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More Than A Favor
Chapter 9
Om Mens
“Elaine, Mr. Mercer wants to talk to you.” Maya Ellison, who had come with me, held out the phone.
I’d underestimated how persistent Logan could be. At this point, I had no choice but to take the call. I kept my tone professional. “Mr. Mercer, what can I help you with?”
“Elaine.” Logan’s voice was rough with guilt. “Why’d you leave so early today? I came home but couldn’t give you a ride.”
Realizing this wasn’t about work, I stepped away from others. “I went to grab breakfast.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t leave last night. That’s why I didn’t make it home.”
My heart turned to ice, and I couldn’t help but smirk. “Why couldn’t you leave?”
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When he stayed silent, I held my breath and gave him an easy out. “Couldn’t find a nurse?”
He answered hesitantly, “Yeah.”
I didn’t say anything else.
Logan went on, “Elaine, when do you finish up? I’ll come get you, and we can grab lunch together.”
We hadn’t eaten lunch together in forever.
Based on what Kian told me last night, Logan had been spending all his
time with Selene.
Was he suddenly asking because he felt guilty about ditching me last night,
or did his conscience finally kick in?
I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to waste brain power trying to figure it out. I answered coldly, “Not sure. Might not even be done by noon. Besides, don’t** you already have plans every day at lunchtime now?”
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“Elaine.” Logan must have caught my sass. He said my name firmly, paused for a couple seconds, then added, “Don’t read too much into it.”
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He’d left me hanging in bed last night mid–action. What else was there to
read into?
Not wanting to get into personal stuff during work hours, I told him, “I’m in the middle of something. If that’s all, I’m gonna hang up.”
When he didn’t respond, I ended the call.
Today’s field work involved partner meetings and site checks. After wrapping up discussions around ten, Maya and I headed to the site.
This was for an amusement park construction project. I was in charge of overseeing everything. About 80% was finished now. I needed to check if the completed work matched up with the blueprints.
Even though problems were unlikely since the partners stuck to the plans pretty closely, it was still my job to inspect everything.
After making my rounds, my feet were killing me, and my toes were th robbing. I found a spot to sit and take a breather.
Maya must’ve picked up that something was off. “Elaine, you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, just my feet are killing me,” I admitted. If we weren’t on site, I would ‘ve kicked off my shoes to give my feet a real break.
“Oh.” Maya studied my face. “Elaine, anything else bothering you?”
When I hesitated, Maya pointed at her face. “Elaine, you’re looking kind of
pale.”
Well, duh – I barely got any sleep last night. Plus, a woman’s makeup can only do so much when she’s in a funk.
“Probably just PMS,” I made up an excuse and pulled out my phone, pretending to check some messages.
Maya was a total chatterbox. I was worried I couldn’t keep up the act if she kept asking questions.
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Suddenly, a shadow fell over me. Thinking it was Maya, I didn’t look up until
I felt something warm on my ankle and saw those familiar hands.
Logan had taken my shoes off, put my foot on his knee, and started rubbing it. “Are these shoes not working for you?” he asked.
I couldn’t say anything; my throat felt tight.
He looked up at me. “Still mad?” he asked softly.
“No,” I said, trying to pull my foot back.
But Logan held on, keeping up the massage. “Won’t happen again,” he promised quietly.
Logan was decked out in a navy suit with a white shirt. His custom cufflinks caught the sun, making him look even more polished than usual.
He worked on my left foot, then moved to the right, totally ignoring the people walking past. Some girls nearby were giving envious looks, whispering about finally seeing a real–life version of a hot guy doting on his girlfriend.
I’ve got to admit, it got to me. My anger from last night just melted away as he worked on my feet.
“Elaine, you’re so lucky!” Maya mouthed from where she stood.
Logan had gone all out here. If I kept dwelling on last night, I’d look petty, like I was desperate for what happened.
“What’re you in the mood for lunch?” Logan asked.
“Whatever works,” I said, still not super hungry even though I was feeling be
tter.
“How about that grilled fish place? They’ve got amazing seared foie gras too,” Logan suggested while helping me into the car.
As I reached for the seatbelt, he leaned in close. His cologne hit my nose, making my breath catch. He noticed my reaction and smiled, clicked my seatbelt in, then gave me a quick peck on the cheek as he pulled back.
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“Elaine, you still get as shy as you did when we were kids.”
I couldn’t even respond.
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Even though it was just a quick kiss, it totally turned my mood around. I felt. kind of pathetic – Logan just had to be a little sweet, and I’d be walking on air.
Thinking of Selene, I asked, “How’s Selene doing?”
He replied, “She’s fine. Already out of the hospital.”
When I didn’t say anything else, Logan glanced over and asked, “Why so quiet?”
“Just don’t know what to say,” I answered honestly.
As I said it, his words about how we knew each other too well echoed in my
head.
He was right – Logan and I knew way too much about each other. Every little detail. We were so familiar that there wasn’t much left to talk about
anymore.
Logan took me to the restaurant, where the waiter led us to a window table with a bouquet of white roses – my favorite. That’s when I realized he’d planned this ahead.
The grilled fish and foie gras came out, along with my go–to dessert. He’d clearly put some thought into this meal.
The amazing food, pretty flowers, and Logan’s elegant hands – I snapped some pics and posted them on social media. My work buddies immediately started hitting the like button, and Maya commented with a pouty emoji: “Should’ve brought me too!”
Before we came, Logan had told Maya to grab lunch on her own and expense it later.
Lisa saw my post but didn’t like it. Instead, she sent me a DM.
“Looks like he’s making it up to you. Not bad. BTW, I checked with the night,
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nurse yesterday – he was just sitting in Selene’s room. Nothing sketchy happened.”
I quietly read her text.
“Put your phone down and eat,” Logan said, cutting up the foie gras and sliding it over to me.
I’d just picked up my fork when I spotted a familiar face.
Selene saw me too and floated over with a smile. “Ms. Hart.” Then she turned to Logan. “Logan, you’re here too.”
Seriously? Like who else would be sitting across from me besides my
fiancé?
“What a coincidence, Ms. Vaughn. What brings you here?” I asked point-
blank.
“I was visiting Liam’s grave. Was passing by when I caught the smell of foie gras and got a craving,” Selene answered, her voice as delicate as her
look.
“You’re by yourself?” Logan asked.
“Yes! If you don’t mind, could I join you?” Selene asked, already dropping her coat on the chair next to Logan.
