“Hard to do when you’re avoiding him.”
Glancing up sharply at her, Shannon stared back at me with a knowing look in her eye.
“Logan told me what happened between you.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “He did?”
“Not in detail, of course, because” – she shuddered – “he’s my brother. But he told me. Mostly because I wouldn’t let up until he did. He’s been acting like a grumpy bastard with everyone but Maia this last wee while. I finally badgered him until he told me what was up. Turns out it’s you.” She grinned. “Like I didn’t already know it had to do with you.”
“What do you mean?” I said warily.
Shannon leaned in to me, expression guileless. “Before you… Logan didn’t smile a lot or laugh in that big hearty way he used to laugh.” Her eyes were bright with tears now. “Prison changed my brother, Grace. You should have known him before it. He was… He was this big lovable joker, everyone’s friend. Everyone wanted to be his friend. He just had this… this light around him, you know?” She dashed at her tears with the backs of her fingers. “He’s not like that anymore. He doesn’t trust easily. His smiles don’t come easily. His laughter definitely doesn’t… or it didn’t… or it doesn’t…” She shook her head as if in confusion. “He started to smile and joke around more when you and Maia came into his life.” Shannon placed her hand on mine and squeezed it. “He hasn’t smiled much lately.”
I couldn’t breathe at what she was suggesting. I didn’t want her to think something that wasn’t true. “Shannon —”
“I really like you, Grace. And I very much like the idea of you and my brother together. Just so you know.” Her hand tightened on me. “Please be patient with him. He’s been through a lot.”
I felt for her. I really did. And that’s why I had to disabuse her of these notions before she got her hopes up regarding Logan and me. “Shannon, I’m not Logan’s type.”
“I don’t believe that.” She shook her head stubbornly.
“He’s also focusing on Maia right now.”
“I think he’s hiding behind that.”
Dear God, she was beyond stubborn. She was a mule. “Logan and I… We won’t work. We’re too different. Honestly, I think right now we’re better off staying away from each other.”
A noise drew my attention to the doorway, and I saw a flash of a body and dark hair before it disappeared. I frowned.
Maia?
“Do you think she overheard?” Shannon said, sounding concerned.
“Dammit.” I heaved a sigh. “I better talk to her so she knows it isn’t about her.”
As I shut the door on the last of my new friends, I leaned against it and wondered how best to approach Maia. After she’d overheard what I’d said about my friendship with Logan she’d been quiet and mostly unresponsive. The girls knew something was up, and not too long after made their excuses to leave.
Bracing myself, I went to find Maia.
She was in the guest bedroom, apparently having decided to abandon me and the mess in my sitting room. “There you are,” I said, leaning against the doorway.
She was sitting on the bed with a book in her lap.
“Maia, we need to talk about what you overheard.”
“About the fact that you hate Dad?” she snapped.
I felt a sharp pang in my chest just at the thought of anyone ever thinking I hated Logan. “I do not hate your father.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“It’s complicated, Maia. And it’s between your father and me. We’ve decided to spend some time apart, but that doesn’t mean my friendship with you has to change. You understand that, right? I’m not going anywhere.”
Although she looked no less upset, Maia gave me a reluctant nod.
I would have slumped with relief against the doorframe if I’d thought for one second that was the end of it. And I knew when she stiffly told me she’d like to read her book that she wasn’t quite finished being pissed off at me.
I left her to it, hoping her bad mood with me wouldn’t last too long.
CHAPTER 15
“G
et back here!”
My head jerked up from my laptop and I stared at my sitting room wall. Logan was shouting. Loudly enough for me to hear every word.
I’d just put my feet into my slippers and had grabbed a cardigan, intent on investigating, when my front door slammed open and shut. Feet stomped down my hallway and came to a stop before me.
“Maia, what on earth…?” I stared, aghast at the sight of her tearstained face.
“I’m staying here. I hate him!”
I sucked in my breath. “Don’t ever say th—”
I was cut off abruptly by the sound of my door slamming open and shut. Again.
Logan’s stomping feet were louder. Maia scurried farther into the sitting room at the sound of his arrival. He came into the room, eyes dark with anger. “Don’t you dare walk out of the house like that, and definitely don’t ever bring Grace into this.”
“Logan…” I was shocked by his attitude. “What the hell happened?”
“Maia was caught with a boy in an empty media room at school.” His whole body bristled with tension.
My eyes bugged out as I turned to Maia. “Please tell me there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“We were only kissing,” Maia said belligerently as she swiped at her tears.
“The headmaster said it was a little more than kissing!”
“Logan, perhaps you —”
“It’s none of your business!” Maia yelled at him. “Stop pretending to care!”
“Maia!” I shouted.
She flinched, her eyes round with shock at my outburst.
I’d never used that tone with her before. But she’d never stepped over the line before. “Do not ever disrespect your father again by saying such nonsense. Apologize.”
The look she gave me was strangely assessing. She sniffled and said, “Are you saying you’re on his side?”
