Five
Callie leaned over the counter and tried to focus her eyes on the coffee maker. It was a stainless steel espresso maker with a finish so buffed that she could see her reflection. with some Italian name written in script above a maze levers and knobs. God, there were more knobs than she could count. Even if she had been fully awake, she'd never have had any idea how to operate the thing. Its complexity seemed like a cruel trick. Anyone who really needed coffee would be too tired to figure out how to use it. After ten minutes of fiddling with different settings and failing to produce anything resembling a cup of coffee, Callie gave up. She'd just walk into town and buy herself a cup of coffee. Logan probably wouldn't roll out of bed until noon, so she should have a few wonderful, peaceful hours to herself until then.
Logan. He knew that the sun would shine so brightly in the window of the master bedroom that it would wake her up early, and yet he didn't just tell her. No, he had to have the last laugh just because she wouldn't take his advice without a good reason. Callie made the trip upstairs and lugged all of her stuff down to the first floor bedroom. The room was still in shadow, and, with the blinds down, was wonderfully dark. Callie lay down on the bed and tried to fall back asleep, but she couldn't. She tossed and turned for an hour before getting up and getting ready to head into town.
The walk from the guesthouse into town wasn't an overly long one, but Callie decided to wander. The oceanfront mansions slowly gave way to green space, and soon Callie found herself in the middle of a neighborhood of small capes and colonials with vinyl siding and chain link fences. As she walked, she felt like a normal person for the first time in a long while. For once, she wasn’t surrounded by money and power.
The closer she got to the center of town, the older the houses became. Callie started to recognize the windows and porches from her previous walks around town. She had managed to walk the entire distance to town without even realizing it. The leafy streets soon gave way to busy intersections, and, before she knew it, Callie was back at the intersection of Thames Street and Americas Cup Ave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a welcome sight — Henry and Evelyn.
They were standing in a doorway of one of the only shops open at that early hour. Henry was holding a sweatshirt up in the air and examining it. Callie could see NEWPORT written in block letters across the front. He put it down and wrapped his arm around Evelyn. Lacking anything better to do, Callie decided to follow behind to see how they were doing.
She slowly made her way down after them towards the shops off of America’s Cup Ave. She figured she’d stop as soon as she found a place to get coffee. She nearly jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around to see another familiar face.
"What's up?" Logan asked.
Callie ran her hands through her hair and tried to straighten it. God, she wasn’t even wearing makeup. What the hell was he doing awake? Wasn’t he supposed to get up at noon everyday? “Not much, I'm just taking a walk."
"At this hour? Either you're an early bird or you slept upstairs,” Logan said. His grin gave away his pleasure at how things had worked out.
"You could have mentioned the sun thing,” Callie said.
"My father's a morning person. He liked his guests to get up early, too. The bedroom downstairs is better anyway. It's also that much closer to the water. It has that wonderful sea breeze. That room is one of my favorite places."
"You sound like you're about to move in,” she said. She made a mental note to move everything downstairs as soon as she got back to the guesthouse.
Logan laughed. "If you're offering, Blondie. So, tell me, who's the old couple?"
"What do you mean?" Callie asked. Was it weird that she was following two retirees down the street? Yes, yes it was. She knew that. Should she just play it cool or was Logan going to think she was some kind of voyeuristic weirdo?
"You've been looking over at them for the past ten minutes while keeping an equal distance behind. Either you happen to walk slower than everyone else under the age of seventy, or you're following them."
"Wait, how long have you been watching me?" Callie asked.
"I had just come to shore to get some coffee.”
"Don't you have a butler to do that for you?"
"Yeah, but he was busy shining the family coat of arms, so I figured I'd take care of it myself. Or was he stuffing my fireplace with hundred dollar bills? I can’t remember. If only my scribe were here to remind me.”
"I get it. You're being sarcastic," Callie said.
"Oh, is that what that was?" Logan asked. He gave Callie a gentle nudge with his elbow. "I do have a staff on the boat, a few people, just enough to keep it clean and afloat. Nothing over the top. I make my own coffee. Usually that means that I buy my own coffee. Come on, I’ll show you a place.”
"You're still talking about your yacht, right? That's over the top enough on its own. I’m sure you could find a place to store one bag of beans so you didn’t have to come all the way into town to get a cup of coffee”
“Well, the guesthouse has an espresso maker, and I don’t see you using it right now.”
“Point made,” Callie said.
"So you still haven't told me who the old folks are."
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Are you here on a secret assignment to keep them from causing some slow-moving scandal?"
"And if I were?" Callie asked.
