Her eyes grew distant, but a hint of a smile lifted her lips. "My father just took my face in his hands and said no one messes with the Harrisons and gets away with it. And no one messes with my little girl and gets away with it, that's for damn sure. His little girl . . . I was thirty-one, for Pete's sake."
Tess smiled absently and reached for her water glass. "I dropped it after that. I know he did something. But the fewer details I knew, the better off we all were."
Logan let out a low whistle. He knew the Harrisons were rich and connected, but that was a kind of power he couldn't begin to grasp. That was another world.
She shrugged. "The whole thing was a disaster, and I'm glad it's behind me. What can I say? Brady broke my heart. I was crazy in love with him. I thought we were going to get married, have a bunch of beautiful kids . . . now, I just thank God I found out before it was too late."
"He's a goddamn fool." Logan leaned in and covered her hand with his. It was big and warm and made her feel good. "I know it must not have felt like it at the time, but you were lucky. Good riddance."
"I know. Agreed, one hundred percent." She took a deep, cleansing breath, then removed her red shell jacket and placed it over the back of her chair. She'd finally warmed up enough to start shedding layers. "It's easy to talk about it now, because I don't feel a thing. But it wasn't for a long time. Took me a long time to heal."
She smoothed out her fleece pullover, soft swirls of red and magenta. Her black ski pants made a crinkly noise as she shifted in her seat. She looked back up at Logan, who was staring thoughtfully at her. Ugh, she'd been talking too much, and probably making herself look like a sad sack. "I'm fine, Logan. Really. It's all in the past, and I'm nothing but grateful for the way it worked out. You saw him for yourself, he's a total jackass."
"That he is," Logan agreed. "I can't even picture you with him."
"It was a past life. A past me."
"I get that. We all have a past life and different versions of ourselves, don't we." He leaned back and stroked his beard as he added, "I'm still sorry you were hurt so bad. You deserved better."
"Again, agreed, a hundred percent. A hundred and ten!"
They smiled at each other.
"You know . . ." She hesitated, deciding whether to continue, then forged ahead. "My brothers and I, we used to think we were cursed. If you asked any of us about finding love about five years ago? We would have scoffed at you. The Harrisons had a disastrous track record."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, to begin with, our parents had a doomed, dreadful marriage, then an epically ugly divorce. My brother Charles, his first marriage was a train wreck. Then me and Brady . . . It was like the Harrison destiny to not have love in our lives." Her voice trailed off as the waitress appeared with their appetizers. She set down a caprese salad in front of Tess and a platter of loaded potato skins before Logan.
"You really thought you were cursed?" Logan asked with a dry chuckle. "I know your brothers. You all seem too pragmatic and savvy to believe in bullshit like that."
"Well, thanks, and you're right. But come on, all four of us? That was a hell of a coincidence, none of us ever having relationships that worked out . . ." She reached for the salt shaker and added a dash to her plate. "Now, of course, we know it's not the case. Over the past few years, all three of my brothers found the loves of their lives. Their true soul mates. They're all very lucky. And very happy."
"But not you, though," Logan murmured.
"Nope. Guess third time, for the third brother, was the charm. Lady Luck ran out of turns for me." Tess straightened in her chair and picked up her fork and knife. "I'm fine with that. I'm so glad they're all happy, and I'm going to make my own happy ending when I have my baby."
They ate quietly for a minute. Logan's head was filled with new questions, and also new insight. He'd had enough heartbreak of his own to understand her desire to remain alone after a betrayal like that.
"Did you date at all after you and Brady split up?" he asked. "I mean, if that was years ago . . ."
"Yes. I mean, I didn't at first, not for a while. Had to nurse that broken heart and heal. I didn't trust. At all." Tess took a bite of her food and moaned with pleasure. "Oh my God, this is good. I was so hungry."
"Me too," he admitted, grinning as he dug into his own food. "Enjoy."
They ate in silence for another minute before Tess said, "It took me two years to start dating again, but I did. I wasn't going to let a loser like Brady ruin the rest of my life, give him that power over my future. So yes, I dated. And I met some very nice men. And some very blah men. But none of them . . . It was nothing special. No fireworks, no real connections. And, as I'd learned the hard way, there were also men who were only interested in my last name and what it could get them. At least, after Brady, I could spot those bloodsuckers in ten seconds."
"That's a situation I can't imagine having to deal with," Logan admitted. "I don't envy you that. Dating is hard enough. To have to wonder if anyone's genuine, or after your money . . . That just sucks."
"Yup." Tess shrugged. "So . . . here I am. I tried, but the fairy tale hasn't happened for me. And, as Brady so kindly pointed out, I've always wanted children. More than anything. Well, I have money, resources . . . So I'm going to make that happen on my own."
"I almost punched him in the face when he brought that up," Logan growled. "I wanted to, so bad."
"I appreciate it, but he's not worth the possible jail time." Tess grinned wickedly. "I bet your fists could be registered as lethal weapons, from the looks of you. You hit him once, you might have killed him. Then I would've had to visit you in jail. And while you're a very attractive man, I don't think an orange jumpsuit would suit you."
He laughed, but then said, "I could tell from one short meeting that Brady Hillman is a waste of air, a total douchebag. You were probably the best thing that ever happened to him. His loss."
Tess merely smiled and took another bite. "I can't believe I ran into him here of all places . . ." She shrugged again. "Whatever. Hopefully, I'll never see him again."
"Did you see that friggin' Barbie doll he married?" Logan said with a disapproving scowl. "Ugh. She was a serious bitch, and so fake."
Tess giggled. "You mean you don't like overly prominent plastic curves?"
"I like curves fine, when they're real. None of hers were."
"You could tell, huh?"
"Couldn't you?"
Tess shrugged, her brows lifting as she said, "Well, he always liked busty women. God knows that's not me. I remember wondering why he liked me so much when all his exes were these hourglass-shaped women . . . I hadn't realized at that point he was into me for my money, not for me." She dabbed at the side of her mouth with her napkin. "The thing is, it used to make me feel so insecure when I was younger. Being a beanpole. I hadn't embraced my body yet."
"And now?" Logan asked quietly, eyes locked on her.
"Now, I totally, gladly accept myself for who I am. But it was so hard as a teen, and even in my early twenties," she admitted. "It was really hard, actually."
He was fascinated. "What do you mean? Why?"
"I was too tall, too skinny, and flat chested," she said plainly. "My mother was . . . I don't want to say a movie star, because that gives her more credit than she's due. But she was a B-level actress, she was in a handful of movies back in the seventies. We all look just like her, my brothers and I-it's practically the same face. But she was a real bombshell, sex goddess type. Hourglass curves, and only five-foot-five. Whereas I, however, inherited the Harrison DNA: tall and lean. Apparently, my father's grandmother was six feet tall." She fidgeted with the napkin, folding it in her lap. "My father offered to get me a boob job for my sixteenth birthday."
"Are you serious?" Logan sputtered. "Please be kidding. Jesus."
"Dead serious. I was mortified. Ah, the teen years . . ." Tess shot him a wry smirk. "My mother had abandoned us, my father was . . . my father. My brothers were great when they were around, but I just wanted to either go out with my friends, or hide in my art studio and paint. To be normal. But I wasn't. I was a flat-chested giant." She grinned ruefully, her tone weary as she said, "Do you have any idea how hard it can be for a very tall girl? I hit five-ten by the time I was fifteen. I was taller than my own brothers for a few years, much less some of my teachers. And forget about the boys."