Kayla heaved in a long sigh, the one she made right before she started a long-winded, parental lecture. “Paige, listen to me.”
Paige grasped both of her hands insistently. “No, you listen. You don’t know him the way I do. You haven’t seen what he’s like now. Trace’s death changed him. He…he’s not charming at all.”
Kayla lifted an eyebrow as if to ask, then why the heck do you like him?
Paige flushed. “I…he…he’s quiet and serious and intense. And when he manages to smile, it almost hurts to look at him because he’s still so tormented. But I get him. I understand the most elemental part of him because it’s like…it’s like seeing…me. And…and…he likes me too. A lot.”
“I…” Kayla shook her head and gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what to say. I just…this is the last thing I ever thought to hear come from your mouth. You’ve never really liked a certain guy before.”
“Well, I like him.” Paige took a deep breath and plunged in. “I’m pretty sure I love him.”
Kayla’s mouth dropped open. “Okay, that is the very last thing I ever thought I’d hear you say. Wow.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “But seriously. Wow. You’ve never even talked about liking a boy before. And now suddenly you’re in love with Logan Xander? You certainly don’t choose the easy path, do you?”
Paige bit her lip and shook her head.
“Well, okay.” Kayla squeezed her eyes closed before she opened them and shrugged. “I guess I can say one thing for him. After…after it happened, he stayed with me…with Trace and me. Everyone else took off, even Trace’s friends. They just disappeared, scattering as soon as it happened. But Xander fell onto his knees on the other side of Trace and used his cell phone to call the police. He didn’t budge once as I bawled all over Trace’s body, not until help arrived. He even reached out and closed Trace’s eyes. I think I appreciated that more than anything.”
Paige pulled Kayla into a hug. “He’s a good person. No matter what happened three years ago, he’s paid for it for too long. And I think I help heal him.”
Kayla nodded. “Well, then, I think if you really want to be with him, I’ll support any decision you make.” Then she winced. “But I wouldn’t tell your dad about it for a while if I were you.”
Paige snickered. “No, I hadn’t planned on it quite yet either.”
She stayed with Kayla and talked for almost an hour. But since she was scheduled to work that evening, and there was one more stop she wanted to make before leaving the county, she hugged her friend goodbye and headed out.
When she arrived in Village Heights fifteen minutes later, she stopped at a gas station to borrow a telephone book. After she found the address for Roderick Xander, it took less than five minutes for her to pull to the curb in front of a stately, two-story estate.
Wringing her hands, she walked slowly to the front door and rang the bell. She almost expected a servant to answer, so when Logan’s father pulled the door open, she took an immediate, leery step back, not prepared to jump into this quite yet.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I…yes. Hello. I…I’m Paige Zukowski. My brother was—”
“We know,” he bit off abruptly, his eyes chilling. “And you’ve come to the wrong place. We don’t know where he is.”
Paige frowned. “Where…who is?”
“Logan. If you’re here to see to him, he’s not here.”
“Oh. I know that.” Paige fumbled a moment, not sure how to proceed. “I mean, I know he’s not here. But that’s not why I’m here. I mean, it is. Kind of.”
The words sounded bumbled on her tongue. Even Mr. Xander cocked his head, looking bewildered as he studied her. When his wife appeared beside him, setting her hand on his arm, Paige glanced at both of them and started again.
“I’m sorry. I realize I’m messing this up. I just…I didn’t come to see him. I came to talk to you. To the both of you.”
“We don’t have anything to say about that night,” Mrs. Xander said, her voice chilly and strained. “I’m sorry.”
When she began to shut the door, Paige threw out her hand to block it. “No. Wait! Please. I know you kicked him out after helping him with his legal matters, and I…I…I just wanted to let you know I think you made a big mistake in doing that.”
Logan’s parents paused in shutting the door and opened it wide again. “Excuse us?”
“He’s your son,” she said simply.
