Twelve
Erin Anderson hovered over the gas range, waiting for the kettle to boil. “From the day I told Luke I was pregnant,” she said, “I’ve been waiting for the cavalry to arrive. If you think you can scare me off, you’ve picked the wrong woman.”
Callie leaned back in her chair. “I think you have the wrong idea, Erin. I’m here to help.”
“What kind of tea would you like, Ms. Haven?” Erin asked as the kettle started to whistle. “We have most kinds here, but I’m only drinking decaf.” Erin ran her hand over her stomach. Her baby bump was clearly visible on her otherwise thin frame. She poured two cups of hot water and carried them over to the table and sat down across from Callie. Callie felt uneasy in her presence. With most scandals, the expectant mother was a staffer or a mistress, someone who had a good idea of what was coming, women who would gladly take a check and walk away. Callie could tell that things wouldn’t be so easy with Erin.
Through some small miracle of persuasion, Callie had managed to get Logan and Luke to wait behind while she spent a few minutes talking to Erin. She hoped it would be enough time to talk some sense into her or at least get an idea of whether or not she could be trusted to keep her secret. She had run the whole thing through in her head on the ride over. She’d size her up while they talked, leading her on long enough to get an idea of what offer would best diffuse the situation. Now, she wished she had someone by her side so she wouldn’t have to handle this situation on her own.
“Whatever you’re having works for me,” Callie said, “but, please, let me get it for you.” Erin was pretty, and young. God, she looked so much younger than her age. If Callie had come across Erin and Luke on the street, there was no way she’d guess that he was younger.
Erin mustered a smile. “I’m pregnant, not infirm. Peppermint work for you?” Erin handed Callie a tea bag. She seemed like a genuinely warm person, a kind person, but Callie could tell that she was tired. Usually, this would be to Callie’s advantage, an indicator that Erin would take the money and sign an NDA, if only to end the whole ordeal, but today was different. Logan had brokered a different deal, and now Callie had to make it all work.
“How did it happen?” Callie asked. If the story was good enough, Callie could spin it somehow.
“We met one weekend at a coffee shop in Portsmouth. It was dumb luck. When he said he was a student, I thought he must have at least been in college, and he did nothing to correct my mistake. I mean you’ve seen him. He doesn’t look nineteen. He looks like he’s twenty-five. We started talking, and he was smart and funny, and I had just gone through a bad breakup.
“I didn’t even know Luke was a student at Cabot until we had already gone on a few dates. Despite our age difference, we had a few friends in common outside of the school, and we just clicked, you know? We ended up at the same parties together, and everything just felt so natural and so right. I had never felt that way with anyone before. He just made me feel more alive. When I found out he was a student, I tried to break things off. I convinced myself we could just be friends, that the feelings I had for him were somehow just a result of being lonely, but they weren’t.”
“When did things change?” Callie asked.
“Luke came to me early this spring, and he said he didn’t care what anyone thought. He said he had to be with me, that it was driving him mad knowing that I was so close and that he couldn’t have me. I let him into my apartment to talk, and well, things just kind of happened from there.” Erin blushed as she tried to find the ways to explain the rest.
“It happens,” Callie said.
“You’re being kind,” Erin said. “It doesn’t happen, and when it does, people get fired or go to jail. I’m four years older than him. I should have known better. I had a responsibility. I feel like such and idiot, and yet, I can’t stop thinking about him.”
“Do you know what I do for a living?” Callie asked.
“You make problems go away.” Erin said. “I’m not dumb. I know why you’re here. From the moment I realized that I was pregnant, I knew what I was in for. People were bound to find out, and when they did, Cabot was more than willing to toss me aside. Luke’s the one who threatened to go public on my behalf.”
“He what?” Callie asked.
“He’s trying to protect me.”
“What do you mean he’s trying to protect you?”
“If I lose my job and get cut off from Luke, I’ll be an unemployed single mother. He’s trying to make sure I have enough to live a good life. This is his child, too.”
“Then why don’t you take the money? You’ll be set for life.”
“Luke’s the one who pushed going public. Because I don’t want something that’s good enough. I want something more. I want to spend the rest of my life with the man I love. Luke may only be nineteen, but I know the kind of man he is. He’s smart, and he’s kind, and he will make a great father some day. I didn’t want it to be now, but I can’t undo what we’ve done.”