"I'd tell you to let them lead their lives. They don't look like they're going to cause anyone any harm."
"They were on my flight," Callie said. "I gave up my seat so they could sit next to each other."
"How chivalrous of you."
"It was nothing," Callie said. "I hope I'm like them some day."
"Old? I mean you've already got the walking-impossibly-slow part down. Why don't you just go up to them and say hi?"
"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to interfere in their moment. Don't they look happy?"
"Yeah, I suppose they do. I don't know how anyone could be that happy about being awake at this hour."
"Aren't you?"
"Yeah, but that's different. I never went to sleep. This is just the very bright ending of a very long night."
"Oh?" Callie asked. "So your date went well?"
"Something like that," Logan replied. He flashed that smile that Callie had already grown to like so much. She wondered if he had said that solely to get a rise out of her. He seemed to enjoy her reaction more than anything else.
"Is that why you're all alone now?"
"I'm not alone. I'm with you. And soon we'll be with your grandparents over there."
"Don't!" Callie said quickly. She half shouted at him.
"Then come get some coffee with me."
"First it's coffee. Then it's dinner and drinks. Soon, everyone in Newport will think we're an item."
"I could ruffle up your hair and kiss you before we go into the coffee shop. That would probably be quicker," Logan replied.
Callie batted her eyelashes at Logan and said in her sweetest damsel-in-distress voice, "Oh, what can a poor, innocent girl like me do to resist such charm?"
"You think I'm charming?" Logan asked.
"It's called sarcasm," Callie said. She grabbed his arm and motioned to the coffee shop. "Come on, rich boy. Your coffee's on me."
"You still haven't told me why you're following the old folks," Logan said as they walked across the street and headed into the coffee shop. "Let me guess. You followed them up from DC. He looks too nice to be a politician. Maybe he's a judge, and she is his mistress. No, wait, that's too easy. I'm sure it's better than that. Maybe she's the judge, and he's her sister's husband. Am I getting close here? If you're not actually working right now, there must be something truly interesting about them to make you follow them around."
"There is," Callie said. "They're in love, truly in love, and have been for decades."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "They're in love? That's what makes them so interesting? No high-level political intrigue?"
"They both just retired. He was an accountant for the Congressional Budget Office. She worked for a law firm. Did you see way they look at each other? They're so in love. You do my job for any amount of time, and you stop believing that things can work out. It's just nice to know that they can."
"What about your sister and what's his name?" Logan asked.
"Ethan?"
"I know his name. I'm just still sore that he took my father's company."
"Ethan and Amy are in love. But they're still newlyweds. They waited so long to admit their feelings to each other, and now they're living the dream. I'm sure they'll last, but I just deal with so many clients with broken, loveless marriages. Like I said, seeing Henry and Evelyn just gives me hope. Forty five years of marriage, can you imagine? They saved up for this trip for years, the honeymoon they never had."
"Is that so?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, they got a hotel room on the waterfront down on Long Wharf. It's kind of adorable. I hope I have even a tenth of what they have." Callie stopped to order the coffee. She got her usual, a caramel cappuccino with extra foam. Logan opted for black iced coffee. He held out his credit card to pay.
"You'll have more," Logan said. "Come on, let me buy you that coffee.”
“More what?”
“More years of happiness. Women like you always end up finding their happy ending.”
“Oh, I thought you were talking about the coffee. This one's on me," she said. “Then again, you still owe me that drink."
"That I do," Logan said. "How about tonight?"
"As long as you have red wine."
"Where's the fun in that? I own a brewery. You have to at least try what we make. I promise, if you don't like it, I'll get you a bottle of whatever you want."
Callie took the drinks from the barista and handed one to Logan. "See you tonight."
***
That afternoon, as Callie made her way across Newport to Logan’s bar, she decided to call Charlotte. Callie wanted to know what Charlotte would have to say about all of this. For the entire time they had known each other, Callie had been the overly practical one, while Charlotte had been the one creating stories out of nothing, dreaming up romances and adventures. She’d probably think Callie had hit the jackpot with Logan. Flirty, fiery, and a little bit bad? It sounded like one of the heroes from one of Charlotte’s books. Callie pulled her phone out of her purse and placed the call. “So how is Prince Charming?" Charlotte asked. Callie could hear the running bathtub in the background.
"I can't figure out if he's fun or infuriating. I think I'll have an answer tonight. Are you reading Jane Austen in the tub again?”
“Yes. Tonight is my date with Mr. Darcy. Are you going on a date with Logan?"
