Their eyes met, and for a second, he thought about reaching out and cupping her face, tugging her towards him, and kissing those delectable pink lips. He was about one point three seconds away from doing it, too, but Harriet turned, and put the mugs in the cabinet. “Night, thanks for the chat.” And she walked away from him, her long hair swinging, and her hips swaying, as she went to her room.
Logan let out the breath he had been holding, and slowly inhaled another. When the door to her room clicked closed, he reluctantly went to his own room.
10
Harriet
Three Weeks Later…
I’m not going to do it, I’m bailing.”
“What? NO!” RoryLynn stood in front of the door so Harriet couldn’t back out. “You haven’t tried a date with any one of the guys MatchMate has listed for you, and you promised you would at least try one.”
“But, I’m not sure on Lesley.”
“It’s Wesley. Jeepers, get his name straight, at least. Come on, Harriet, it is too late to change your mind; he will be waiting for you in the bar.”
Harriet gulped, knowing her friend was right. Wesley was probably already there. It was just drinks and maybe food after, depending how things went. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror next to the door. It had been warm these last few days, and the weather had switched over from spring to summer. The sundress she had chosen was cute and cinched at the waist. It flared out over her hips and its crisp cotton skirt stopped two inches above her knee. Thanks to a Memorial Day spent at the beach, her skin had a healthy golden tan, and her hair shimmered a little lighter than usual, as the sun and sea had bleached it, bringing out the natural highlights.
This date with Wesley had been arranged for several days, but Harriet’s heart wasn’t in it. The guy on paper looked athletic, with broad shoulders and long legs. They’d exchanged dozens of text messages over the last couple of weeks, and there had been a hint of a spark between them. Trouble was, she had been getting on even better with someone else. Her messages with L.J. had continued, too, and there wasn’t just a glimmer of a spark with him, he had most definitely set her alight.
Harriet had messaged the mystery guy from Tinder multiple times a day, often late into the night, which left her exhausted in the mornings. Although it was ridiculous, she found herself thinking this L.J. had many traits similar to a man she had known for some time—Logan. Perhaps it was the fact she had been without a guy for a few months now, or maybe, it was living in close quarters with her very attractive friend, but Harriet was beginning to notice Logan in ways she never noticed him before. And, coincidently, L.J.’s messages were somehow making her more aware of her best friend.
Only this morning, she’d been blissfully sleeping, when Logan had crept into her dreams. An earlier exchange of texts with L.J. had somehow morphed into a scene where they had met, and the mysterious, long-haired man from the shadowy picture turned out to look exactly like her landlord.
What’s more, after she spent a night sending ‘this or that’ questions backwards and forwards, she began comparing L.J.’s answers to things she already knew about Logan, or she would notice that Logan liked the same thing as L.J. But none of this was getting her anywhere. L.J. had made no suggestions that they should meet, and Logan…well, he would never be anything but her friend.
“Okay, perhaps you’re right. It is just one night. Drinks, possibly dinner, I can do this.” Because if I don’t, I might just find myself hitting on my friend!
“Yes! Flipping heck, you had me worried, Harriet. My month is almost over, and I am so determined to win that