“You realize what he’d have to give up to be with you, right?” Callie asked.
“That’s why I’ll wait for him. No one has to know the baby is his, and when he graduates from College, he’ll be twenty-three and I’ll be twenty-seven. That’s hardly unheard of. I know what you must think of me, but I can’t just let life slip away from me.”
Callie shook her head. “You know, I spend a lot of my time dealing with situations almost exactly like this one with women almost exactly your age, except instead of a nineteen year old, the guy is usually around fifty and has a family and kids and a high profile public job, and every time, I get the woman to sign a contract and take the money and keep quiet. I never judge anyone for it either way. I have the authorization to write you a large check and get you on a plane to some place far away. It’s a good deal, but I’m guessing you’re not going to take it. So let me ask you something else. What do you want?”
“I just want to keep my job. If I take the fall semester off, I can start again in the spring. I can make do until he graduates from college, and then we’ll figure things out from there. I’ll even sign the non disclosure agreement if I can keep my job.”
Callie had everything she wanted from Erin, and she wouldn’t have to do a thing other than hand her the NDA, but she just couldn’t do it. “I have someone here who might be able to convince you otherwise,” she said.
“If you’re trying to scare me,” Erin said, “you might as well give up. I don’t know what you think I have left to lose, but without Luke or my job, I have nothing. Luke and I have to do what’s best for our child.”
“I’m not trying to scare you,” Callie said. “Hold on right here, and I’ll be right back. You’ll like this surprise.” Callie walked over to the door and motioned down the driveway to Logan and Luke. If this didn’t work, Callie would be the one out of a job.
***
Logan watched Callie step out the front door of the house onto the porch. With a quick motion, she summoned him. It was time to finish this thing. “Looks like we’re up,” he said. He had been in the car with Luke for at least fifteen minutes, and had struggled to find a way to keep the teen from running inside to see his girlfriend. It was clear to him that they were just two kids in love. Christ, a twenty three year old was no more of an adult than a nineteen year old. If Luke had been some poor kid who just happened to live in town no one would have thought anything of it. Hell, the school probably would have hired him onto the staff to show how progressive it was, but Luke’s father was rich, and rich fathers had expectations. Logan just wanted to help Luke live his life. If Logan had given his full attention to the matter at hand, maybe it would have been easier, but he couldn’t. He just kept thinking about Callie.
Even when talking to Luke, he had kept his eyes trained on the door, waiting for his next glimpse of her. Now that he was looking at her, he momentarily forgot about everything else. He thought back to waking up next to her on the yacht, the warmth and comfort of lying next to her. It had just felt so natural, so perfect. With other women, it had been different; usually Logan couldn’t leave quickly enough, but with Callie, he wanted each moment to last just a little bit longer.
As he sat and looked up the driveway at Callie, the golden sunlight filtered through her hair just like it had that morning. He thought back to pulling her on top of himself and kissing her. It had all felt so right, no worries about anything beyond the moment. There had been a music to the way their bodies had moved together, and he wanted to hear it again.
He liked what he had with Callie. Sure, the whole thing was a little confusing, and Callie could be impossible when she wanted to get her way, but his time with her had felt like a dream. He would annoy her and flirt with her, and she would shoot him down and eventually come to him on her own terms. Her way of dealing with him was unusual, and it was kind of hot. He was used to women either being pushy or pushovers, and Callie was neither. His only worry was that he would screw up whatever it was that they had together. He didn’t want to do anything to upset the balance of their relationship. All he had to do was get Callie and head home, and they could resume their little back and forth.
Of course, the whole scandal had been fun, different from his other time with Callie, but still fun. He liked having to think on his feet, and he liked helping out a kid who reminded him so much of himself. As he thought this through, he realized he needed to get Luke up to the house. “Hey,” Logan said to Luke, “don’t mention anything about where you got the money for the ring to your… teacher.”
“Hopefully I’ll be able to call her my fiancée soon enough,” Luke said. “And I’ll keep my mouth shut about the ring if you do one thing for me.”
“I’m already doing you a favor,” Logan said. Give someone an inch, he thought.
“Fine, let me rephrase that. I want you to do something for yourself,” Luke said.
“Believe it or not, I happen to be quite good at doing things for myself.”
