The Billionaire's Kiss(17)

“And have you succeeded?” Monica asked.

Logan grinned. “The jury’s still out on me, but have a drink and you’ll see that the brewery is top notch.”

“Scandal does tend to follow you though, doesn’t it?” Monica added. She was really driving home this sex angle, wasn’t she? This was supposed to be a puff piece, not an expose. Logan tried to imagine the headline for the article, something about drinks with a handsome devil.

He’d make sure Monica didn’t print anything too revealing about him. After all, he had already decided not to mention that the inspiration for the Newport brewery had come to him while he was ducking the paparazzi after a very public fling with a pop star. Thank God she hadn’t asked about that. “It’s just one of the side effects of living well…” His words rang hollow, and he wondered if Monica really bought that line. He was playing into the picture she had started to paint of him. The playboy: come to rule over his new playground. It would be great press for the bar, not so much for him.

“The Independent, it’s an interesting name for a microbrewery. Some have even suggested that it might be more of a reference to your famously single lifestyle than anything else.”

“Well, it does lie at the end of Independence Wharf, but I’ll let our customers be the judge of that one. Either way, this place lives up to the name.”

“How so?” Monica asked.

“It’s distinctive, elegant but not fussy.” Logan ran his hand over the bar. “This bar and that accent wall over there are made of wood reclaimed from the original building that stood here. This city has withstood hurricanes and floods, fires, and every kind of human drama you could imagine, and the name is a nod to that independent spirit.” There was more that he wanted to say, more of the marketing spiel he had put together to highlight the unique flavor and quality of the beer, but he lost his train of thought. He was too busy staring out the window at Callie as she drank a glass of wine.

Monica put her pen and paper down on the bar and pushed them forward. She took a long look at Logan and turned to follow his gaze out the window, looking back to where she had been sitting earlier. She nodded her head toward Callie. ”Off the record, is she why you're so distracted? I've known you since you and Mike were in school together. He and I have been married for five years, and I think this is the first time you haven't been indecent enough to flirt with me. Is everything alright?"

Logan was still looking out toward Callie. The sun had sunk lower in the sky. It backlit her silhouette. He studied her gentle curves and wondered what kind of chance he had with her. As he thought about Callie, Monica’s words barely registered in his brain. "Um, yeah. Do you think I could have a minute, I just remembered something I have to do."

"Sure, I'll take the opportunity to go freshen up. Maybe you can clear your head. Then maybe we can finish the interview. I'm going to meet Mike for dinner in a little bit. Which way's the bathroom?"

Logan turned and pointed to the bathrooms. When he looked back out to the deck, Callie was gone. He had only looked away for a moment. Why did he care so much, and what she was doing? He scanned the room for her. Then he saw her, making her way to the door. He jumped up from his seat and walked over to her, trying to go as fast as possible without running.

As he tapped on her shoulder, Logan's mind went blank. Callie turned around and looked at him, and he stood there at a complete loss for words. He could smell the subtle lavender scent of her perfume, and he felt completely flummoxed. “Are you going so soon?" he finally blurted out. Logan wondered what he had done to scare her off so quickly.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm feeling really tired. It's been a long day. Besides, you don't need me hanging around while you're on a date."

"A date? She's a friend. Well, she's my friend's wife. She's a reporter. Why is this all coming out wrong? I'm giving an interview, and I'll be done in a few minutes. If you stick around, I can show you the restaurant, the city, whatever."

"I'd like that," Callie said, "but I think I've had enough excitement for one night. Goodnight, Logan."

As Callie headed out the door, Logan headed back to the bar.

"So that's what has you so distracted," Monica said, "or should I say who? Here I was thinking something bad had happened. Instead, it's something unprecedented. Logan Harris has a crush. So, who is she?"

"A friend of the family."

"That's funny. When I showed up I thought she was the hostess. She even brought me outside to a table."