Most Likely (Most Likely #1) - Sarah Watson Page 0,52
at the same time.”
“In the middle of the night,” Martha said, somewhat dubiously. She turned to Jordan. “Are you believing this shit?”
Jordan didn’t say anything. A memory sprang up from somewhere deep inside her, and it was so vivid that it was like it just happened. She was remembering the first time Logan held her hand. They were on the sidewalk outside her house. He’d been so nervous that he asked before he did it. It was so sweet and so kind that she thought her heart might burst into a million little pieces.
Ava looked at the time. “The bell’s about to ring,” she said. “Talk later?”
Jordan nodded. She hadn’t thought about the moment with Logan and the hand holding in years. She wondered why it came to her just now.
Martha caught Jordan looking at Logan Diffenderfer several times that day. The first time it happened, the look was brief and could have been meaningless. The second time, Jordan’s eyes lingered. Martha didn’t judge her for it. She was actually starting to understand the appeal of Logan. He’d been showing up at the movie theater more regularly, and he always had smart and interesting things to say about the films. He was sensitive and didn’t seem afraid of showing emotion. Martha was intrigued by that. Other than spiders and being buried alive, showing emotion was probably her biggest fear.
Logan came to the movie theater again that afternoon. They were screening Before Sunrise, and when Martha told him that she’d never seen it, he insisted that it would change her life. Victoria was there too, not working, just hanging out. She’d been doing a lot more of that since Logan had become a regular. The three of them sat in a row in the back with Martha in the middle.
Martha didn’t love the movie. It was just two people talking, and she wanted something to happen already. Logan and Victoria kept whispering to her and then across her so they could gush about how beautiful the movie was. Martha was too distracted to appreciate it. Her dad’s interview with the plant was that afternoon, and he’d promised to call her the second it was over. He wasn’t much of texter.
Her phone finally buzzed during some part that was making Victoria cry. Martha stood quickly and didn’t say anything as she rushed out to the lobby. “Hey,” she said, answering. “How’d it go?”
“How’d what go?” asked Jordan.
Martha hadn’t even looked at the caller ID. “Sorry. I thought you were my dad.”
“Is he done with his interview yet?”
Martha walked over to one of the tables and sat down. “No. I don’t think so.” Then she realized she was too restless to sit and paced instead.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” said Jordan. “Anyway, I just got a call from Scott.”
“Who? Oh, right.” The legislative deputy. For some reason, Jordan and Scott were now on a first-name basis. “What did Scott say?”
“What’s with the attitude?” asked Jordan.
Martha stopped pacing. “Nothing. I’m nervous about my dad. What did Scott say?” she repeated with less ’tude.
Jordan sighed. “The EIR came out.” The EIR was the environmental impact report. Jordan had started speaking confidently about city matters in shorthand. In a way, it was kind of cool. She sounded like a real reporter. In another way, it was completely annoying. “There’s nothing in it that’s going to help us.”
Martha sighed. “Okay. So what now?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
There was a long pause while neither of them said anything. Martha’s phone beeped and she glanced at it. “Shit. That’s my dad. I gotta go.”
“Good luck,” Jordan said quickly. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Martha clicked over to the other line. “Hi,” she said.
“Hey.” She could tell from her dad’s voice that the news wasn’t good. “Well,” he said, “they told me that they’ll let me know officially by next week, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. On to the next one,” he said, trying to sound chipper.
“What happened, Dad?”
“They didn’t love the huge gap in my résumé. Apparently, I’m not up to speed on the way things work now.”
“But you could get up to speed,” she said. “Easily.”
“It’s not going to happen, Patsy.” The disappointment in his voice broke her heart. “I should let you go. I don’t like bothering you at work.”
“Dad, it’s fine.”
He’d already hung up.
“Dammit,” Martha shouted. She thought she was saying it to herself, but when she turned around, she saw Victoria standing there.