“Maia, fooling around with some boy in a classroom at school is wrong, and you know it. You’re a smart girl. Why on earth would you act like this? Is there something more going on here?” I took a step toward her.
She shrugged, looking unsure of herself now. “Layla dared me to do it.”
I glanced over at Logan, and I knew exactly what he was thinking before he said it. My expression told him I agreed with him. “Maybe we should curb how much time you spend with Layla.”
“Dad,” Maia whined, looking startled by his suggestion.
“Ah, so I’m ‘Dad’ again. Ten minutes ago I was to ‘stop acting like your father since I’d been absent for most of your life.’”
Although he didn’t show it, I knew how much her words must have hurt him and I couldn’t cover the disappointment on my face as I turned to her.
She winced and lowered her gaze. “I didn’t mean it.” She looked up at Logan, eyes pleading. “I’m sorry. It was just… It’s embarrassing! Why did the head teacher have to tell you? But I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it.”
Maia suddenly looked terrified, as if frightened Logan would turn away from her.
Instead his features softened. “Come here.”
Slowly she made her feet take her to him, and as soon as she was within reaching distance, Logan pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.
Maia relaxed into him and hugged him back.
As touched as I was by his understanding, I wasn’t distracted from the main issue at hand. “We need to talk about who this boy is and how you are never, ever going to do this again.”
Pulling away slightly from Logan, Maia blushed. “Do we have to?”
I looked at Logan. “How would you feel if Maia and I discussed this alone?”
He actually looked relieved. “Fair enough… but” – he tugged gently on her arm, drawing her attention back to him – “whatever the discussion may involve, the outcome will be this: You won’t do
this again, or, when the time comes that you’re old enough to date, I will scare the absolute shit out of every boy that even so much as smiles at you. Understood?”
Maia stared wide-eyed at him and nodded quickly.
“Good.” He nodded, satisfied, and then walked out, leaving me to it.
“I won’t do it again,” she said hurriedly. “Promise.”
“You have to understand that when you act like that with boys —”
“Grace, not to be a bitch or anything, but I know, all right? I’ve seen a girl a year younger than me having sex with an older guy in my stairwell back in Glasgow. And I’ve seen other stuff too. And the guys don’t respect the girls. I know all that. It was just a dare. And no matter what the headmaster said… it was just kissing. I’m not…” She blushed. “I’m not ready for anything else.”
Relief made me sag against my sofa. “You have no idea how happy I am that you said that.”
She chewed on her lip a moment and then said, “How old were you when you lost your virginity?”
“I still have it,” I lied. “And if you’re sensible, you’ll hold on to yours for a long, long time.”
Maia rolled her eyes. “Aye, and Santa is real.”
“He is. So is the Easter Bunny. And babies are dropped off at the doors of mums and daddies everywhere by giant storks. Now nod like you believe me.”
She giggled and nodded.
“And my work here is done.”
“I can’t believe you thought these would help make me feel better.” I raised the DVDs at Chloe as she sauntered back into my sitting room with two glasses of wine.
“What?” She frowned at my tone. “You’ve been moping around with a broken heart for quite long enough. I thought these would help you get over it.”
“I’ve had a broken heart for approximately two weeks, but thank you for your patience.” I dumped the DVDs on the coffee table. “How are The Notebook, Sleepless in Seattle, and Love and Other Drugs supposed to help me? They’re all about two people falling in love. With each other. La-di-da. I hate them already.”
“They’re supposed to act as a reminder of hope.” She smirked at my grimace. “These films aren’t just about two people falling in love. They’re about two people who fall in love but there are all these obstacles in their way and it’s a struggle… but in the end they do end up together.”
I took a massive gulp of my wine. “I really wish you’d give up on the idea of me and Logan, Chloe.”
“Nope.”
“I’d really consider it, if I were you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to kill you if you don’t.”
“Pfft.” She waved my threat off. “You don’t scare me, Grace. I could snap you like a twig.”
I stared at her in indignation. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Move the coffee table and I will.”
“Fair enough.” I got up off the chair and the doorbell rang. I narrowed my eyes on her. “You were just saved by the bell.”
“I’m shaking in my boots.”
I threw her a grin before hurrying out of the room to answer my door.
To my surprise I found Logan outside.
“Have you seen Maia?” he said without preamble.
Taking in the frantic expression on his face, I felt my heart rate start to pick up speed. “No. I thought she was going to Layla’s after school today? Have you called her?”
He shook his head. “She’s not picking up.”
“Well, let me try.” I turned on my heel and heard him follow behind me into the sitting room.
“Chloe, this is Logan. Logan, this is Chloe.” I introduced them quickly before rifling through my bag for my phone.
“Is everything all right?” Chloe said.
“Hopefully.” I rang Maia’s number and waited. It went straight to voice mail. I looked over at Logan, who deflated at my expression. “Do you have Layla’s parents’ number?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t think to do that. Fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair, and I could see the panic in him mounting.
