Fifteen
Callie stood there on the dock, staring up at the guesthouse and the mansion. She knew that up past the big house and back down the driveway, there were at least a dozen reporters and paparazzi who wanted a chance to break a story. This isn’t your house, she tried to remind herself. You’re not under siege, you just need to step back and remember who you are. Callie turned around and looked out over the water. Beneath the cloudy sky, the choppy water swirled black and ominous. She just wanted to turn around and head back to the guesthouse with Logan, but first she needed to take control of the situation.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket, turned it on and called Rich. “What the hell is going on?” she said. “I need to know everything you know right now.”
“Callie, we’ve been trying to reach you since last night. Amy’s been calling me nonstop from the hospital,” Rich said.
Callie’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a rush of blood to her head. “Tell me she’s alright. Is she in labor?”
“She’s fine,” Rich replied, “she’s just being extra cautious. Some kind of false contractions. You know how she is. Can you imagine what it would be like if she was due during election season?”
“Is she freaking out?”
“The summer recess is just over two weeks away, and Hank’s legislation is still stalled in committee. If this Veronica story gains any traction, people will bail left and right on the bill. This really couldn’t have come at a worse time. Can you believe it? You leave for one day to take care of business, and he calls in an ex for a booty call. I guess Hank was right to think he needed you on this one. Make sure there’s no evidence, and prep them both on their statements.”
“There is no evidence.”
“Are you sure?”
“Logan wasn’t even here last night.”
“Then where was he?” Rich asked.
Callie paused. “He was in New Hampshire with me.”
“I see,” Rich said. He didn’t say anything more, but Callie could tell by his tone what he was asking.
“I couldn’t leave him alone, so I brought him along for the Callahan case.”
“Is that why Governor Callahan was demanding to meet with Amy this morning?”
“He knows?” Callie asked.
“Are you saying that you let Logan participate in the intervention?”
“He drove me. It’s a long story. I can’t get into it. Just please, please don’t mention any of this to Amy.”
Callie listened to a long silence on the other end of the line. “Just be careful, Callie, and put this thing to bed.”
“I will. I’ll call if I need anything.” She slipped her phone in her pocket and headed to the guesthouse to hash out a plan with Logan. This was her last chance to tell him why she had been sent to Newport in the first place. She’d go inside and admit everything to him and tell him how she really felt, how she would do anything for him. She mustered her courage, walked up to the guesthouse and stepped inside to confess everything.
Instead, she walked inside and locked her eyes on Veronica Jones. Callie glared at her as she tried to think of something, anything to say. This pop-starlet was ruining the only thing approaching a relationship Callie had had in years, and her very presence threatened to destroy everything Callie and the team at Haven Communications had been working towards for months. But that wasn't what made Callie's blood boil.
Veronica Jones was standing in the middle of the living room wearing Callie's clothing. As if the rest of it hadn’t been enough of a violation of her personal life, Veronica seemed intent on infuriating her. The woman is a multimillionaire, and she couldn't even bring her own change of clothes? Callie wondered if Logan could see the steam rising from her ears as she moved closer and closer to exploding in anger.
"You must be Logan's flavor of the day," Veronica said. "I don't know if he's explained this to you, but this is how it's going to work. You're going to walk your skinny ass back to whatever hotel you and your friends are staying at, and you'll tell them you met a pop star. I’ll have them send over a signed cd or something."
Callie laughed. "I'm not sure exactly who you think you are, but I'm here to fix this situation.”
"Good, you can do so by leaving. If you could get me a mineral water on your way out, that would be lovely."
"Allow me to be clear, Veronica. You are the one who needs to leave. I am a guest of the Harris family. You are trespassing. You are not coming back here, and you are not going to contact Logan. Also, you are going to take off my sweatshirt."
"Oh this is yours?" Veronica asked feigning surprise. She sneered at Callie, and her tone grew harsh. "I thought it belonged to a twelve year old boy.”
“Take it off,” Callie said.
"Have it your way," Veronica said. She unzipped the sweatshirt halfway, revealing her bare skin, stopping just short of letting her breasts hang out.
"You're not even wearing a bra?" Callie asked. That was her favorite sweatshirt, and now she'd probably have to wash it a dozen times to get the smell of skank out of it.
"Sorry, none of yours were large enough. Funny, I thought your boyfriend had a thing for real women."
