Thank God she had a sense of humor.
“Okay. Why don’t we give this a shot, then?”
I grinned, feeling a little bit of light prick the darkness. “Really?”
“Really.” I heard her smile in the word. “So… when can I send you this manuscript?”
“Oh, just let me check my calendar.”
From there I booked Joss in. “I’ll send you the invoice for half when I receive the manuscript and the other half you can pay when you’re satisfied with the work I’ve done.”
“Perfect. And listen, we should meet up for coffee soon. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you.”
J. B. Carmichael wanted to meet up with me for coffee? “Uh… sure. That would be great.”
“Fantastic. I’ll call you.”
I got off the phone and slumped back in my computer chair.
I got that call because of Logan.
With a sigh I got up and walked into my sitting room, where a pile of Maia’s homework books sat on my coffee table, along with one of five fiction books she was juggling at the moment.
I had Maia in my life because of Logan.
“… I hate that I’ve hurt you. I do. I am sorry.”
The truth was I believed he was sorry.
I sighed and reached for my keys.
Logan MacLeod wasn’t fully responsible for breaking my heart. I’d had a hand in it too.
It was strange being in Fire when it was empty. The low-lit club owned by Joss’s husband had multiple levels, each decorated differently, and each one played a different genre of music. The main club floor was in the middle, where I knew Logan’s office was. When I’d buzzed at the door, the janitor had let me in.
Logan was waiting for me at the edge of the dance floor. He looked surprised but pleased to see me. I glanced over at the janitor and the staff member who was wheeling drinks into the bar. Logan noted my look. “Let’s go into my office.”
I followed him off the dance floor, up a few steps, and along the back wall to where a door was barely visible from the dance floor. He led me inside. There was a huge desk with a computer on it. The desk was covered in papers. Behind the desk were rows of filing cabinets. It was pretty bland, and there were no windows.
Logan needed someone to decorate his office.
“Is everything okay?” he said, bringing me back into the reality of the situation.
I stopped mentally redecorating and took a deep breath, ignoring the raging butterflies in my belly. “I wanted to apologize for the way I reacted last night.”
“Grace, you —”
“No, let me,” I insisted. “You’ve been perfectly clear from the moment we met about who you are. And you were also extremely clear about the fact that Maia comes first. And so she should. I’m glad you’re making her a priority. You’re right – she deserves it. And I get it. I really do. I get it more than most that you feel guilty every day about missing out on being her dad all these years. I understand why you want to focus all your energy on her, and I’m ashamed by how selfish I was last night. We were both in that room, both making that choice. It’s not all on you.”
Relief made him sag against his desk. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
I nodded.
“I still shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“As I said, we both made that mistake.”
His eyes flashed like he was annoyed by my word choice, but he lowered his eyes to the floor, hiding the reaction.