"No, I'm just meeting him at his bar for drinks,” Callie said.
"That sounds like a date to me,” Charlotte added.
“Like yours, it isn’t,” Callie said.
“Just because my date happens to be with a fictional character, doesn’t mean it’s not a date. Yours sounds a bit more interesting anyway. Fitz is getting a little predictable for my tastes.”
“Who is Fitz?”
“Fitzwilliam Darcy. Don’t tell me you’ve been my roommate for all this time and you don’t know Mr. Darcy’s first name. That’s worse than expecting me to believe that you’re not going on a date tonight.”
"I'm just trying to do my job," Callie said.
"No one said you couldn't do your job and have some fun."
"My boss, who also happens to be my very pregnant and very hormonal sister told me I wasn't allowed to have any fun."
Charlotte whispered, "It's a good thing she's several hundred miles away isn't it?"
“Why are you whispering?” Callie asked.
“Just because you’re hundreds of miles away doesn’t mean I am. What if she shows up here for some reason. For all I know, she could have our place bugged.” Charlotte burst into laughter. “Imagine how boring it would be to listen to our apartment. You’re never here, and I’m always reading. It would be like listening to paint dry.”
Callie shook her head. “Nothing is going to happen between me and Logan, and no one has bugged our apartment.”
"Well, call me a skeptic, but I don't believe you about the Logan part. I bet you two are already madly in love, and you're just trying to cover your tracks. The incorrigible bachelor and the proper house guest. I think this is a story I’d read."
"Ha," Callie said, “I’ll keep that in mind. You think I'm going to fall in love with him? Don't get me wrong: he's sexy as hell, but he doesn't strike me as the fall in love type."
“That’s just what Elizabeth Bennet would say about Mr. Darcy!” Charlotte said. “Well, if you do end up alone tonight, give me a call, and I’ll keep you company. We can talk about finding me a new roommate when you decide to run off with Logan.”
“Not going to happen, but I’ll call you later to let you know how things go,” Callie said. "I'm heading into The Independent now. I'll call you the moment I walk back out."
***
Logan got up from the bar and walked over to the door to greet Callie. "Haven, how are you?" he asked. He hugged her quickly with a vigor one might reserve for an old friend. She had wondered how he'd greet her, whether he'd shake her hand or lean in and kiss her on the cheek, giving her some clue as to his intentions, but the hug, well it didn't tell her much other than what she already knew: Logan was in great shape. Calling her Haven, now that was something else entirely.
Callie smiled. She couldn't remember the last time someone had called her Haven. Her friends called her Callie, her clients called her Ms. Haven, and only when mad did her sister call her by her full name, Calliope, but no one ever called her Haven. "I see we're finally on a last name basis, Mr. Harris."
Logan laughed. "I didn't know if we were on a first name basis yet. I didn't want to seem too forward."
"Somehow, I get the feeling that you never mind being too forward. You invite me out to dinner. You tell me where to sleep, but using my first name is where you draw the line?”
Logan grinned. "Let's just say that I'm finding it difficult to hold myself back."
"Don't hold back," Callie said, "I was just starting to have fun."
Logan looked at her and flashed that cocky smile of his. "I'm sure that you and I could find a way to have some fun. Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
And there we go, Callie thought. It was time to temper Logan's expectations. Besides, if she didn’t pump the brakes, she might just take him up on his offer. "So is that where you see this going? I mean really. What's your best case scenario for tonight? Let me guess: you'll invite me back to your place. We'll have a few more drinks. You'll kiss me, a small kiss at first, then a little more. You'll feel that first rush and want another, leaning in closer. You'll tear my clothes off and take me right there on the floor, heavy breathing, skin on skin, our mouths lost in each other, as you pull my hair and push yourself in?" She locked her eyes on Logan and studied his face. His mouth was slightly open. His pupils were dilated. She could tell he was still imagining everything she had said. “Not going to happen. Not tonight, not ever.”
Logan raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" Callie asked. "Didn't think I had a mouth?"
"I just didn't know you knew how to use it like that."
"Oh you have no idea, pretty boy." Callie followed Logan over to the bar and took a seat next to him.
After he ordered drinks, he motioned her closer. He leaned in, as if he wanted to share a secret with her. He whispered, "You think I'm pretty?"
Callie shook her head and leaned back in her seat. "Men like you are all the same, Logan."
"Good looking?"
Callie laughed. "You know what I mean."
"Callie, I don't think you've ever met anyone quite like me."
"Oh yeah, what makes you say that?"
"If you had, you'd know enough to run away as fast as you can."