“Then you’ll have no problem telling Ms. Haven how you feel.”
“What?” Logan said. “I think you have the wrong idea, buddy. We’re just friends.”
“Yeah, right. And Erin is just my teacher,” Luke said. “Trust me, I saw how you looked at her. I’ve been looking at Erin that way for months. If you were serious about anything you said to me, you’ll do the same for yourself.”
“How about I promise to figure it out?” Logan said.
“Suit yourself, man. I’ve got enough problems of my own,” Luke replied.
Logan opened the door and stepped out of the car. “You’ll figure them out. Remember, you’ve already got the most important part.”
“Love?”
“I was going to say a trust fund, but sure, love works too. Grab the envelope in the glove compartment, and let’s go reunite you with your age-inappropriate choice of a mate.”
Luke did as he was told and caught up to Logan as they walked toward the house. “What’s in the envelope?” he asked. “Contracts?”
“I carry cash in case I need it. There’s a thousand dollars in there and my card. Use the cash and lay low for a little while. Call me if you need anything. Callie will call if you need anything official. Anything else, you call me and mention it to no one, ok? Now put it away before they notice.”
“Sounds good to me,” Luke said. “Oh, and if you ever need to give anyone a ride, maybe pick a car with more than two seats?”
Logan laughed. It had taken some creative arranging to fit Luke into the convertible.
“Something funny?” Callie called down from the steps.
“Oh, just calling up a news crew,” Logan joked.
Callie shook her head. “Not funny,” she said. “Come on. Let’s go.”
The rest of the arrangements only took around an hour or so. Logan stood off in the corner as Luke and Erin hugged and kissed, and Luke revealed his plans to propose and make everything work. It was heartwarming, really, but Logan just wanted to get on the road. He felt a deep need to get back to Newport. He was happy that Luke and Erin seemed to have a happy ending ahead of them, but he wanted to get back to his life.
After Callie gave the obligatory instructions for avoiding political enemies and the press, she and Logan headed back to the car. As soon as they were in the car and out of earshot of Luke and Erin, Callie turned to Logan and said, “What you did back there was incredible, all of it. I think you know I didn’t want you to tag along for this, and now I’m just grateful that you did. Thank you.”
“It was nothing,” Logan replied. “I just thought it would end things sooner.” He wasn’t about to let on that he had a heart. Really, he just had done what anyone else would do if they were in his place. Sure, he could be a bit of an ass sometimes, but his heart was still in the right place.
Logan turned the key in the ignition and started the car. The engine started slowly, with a sputter.
“This thing is going to get us home, isn’t it?” Callie asked.
Logan smirked and nodded as they drove down the winding driveway. As he pulled up to the street, Callie reached over and placed her hand over his. She stared into his eyes, and said, “You changed both their lives,” She said. Then she reached over and turned off the car.
Logan could hear his blood pounding in his ears as Callie parted her lips slightly and cocked her head. He knew this look well. Logan swallowed hard. He wanted more than anything to lean in and kiss Callie hard. He wanted to press his lips against hers and mess up her hair and grab her hips and pull her against himself. The more he thought about it, the stronger his desire grew, but he didn’t want her to kiss him just because he was nice to someone. “It was nothing, Callie. Look, don’t tell anyone about it. I have a reputation to uphold. I wouldn’t want anyone to know that Logan Harris has a soft spot.”
“Why not?”
“Because it changes things. Look at you. Now you think I’m some kind of saint.”
“No,” Callie said, “I still think you’re plenty bad.”
“Do you really mean that?” Logan asked with a mock sweetness.
Callie leaned over and planted a kiss on Logan’s cheek. The warmth of her wet lips undid him, and he turned to kiss her back, tumbling into her and giving in to his desire for her. He ran his hands over her hips and held her as he gave her kiss after dizzy kiss.
If only this could last forever, he thought, but he knew it couldn’t. He knew he was a fool for even thinking it could. Logan pulled back from the kiss and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. The car was dead.
Callie watched him with an amused grin on her lips. “So the verdict is in,” she said.
“How’s that?”
“You are bad. It just happens to be that you’re bad with cars.”
“I can be even badder with you if you give me the chance.”
“I don’t know,” Callie said. “We’re half an hour from the nearest town, and who knows how far the nearest tow truck is. This might be the best chance you get.”
That sounded good to him.