“Chloe” – I turned to my friend, who was watching Logan with a mixture of concern and curiosity – “open up your Facebook.”
“Why?”
“Because you have Maia on your Facebook. Maybe she posted something.”
“Well, if she’s up to no good, do you really think she would be that stupid?” she said as she looked through her bag for her phone.
“Yes. Even intelligent teenagers can be idiots sometimes.”
Chloe nodded and started flicking through her phone as Logan and I looked on impatiently. Her eyes grew round as she read something and then she gave us an “uh-oh” look.
“What?” Logan said gruffly.
“They’re trying to get into some club in Tollcross.”
“It’s Thursday,” I said dumbly, disbelieving that Maia would act this irresponsibly.
“It’s student night,” Logan said. “How the fuck does she think she’s going to get into a nightclub? I’m going to kill her.” He started toward the door.
“I’m coming with you!” I turned back to Chloe as I grabbed my keys. “I’m sorry. We need to cut this short.”
My very understanding friend quickly gathered her things, and I said good-bye to her outside my building and left to catch up with Logan. I found him marching past the university toward the Meadows. “Logan…” I tried to match stride with him.
“Why is she acting like this?” He glared at me. “She’s not like this in the house. We’re great. We don’t argue. We’re fine. But then she’s out of the house and she’s kissing boys in media rooms and trying to get into nightclubs, not picking up her phone, making me worry. I got another phone call from school,” he told me. “Yesterday. She missed two morning classes.”
Dread moved through me. “Clearly this is deliberate. It’s not like her. She enjoys school. And she’s happy with you, Logan. I know she is.”
“Then why?”
I shrugged. “Maybe it’s about her mother… or… We don’t know everything she’s been through. We don’t know what’s she dealing with. Perhaps she should see a school counselor.”
“I don’t want to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do. Well… except drag her out of this bloody nightclub.”
“Maybe we can try to be calm when we find her?” I suggested gently.
“Calm? Grace, it’s nine o’clock on a Thursday night. I’ve been trying to call her for the last two hours and was just seconds from calling the police when I knocked on your door.”
“When was she supposed to be home?”
“She said she was having dinner at Layla’s so she’d be home around seven thirty.”
“It took you more than an hour to come to me?”
Logan glanced at me. “Things have been strained between us. I didn’t want to bother you.”
“It’s Maia. You’re never bothering me when it comes to Maia.”
“Right.” The word was laced heavily in sarcasm.
We fell into an awkward silence, compounded only by the silence of the almost-empty park around us.
“Are you okay?” he said, no longer sarcastic but concerned. “Maia mentioned she was going to Layla’s instead of yours after school because you had a doctor’s appointment.”
I blanched. “Oh… yes. I’m fine.”
“That was the least-fine-sounding fine ever. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Grace —”
“Logan —”
“I will keep asking until we find Maia, and after I’ve dealt with her, I’ll make you talk,” he warned, sounding completely serious.
I looked up into his eyes and saw the steely determination in them.
Oh shit.
“Fine… It wasn’t a doctor’s appointment. I had an appointment this afternoon at the health clinic.”
“For?” He sounded impatient now.
“A se
xual health check.” I stared ahead, not wanting to see his reaction.
After a moment’s silence he said, “Because we had sex without protection?”
I heard something in his voice I had never heard before. Something a lot like hurt. I couldn’t help but look at him, and I found him staring at me in angry incredulity. “Logan, you’ve slept with a lot of women.”
“I use protection.”
“You didn’t with me.”
“Only you though!” He clenched his hands into fists at his sides and picked up speed.
I hurried to stay with him, my heart beating frantically. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t intend to hurt your feelings.”
“Hurt my feelings?” he sneered. “You didn’t hurt my feelings, Grace. But at least I know exactly what you think of me.”
“I don’t think badly of you. I just think you’ve slept with a lot of women and I was being safe. You can’t blame me for that!”
He stopped suddenly, and I stumbled to a halt to face him. His breathing had increased exponentially. “You must think I’m an irresponsible fuckup. Do you honestly believe I don’t get health checked? Of course I fucking do. I had a health check six weeks ago. I’m clean. I would have told you otherwise.”
“You were with the American after that,” I said, my voice quiet with pain at the idea of him being with her. “Only days before me.”
Logan caught the pain because his features instantly softened, remorse lighting his eyes. “Grace…” He raised a hand as if to reach for me, but I turned away and started walking toward Tollcross.
“Let’s just forget it, all right? We have Maia to worry about.”
We didn’t speak the rest of the way to the club, the tension mounting between us.
When we turned down the wide alley where the entrance to the club was, we took in the line of young people outside, searching for Maia.
“There,” I huffed out in relief, hurrying along the line to where she was standing close to the front. My eyes almost bugged out of my head as she turned to smile at Layla and I saw what she was wearing.
She did not own that dress.
It was short, it was tight, and it was no, no, no, NO!