Callie lowered her voice. "Don't worry, I already know your reputation. I've heard the stories: a different woman every night, a different city every month. The insatiable, irresistible Logan Harris, who thinks women are as much his toys as his boats and his cars."
"You think I'm irresistible?"
"You really do have selective hearing, don't you?"
"I choose to focus on the positive, but I tell you what. Keep telling me why I am the way I am. Go on. Give it your best guess. If you get it right, I'll leave you alone. I'll repent my wicked ways, pick up your tab and head back home for the night."
"And if I'm wrong?" Callie asked.
"You'll stick around."
"Stick around and do what?"
"Talk, drink, fall madly in love with me."
"That doesn't seem so bad, save for that last part."
"Good, then you have nothing to lose. So tell me, Callie, what makes men like me tick?"
"I see it again and again, men who throw themselves at every pretty girl they see looking for attention and easy sex. It's another form of power. You're all high on it, you want to have everything your way, never compromising, but for you, I think it's different. I've seen the way you've looked at me. I've seen the way you've looked across this room. You're looking for someone to run off with right now."
"Ooh," Logan said, "you were getting close there at the end, but you're still so wrong. Looks like you're stuck here with me for the night, Haven."
Callie rolled her eyes. "Call me Callie. And you don't just get to say that you win, you have to explain it to me. If I like your answer, I'll stay. If I don't, I'm leaving."
"I don't know how to explain it. I'm like a moth with a flame."
"Care to elaborate?"
"I see someone. Maybe she's sitting across the bar, or maybe we make eye contact across a crowded room. Maybe it's a friend of a friend who's just too pretty for me to keep from staring and smiling. That first look and I'm hooked, and I need to know more. For me, it's about drawing a line."
"Like a line in the sand?"
"Yeah, but instead of the line being between us, it's between us and everyone else in the world. It's the idea that two people can be completely alone inside a crowded room. Forget about the sex. Forget about everything else. I want that moment, the moment where everything else fades into the background and it's just the two of us, eyes locked, hearts racing wondering who's going to take the next step." As Logan spoke, he leaned in closer and closer to Callie, until his lips were just inches from hers. Then he leaned back and smiled. "That's what it's about for me."
"I see," Callie said. "And what happens after that?"
"I try to hold on to that feeling as long as I can. Then, when it's gone, I try to find it again."
"Have you ever thought of just finding someone you're compatible with and, I don't know, dating?"
"Compatibility is overrated."
"Do you have some kind of mantra for everything? Or are you quoting from the billionaire playboy playbook?"
"I just think people wander through life looking for the one person who completes them. I feel bad for them. They go from one relationship to the next trying to make something work when it won't. Why not just accept the truth and enjoy it?"
"What truth is that?" Callie asked.
"People love feeling like they're falling. They just don't realize that at some point, they have to hit the ground."
"And you're more than glad to drop them as soon as you lose interest?"
"I'm willing to accept reality, that's all. You should try it. I guarantee you'll have a wonderful time."
"One that won't last very long."
"All good things," Logan said, shaking his head. "Of course, I can't help it that women are naturally drawn to me."
"Ha," Callie blurted out. "You think you're that good?" She looked around the room. No one really looked like a threat, no curvaceous women, no one eyeing Logan like he was a piece of meat. Maybe this would be a chance to win him over a little bit and learn how to keep him in line later on. "Let's see what you've got."
"Right now?" Logan asked.
"Seems fair. I'll sit here and watch you work your magic. If you're as good as you say you are, that shouldn't be a problem. And if you care as little as you say you do, you'll have no problem coming back over here when you're done."
"Hmm," Logan said, "sounds like a good idea, but I want to make one little change."
"What's that?" Callie asked.
“You have to give it a shot, too."
"What? Do you really think I'm going to go hit on some random guy?"
"Why not?” Logan asked. “Are you afraid you'll get yourself in trouble?"
"No, I'm afraid that I'll attract some creep who won't leave me alone. I'm a woman. I could have any single guy in this bar and half the married ones if I wanted. You're the one who will end up getting yourself into trouble.”
"I do seem to have a talent for that. Although, from the sounds of it, you might, too. How about this: if you’re having trouble, just motion to me, and I’ll come and save you. Do we have a deal?"
Callie exhaled a long, slow breath. Maybe this would be a good chance to see Logan in action without having to worry about him leaving with someone. After all, there weren’t many women in the bar, and Callie wanted to know a few of the warning signs if Logan ended up really hitting on someone in the future. She had painted herself into a corner, and agreeing seemed like the only way out. How much trouble could Logan really get into with her there watching? “Sure.”