When Mrs. Xander covered her mouth with her hands, clearly affected, Paige turned beseechingly to her. “He might’ve messed up and made a few wrong decisions that night. But you’re his parents. His family.”
She glanced toward his two brothers who’d crowded together at the end of a curving staircase. “It was your job to help him get back onto his feet and move past this tragedy. I just can’t understand how you could turn away from him. He’s not a bad person, and he paid for what happened. More than he should have. And he’s still paying for it. He needs you, but you treat him like he’s dead. And that’s wrong. If I had the chance to see my brother just one more time, I’d take it in a heartbeat. Do you want to lose any chance you might have to ever see Logan again? Honestly?”
“How dare you!” Logan’s father rumbled as he reached for his silently sobbing wife and pulled her into his arms. Glaring at Paige, he sneered. “How dare you come into our home and tell us what to feel. You have no idea what our lives have been like these past three years. You know nothing, little girl.”
Paige cowered a step back, sufficiently put in her place. “You’re right,” she said, wiping her damp palms on her thighs. “I don’t know what you have been through. I’m sorry for barging onto your property and insulting you. But I needed to say that.” She began to turn away. “I’ll leave you alone now.”
No one stopped her, no one contradicted her, no one argued with her opinion or even thanked her for coming. They merely glared after her as she strode down the sidewalk.
She wasn’t sure if she’d accomplished anything from her visit, but at least she felt better about saying her piece.
Chapter Thirty
PAIGE BARELY MADE IT back to Granton in time to make her evening shift at the juice bar. She clocked in and was wrapping her apron around her waist as she breezed into the front.
Seeing Logan made her pull up short. She usually worked Saturday nights with Bella. “What’re you doing here?”
He looked as equally shocked to see her. “Gus called me in to work because he said someone else couldn’t make it. I thought that someone else was you. What’re you doing here? After last night, you should take some time off.” He sounded very stern and fatherly. “You need to rest.”
“Last night?” She stared blankly until it struck her what he meant.
Wow, for a while, she’d actually forgotten all about Dorian Wade. At least there was one bright side to her busy day. With so many other things to deal with, she could forget for a couple minutes about being attacked less than twenty-four hours ago.
“I feel fine,” she said. Brushing past him, she smiled at the approaching couple and took their order.
Logan hovered behind her and hurried to make the smoothies the customers wanted before she could. As soon as they paid for their order and walked back out the door, leaving Logan and Paige the only two people in the shop, she turned back to him.
“Has it been this quiet all evening?”
He shook his head and sputtered out a sound of confusion as if he couldn’t believe she wanted to talk about work. “I’ve only been here ten minutes, but yeah.”
She frowned. “Huh. That’s strange. I wonder where everyone is.”
As if to ease her worries, the bell over the door rang, admitting new customers. A group of about half a dozen students entered. But when they saw Paige and Logan at the counter, they quieted immediately and appeared almost leery about approaching.
“Welcome to The Squeeze,” Paige called with an overly friendly smile,
inwardly wincing because she sounded way too syrupy-sweet. “What can we get you?”
Most of the group got into her line, but a couple stragglers went to Logan’s register. Logan and Paige filled their orders within a couple of minutes. After paying, the group moved as one big cluster to a high round table, but no one sat. They whispered among themselves for a few minutes, casting glances toward the counter before they exited the shop en masse.
Once again, The Squeeze was left empty.
“Okay, this is beyond bizarre,” Paige said, watching them flee. “What the heck is going on?”
Logan sighed and rubbed at the center of his forehead. “I think word has gotten out about me.” Ducking his head, he added, “About my past.”
Paige whirled to gape at him. “What? What makes you think that?”
Though he kept his face lowered, he raised his eyes. “The campus cops. They brought it up when they were questioning me last night after the fight. They inferred that if I was involved in another physical altercation on campus, the university would…expel me.”
