Chapter 41
After lunch, Logan called me into his office. Dylan still hadn’t responded, and I was thankful for the distraction from waiting for one.
“I would like you to help me plan another party,” Logan said as soon as I had entered his office. “You’re very good at those.” He smiled at me.
I smiled back. This was way better than being ignored. “Yes, you got it! What’s the occasion?” I asked, taking a seat and opening my notebook.
“I want to introduce my wife to everyone here. I feel it’s important for them to meet her, since she’s now technically part of this company as well.”
My pen froze above the page. The last thing I had heard about his wife was that they were getting a divorce. “Oh! Uh…”
He laughed. “I understand your confusion. My wife and I have been trying to work things out. I would really like to, if I can.”
“That’s great sir,” I smiled at him. “Did you have any particular date in mind for the party?”
I wrote down all the details he had already worked out as he said them, but my mind was elsewhere. They’d been trying to work things out…Natalie suddenly had way more dates, and that purse she got that I swear I helped pick out…the coincidences just kept coming.
I closed my notebook after he gave me the dates and the food ideas he had for the party. Then I stood to leave.
“Anything else before I go, sir?” I asked.
“Yes, just one more thing,” he said.
He opened the top middle drawer of his desk and pulled out a small black envelope. He handed it to me. The front of it read, “Dayspring Spa and Resort.” I looked at him, confused.
“Take the rest of the day off,” he smiled. “I’ve booked you a massage that starts in…” he looked at his watch, “one hour. I’ve arranged for a driver to pick you up and drop you off from your home, so you should probably get going now.”
My mouth fell open. “Oh, sir, this is too much…”
“No, it’s not,” he said, looking downward. “I was terrible to you. You’ve been nothing short of amazing and I…I’m sorry. Please, go, enjoy. You deserve it.”
I was so overcome with emotion that I ran over to Logan and threw my arms around his neck before I even realized what I was doing. After a moment, he wrapped his around my waist and pulled me in close.
I was stunned by his response. His embrace felt so…warm and kind. His strong arms tightened around me and he gently rested his head on my shoulder. This suddenly seemed like more than just a “hey thanks!” hug between coworkers. My heart leapt at the thought.
As tough as it was, I pulled away first, not wanting to seem any more unprofessional than I already had been. “I uh…,” I blushed. “Thank you so much!” I said, then headed for the door.
He gave me a small wave and a smile as he walked over to close the door behind me.
I took a second at my desk before gathering my stuff to leave. I was probably just imagining things, surely that was just a friendly hug. Logan is trying to work things out with his wife, he wouldn’t jeopardize that. Especially with someone like me.
I shut my computer down and grabbed my purse. I waved through the glass at Logan before I left, eager to get to my massage appointment.
Logan waved back at Hazel and watched her until she was out of sight.
He was kicking himself internally. Why had he let himself hug her like that? He’s never let any of his other secretaries even give him so much as a handshake. But the way she wrapped her arms around his neck…her sweet, kind, innocent embrace…he couldn’t help but feel like pulling her in close to him.
His phone buzzed, interrupting his thoughts. It was a text from Natalie.
“Still on for tonight?” She asked.
“Yes, I’ll meet you at the restaurant at 8.” He wrote back.
“I’ll see you there. I’ll be the sexy one wearing these. ;)” Natalie wrote, then sent a picture of her bare legs posed up against a wall with only her new Madeline pumps on. Logan imagined that even though he couldn’t see it, that’s probably all she was wearing. He blushed and quickly closed the image.
“Can’t wait,” was all he could muster to send back. Natalie was gorgeous, but her timing with sending that image, right after the way Hazel had made him feel, just left him feeling torn and confused.
At 5 til 8:00, Natalie walked through the doors of Petite Francais. Logan, like everyone else that sat or stood waiting in the lobby, could not take his eyes off her. She was in fact wearing those pumps and little else. She had paired them with a short, skin-tight, sleeveless black dress. She waved at Logan when she spotted him.
“Wow,” he said when she approached him. “You look incredible.”
She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Mm, so do you,” she said with a wink. She looked down at Logan’s hand, which was holding a black gift bag. “Is that for me?” She asked as a grin spread across her face.
“Maybe,” Logan winked at her.
He handed her the bag. She excitedly moved the tissue paper to the side and pulled out a shoebox. She let out a little squeal as she opened the box, but her face dropped as soon as she saw what was inside.
Logan frowned. “What’s wrong? Are they the wrong size?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that. They’re great, it’s just…” she thought for a moment. “I can’t believe someone sold these to you. They are so last season. Anyone caught wearing these would be a laughingstock.”
“Oh,” Logan said. “I’m sorry, I’ll take them back.”
“There is a new line of Madeline pumps that was just released,” she said, smiling again. “They would go great with a new diamond tennis bracelet.”
Logan gave her a half-hearted smile. He tried telling himself that she was an actress, and being up-to-date on the latest trends would probably be good for her image. That was probably her reasoning, but he couldn’t shake the ick that this conversation had given him.
“Hatfield, party of two?” The hostess called out.
Logan placed his hand on the small of Natalie’s back and they followed the hostess to their table. She handed them menus and went back to the hostess stand.
“So,” Natalie said. “Tell me about work. How was your day?”
Logan was a little taken aback. She had never asked him about his work before. Or really, much of anything about himself. “It was good, I worked some things out with my secretary. We had a misunderstanding that finally got cleared up.”
“I see,” Natalie stiffened. “This secretary…is it a woman?”
“She is,” he said. “Why do you ask?”
Natalie set the menu down. “It’s just, you know the old trope, the boss messing around with his secretary. How can I know that won’t happen with you?”
The hug from earlier in the day flashed in Logan’s mind. “Honey, I chose this secretary because of her professionalism. She keeps things strictly business,” he said. He had believed that at one point, anyway.
Natalie shook her head. “I don’t trust her. I know how women are. I’ve seen the way everyone looks at you. Trust me. Even the most professional woman would have their way with you given the chance.”
That hug…
Logan shook it from his mind. “I promise, my love, you have nothing to worry about.”