"Good. You're going to lose this one." As Logan spoke, Callie watched trouble walk into the room, 5' 8" of trouble with dark brown hair, full lips and even fuller breasts. She wore a tight black dress that accentuated her curves. Half of the men in the bar were already drooling over her, and the other half simply hadn't seen her yet. It was like the whole center of gravity in the room had shifted to her. The woman took one look towards Logan and started heading over toward him. Callie's heart skipped a beat as she wondered what to do. The first step was to play it cool.
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," she said.
"Nonsense," Logan replied. "You're only bailing on it because a hot woman just walked in. This bet is on."
Callie looked around the room some more and wondered what to do. She couldn't leave Logan alone with the brunette, and she couldn't back down on their little wager either. She just needed some time to figure out a plan.
"Well, I'm going to run to the bathroom before I find some unsuspecting man to wrap around my little finger."
"Take all the time you need. Your seat might be occupied when you get back though."
Callie grabbed her purse and headed off to the bathroom. She grabbed her phone and placed a call as she made her way across the restaurant. She needed advice, and she needed it quickly.
"Amy, it's me, I need to talk," she said. She pushed her way into the bathroom and leaned over the sink.
"What's up?" Amy asked. Callie could hear Ethan and Vi in the background talking loudly.
"Is this a bad time?"
"We're en route to a fundraiser, you have about two minutes."
"Logan is hitting on a brunette at the bar."
"Well, is that supposed to be news?"
"I think he's going to try to bring her home."
"So stop him. You're resourceful. Figure out some way to distract him."
Callie took a long, slow breath, counting as she inhaled and exhaled. "I've got it," she said. "I can handle this."
"Has he driven you crazy yet?"
"I've wanted to strangle him since I've gotten here. He just has a way of being so irritating."
Amy laughed. "As long as you're not falling for him, we're in good shape," she said.
"Any news on the legislation?"
"Still on schedule. We'll have you home in two weeks. Try to enjoy your time out of DC. Remember to stay low key. The less he notices you, the better."
"I'll try, but the way things are going, I feel like I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation."
"We'll see."
"Send Ethan and Vi my love," Callie said. She hung up the phone and looked at herself in the mirror. "You're just doing your job," she said. "There's nothing more to this." Then she slid her phone back into her purse and straightened her hair. It was time to end her contest with Logan and end his flirtation with the brunette. Callie couldn't believe what she was about to do.
She caught Logan's eye across the room as she walked over to him. He gave her a knowing smile, and he seemed quite pleased with himself. Things must have been going well with the brunette. He probably thought he was winning. He must have bought her a drink and laid on his charm. The poor guy had no idea what he had coming. Callie couldn't help but notice how he kept his eyes on her and not the brunette as she got closer.
Ignoring the other woman, Callie leaned into Logan and whispered, "I win."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Who?" he asked as he looked around the room. "You haven't even talked to anyone else."
"I didn't have to," Callie said. She leaned in closer and pressed her lips against his. She just had to kiss him long enough to scare off the brunette, but as she leaned into Logan and kissed him, something strange happened. Callie felt a thrill run through her body as Logan pulled her tighter against himself and returned her advances, sliding his tongue against hers, sending waves of warmth through her body. He kept his hand firm against her back and held her there. She didn't know what she had expected, but the tenderness of Logan's embrace had caught her off guard, and Callie forgot all about why she was kissing him and let herself melt into his arms.
She let out a little breath and kissed him again. She wanted more. Oh, God, she wanted more. This was bad. This was oh so very bad. And good. And bad. What in the world had made her think that kissing Logan was a good idea? She knew that she should pull back and make some witty remark, but she couldn't. She didn't want to do anything but keep herself locked against him. Somewhere, deep inside her mind a siren blared: Get out! Get out before its too late! Callie sighed and pulled back from the kiss, letting her nose rest against Logan's nose as she looked into his eyes. What was he going to say now?
Logan grinned. Maybe it was just Callie's imagination, but he looked half-dazed. "Now I have to think of something else to ask for when I win our other bet," he said.
Callie tried to snap back to reality. "I guess I'll have to think of something else too," she said. More than anything, she wanted to lean in for a second kiss, but she was afraid that if she did so, she'd never stop. "I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around," she said. She pushed herself back from Logan and turned for the door.
She had just done the one thing she had been warned not to do. She had kissed Logan Harris, and she had liked it. As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, Callie tried to catch her breath. There was no taking that kiss back, so what should she do next?