"Ladies, there's no reason to let this get personal," Logan said. “Nikki, give Callie her clothes back. Callie, what's the harm in her staying for a little while?" Logan asked.
“It’s not like I haven’t stayed here before,” Veronica said. “Hell, last year Logan and I spent an entire week without leaving this guesthouse. I’m sure he remembers how much fun we had.”
Callie turned to Logan. ”Can we talk outside for a minute? There's something I really need to tell you."
"Can't it wait a minute until we figure out what's going on here?" Logan asked.
"No, absolutely not." Callie opened the door and motioned outside. She took a deep breath as Logan followed.
"What the hell was that?" Logan asked.
As soon as she shut the door behind him, she said, "You know she's only here because she's trying to use you, right?"
"And what exactly is she using me for? I mean I get that the guesthouse is nice and all, but I think she could find better accommodations if she wanted them. I'm not thrilled about her being here either, but I don't get what the big deal is. Is there something I'm missing here?"
Callie looked into Logan's eyes. This was the moment she had feared since she had realized that he was more than just some hookup, since she had realized how much more there was to him. Now, he was going to hate her. What was even worse was that she didn't care about what the bad press would do for Hank and his legislation. She just didn't want to see Logan's name dragged through the mud. He was too good of a man to have that happen to him because of some mistake he had made in the past. She just wanted to protect him, but she couldn't figure out how to tell him that. Callie worked with words for a living, crafting statements and press-releases, drafting contracts, but whenever she was around Logan, she could barely find the words to say what she felt.
"There's a sex tape,” Callie said. The words barely passed her lips.
"Of who?" Logan asked.
"There are pictures and a video of you and Veronica having sex. She has an album release coming up in a few weeks, and now she shows up with paparazzi in tow? She's building towards something. You can connect the dots.”
Logan leaned back against the side of the house and ran his hand through his hair. “Wait, how do you know this?"
"Promise you'll hear me out,” Callie pleaded.
"I'm listening,” Logan said.
"In my line of work, this kind of thing happens more than you'd think."
"By this kind of thing, do you mean lying to someone about why you're there and then leading him along? Did my father put you up to this? I should have known that this was too good to be true, that you were too good to be true. All those times you bumped into me in town and around, were you just keeping tabs on me or were you setting a trap? This is what happens when I finally go out on a limb and try for something more. Thank you, Callie for proving exactly what I already knew. You know, I have no idea why Veronica is here, but at least she hasn't been actively lying to me for the past two weeks."
Logan's words cut deep.
“I was trying to protect you,” Callie said. “I came across the pictures when a client was being blackmailed. The whole thing was too much, and I had to get away."
"Maybe it's time for you to go back to DC."
"I can't, please." Callie tried to lean in to place her hand on Logan's arm, but he pulled away. “Logan, you get to choose who you are. You, and no one else, not me, not Veronica, not your father. If you want to be a better man, you have to make a decision and stick with it, but I’m not going to sit around here waiting for you to become something you don’t want to be. You said you want this to be something more than just a fun fling. So make it something more. Don’t sit around waiting for me to come running into your arms, because it doesn’t work that way. I’m an adult, and you’re an adult. If you want to be with me, prove it. I’m heading home after next weekend. It’s time for you to decide what you want.”
“Now is the time you decide to get serious, while she’s here tearing everything apart? I didn’t invite her here, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t even want her here. You want to know what happened between us?” Logan asked. His voice rose as he continued, “She used me, and I used her. There’s nothing more to it than that. Did we sleep together? Yes. If that’s a problem for you, no one is forcing you to stay with me. You can leave whenever you want. Hell, maybe I should leave.”
“Maybe you should,” Callie shouted back. “I don’t care who you were with in the past, but I do care who you are now. You say you want to be something more than just a drunken playboy. Well, this is your chance. Right here, right now.” She took a step back and clenched her trembling fingers into fists. She took a deep breath. “Maybe you should head back to your yacht and get some sleep. Come back if and when you’re ready to talk.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Logan said. He brushed past her and opened the door to the guesthouse.
"There you are, sexy," Veronica called from inside. "I was starting to think I was going to have to start this party all on my own."
Callie followed him inside. Logan might not be her biggest fan at the moment, but she wasn't about to leave him inside the guesthouse with Veronica.
Logan cleared his throat. "Veronica, put some clothes on. Or don't. I don't care. We're leaving."