Paige’s heart felt like it literally plummeted into her stomach. She covered her mouth, unable to believe her ears. “Oh my God. Who do you think told them?”
He shrugged, glancing away. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter.”
Why wouldn’t he look at her? “You don’t…you don’t think it was me. Do you?”
Blue eyes veered back. “No. Not at all. You would’ve said something a long time ago if you were going to talk. It must’ve been someone from the grief group.”
At the front of the store, the door swung open. Paige whirled around to watch two girls begin to enter. But when they saw Logan, their eyes grew large. Jarring to a halt, they gawked at him before scurrying backward and out the exit.
Paige’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God. I cannot believe this. It was three years ago, people. And it was an accident.”
Opening her mouth to rage about the treatment he was getting, she spun to Logan and froze when she saw his pale features. He looked downright haunted.
Sending her a tremulous smile, he said, “Yeah. Well, not everyone has your ability to forgive and move on.”
She couldn’t handle seeing him so crushed. She stepped forward to hug him, let him know she wouldn’t abandon him, but the business phone rang, stalling her.
Logan jerked, and then rushed to answer. “You’ve reached The Squeeze. How can I help you?” He pulled back as if startled to hear whatever he was hearing. Paige shifted closer, focusing on his face. “Yes,” he answered before shaking his head. “No. Actually, it’s not at all…okay.” His gaze slid to her, the expression on his face unreadable. “Okay. I will. Okay. Bye.”
He hung up and continued to stare at Paige.
“Well?” she demanded.
He blinked as if…well, it was still hard to read him. But he appeared to be somewhere between perplexed, upset, and worried. “That was Gus,” he said slowly. “He said to close shop and lock the place up.”
Paige’s mouth dropped open. “What? Why?”
Logan shrugged. “He didn’t say.”
“And you didn’t ask?” Paige was furious. The angst in his eyes told her why he hadn’t. “You think it’s because of you.”
His gaze said yes, but his lips said, “I don’t know, but he wanted to make sure I walked you home tonight.”
Paige blinked. “Huh?”
Logan shook his head and lifted his hands. “Look, I have no idea. But this is really weird. I’m not getting good vibes. Let’s just do what he says and get out of here as fast as possible.” Turning away, he opened the cash drawer and began to clear out the register. “Can you get the front door?”
Paige stared at him a moment before she let out a sigh. “Yeah,” she said and left him to his task.
As soon as she locked the door and flipped the Open sign over, an upbeat hip-hop melody filled the air behind her. She looked back just in time to see Logan lowering his arm from the radio clock above the juice machine.
Grinning because he’d remembered how much she liked to work to music, she hummed along to the popular tune and found a broom to sweep the front parlor. Logan stayed behind the counter, starting the sink water, looking uptight and concerned. As he added suds, Paige twirled her broom, dancing with it as she swept. She glanced at him, hoping he was watching, hoping her silliness would help loosen him up.
He was, and his gorgeous half-smile tugged at his cheeks. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the dirty dishes, but at least his shoulders looked more relaxed.
Though she put on a façade of being perfectly fine, her body remained tense and braced. Something eerie was going on, and it involved Logan somehow. But for Gus to request that Logan see her safely home suggested something else entirely.
She shook her head as she stowed the broom away and moved behind the counter to help Logan with the finishing touches.
When Jason Mraz’s song I Won’t Give Up came on over the radio, they were nearly done with clean up.
Paige sucked in a long breath. She needed something to distract her nerves. And she needed a reason to touch him again. Grasping onto this excuse, she swirled to him with a coaxing smile. “This is my favorite song.” Drawn toward him as she’d never been drawn to anyone, she held out her arms. “Dance with me?”
He hesitated, though the temptation was clear in his gaze. Shaking his head lightly, he gave a soft chuckle. “We don’t have time.”
She batted her lashes. “Come on. There’s always time for one dance.” When he didn’t immediately give in, her expression turned serious. “Besides, we need to talk…about last night. And this morning.”
If anything, that only made him look more wary. So she went back to coaxing. “Please. I want to dance with you.”
He shifted toward her, then stopped himself. “I don’t know. It’s been too long since I last danced with anyone.”
Her smile bloomed wide. She was breaking him down. “You can’t be any worse than the broom.”
His grin flickered. “Don’t be so sure. The broom couldn’t step on your toes.”
“You can step on my toes all you like.” Dropping her playful humor, Paige swung toward him and stopped sweet-talking. Without saying a word, she wound her arms around his neck. “Just hold me, and I’ll do the rest.”
Closing his eyes, he gulped audibly and pressed his forehead to hers. As she swayed into the slow rhythm of the song, he moved with her, his hands clinging to her waist.
Mraz crooned through the quiet juice bar, asking how old their souls were. And Logan tugged her just a little closer.
“Whatever is going on, whatever reason Gus wants us to close early, I’m going to stay by your side, okay?” she promised him. “I won’t let you face any ostracism alone.”
Logan shuddered. “I went back to your room today.” As he lifted his face to kiss her hair, his jaw scraped gently across her temple. “You didn’t answer your door. I thought maybe you didn’t want to see me, that you might regret—”
“No.” She pressed her cheek to his, needing the skin-to-skin contact. “No, that wasn’t it at all. I really wasn’t there. I went home. To talk to Kayla.” She decided not to mention the visit to his parents’ house.
Logan’s brow puckered in confusion as he pulled back enough to study her face. “You drove all the way to Creighton County…and back? Today?”
She nodded. “I wanted to clear the air between the two of us.”
“And?”
Paige grinned. “And we did.”
His shoulders sagged as he exhaled. “Good. I’m glad you didn’t…I’m just glad.” His hold on her tightened fractionally. “Your ability to forgive astounds me, you know.”
Mraz continued to serenade them, promising not to give up, even if the skies got rough. Licking her lips, Paige added, “And I wanted to get her take on the idea of you and me…together.”
His body stiffened as he stopped dancing. Studying her intently, his fa
ce went a sickly gray.
“I want to be with you, Logan.” God, she’d hoped her voice wouldn’t break when she said that, but it sounded rougher than sandpaper. “And I want everyone else to accept it.”
A ripple surged through him, making him shiver. “Did she?” he whispered. “Did she accept it?”
Paige’s smile trembled as she bobbed her head. “Yes. After a little convincing, she said she just wanted me to be happy.”
“And your dad?” he pressed, his voice barely audible.
With a shrug, Paige made a face. “Right now, I’m not really concerned enough about his opinion to ask for it.” Later, she would be. But for now, she wanted Logan more.
His eyes darted around the room as he turned his face from her. He looked like he might be going into shock. “I…” His breathing grew winded. “Oh, boy. This is a dream, isn’t it?”
Paige’s soul sang with pleasure as she beamed at him. “I don’t think so. I feel pretty awake.”
When he just stared at her, appearing too dazed to speak, Paige cupped his face in both her hands. “Logan…”
His lashes flickered as he swayed toward her. When his head dipped, a persistent tap started on the glass window front of the store.
Paige yelped and spun around. Two uniformed officers were loitering right outside the entrance of The Squeeze. One man, lowering the butt of his Maglite he’d used to knock on the window, motioned for her and Logan to come let them in.
She gulped, dread icing her skin. “What’re the chances they just want a smoothie?”
“They don’t look very thirsty.” Dropping his hands from her, Logan strode around the counter and went to unlock the door.
The two officers stepped inside.
“We’re looking for Logan Xander. We were told he might be working here tonight.”
Logan exchanged a glance with Paige and turned back to them. “I’m Logan.”
She creeped out from behind the counter to join the group. This could only be about his fight with Dorian. But the campus police had already questioned everyone last night. If Logan was in any trouble, wouldn’t they have done something about it then?