Logan pushed back out into the rain, ignoring Callie completely. She watched Veronica strut off behind him. Callie sat down in the middle of the living room and stared through the open door. She wanted to run off after Logan and call him an a*shole and a jerk, and she wanted to rip up clods of grass and throw them at him for leaving with Veronica. What the hell am I going to do now? Callie wondered.
***
Logan tightened his grip on the steering wheel and gritted his teeth. His temples throbbed, and he couldn’t remember the last time had been so damn mad. He was mad with Nikki for showing up announced, but he couldn’t really blame her for it. She was what she was. Callie on the other hand, there was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he wanted to yell at her. He wanted to jump up and down and shout at the top of his lungs at her, but he hadn’t been able to find the words to explain how he felt. This is why you never get emotionally involved, he thought. You end up hurt and self-destructive. He opened up the throttle and pushed the boat even harder against the waves. Self-destructive didn’t begin to describe the bile boiling inside him.
Each time the hull of the speedboat crashed into another swell, it sent a plume of spray back into Logan’s face. The salt water stung his eyes as he pushed forward. A goddamn embarrassment, a liability, that’s what you are. Your own father had such little faith in you that he sent a pretty woman to catch your eye and keep you out of trouble. As the boat reached full speed, Logan thought about cutting the wheel hard and tossing himself into the water. Everyone would win.
“You should thank me, you know,” Veronica shouted over the wind from the seat behind him.
Logan had completely forgotten she was there, and her voice caught him by surprise. He cut the engine and let the boat’s momentum pull them through a few more waves before turning around to address her. “Why in the world would I thank you right now?” he asked.
“Come on, sunshine, cheer up. I just saved you from wasting any more time playing house with little Martha Stewart there.”
“Cut the crap, Nikki. You and I both know you don’t give a damn about anyone but yourself.”
“I don’t get it. I’ve never seen you get worked up over a woman like this. Usually you’d be thrilled about having an excuse to pick up and leave without notice. Isn’t that the Logan Harris special?”
“You don’t know me, and you don’t know her,” he said.
“I might not know her very well, but that doesn’t change anything. I saw the way you two looked at each other. Which one of you was more eager to turn you into the earnest boyfriend? Let me guess, you were bringing her up to some B&B in Vermont to seal the deal? Maybe you bought her a promise ring.”
“I’m really not in the mood for this. Let me make myself clear: stay away from her. I don’t want you touching her stuff or talking to her or causing any more problems. This isn’t open for discussion.”
Veronica squinted and tilted her head. Logan watched as the corners of her mouth curled up, and a smile spread across her face. “You think you love her, don’t you?”
“So what if I do?” Logan said. The wind swirled around them from all directions, but without the engine running it was too quiet on the water for him. “It’s really none of your concern anyway.” He leaned against the wheel and ran his hand through his hair. What the hell are you going to do now? he wondered.
“So this is what it takes? Apparently it isn’t enough for a woman to be rich and famous and beautiful. You need someone who’s lying to you, and using you?” Veronica asked. “So if I had just lied to you, things would have worked out between us?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I heard everything. Did you think stepping ten feet away would really keep me from hearing? You two were yelling. I’d be surprised if they didn’t hear you out on the street.”
“You don’t understand how things are between us,” Logan said. “Whatever reasons were for coming here, she and I have something real.”
“You and I had something real.”
“We had sex. Twice, while we were both drunk. You were looking for an excuse to break off your engagement, and I was willing to give it to you. That’s not something. That’s about as close to nothing as you can get.”
“You didn’t seem to mind at the time.”
“Well, things have changed, Nikki. I’ve changed.”
Veronica climbed up into the seat next to Logan. “Face it, you and me, we’re not like her. We’re not like ordinary people. We take what we want when we want it, and we don’t have to worry about the consequences. If you want the truth, she should probably be the one thanking me. God, imagine what would happen if she really fell for you, and a few months in, you decide that you’re bored. What would happen when the cutesy nicknames and the trips to Crate and Barrel, picking out fabric patterns finally got to you and you decided you needed some real fun. You’d come back to me, or someone just like me, and you’d break her heart. She’d be scarred for life, all because you thought you could be something you weren’t.”
Logan snorted a short, hard laugh. He reached down, turned the ignition and revved the engine back to life. “Thank you for saying that. It was exactly what I needed to hear.” He knew what he had to do. He pulled out his phone and searched for a signal. It was time to set things straight.