Twenty Two
Logan walked back and forth along the length of the walk-in closet, looking for just the right attire to wear for the second leg of his date with Callie. Brunch down on the dock had been a great success, and Logan had even managed to make Callie’s omelet exactly the way she had requested. He liked cooking for her. He liked providing. It made him feel good. It made him feel whole. Just seeing that look on her face when he brought her out to the table and set everything down for her had made his day. Of course, now it was time to make hers, if only he could find that damn shirt. He had a whole mansion at his disposal, and he barely used it for more than a glorified closet. Finally, he spotted the lightweight, summer suit at the back of the closet and pulled it out. Callie better appreciate this, he thought. He’d rather have been wearing a pair of jeans, but this day wasn’t about him. If he was right, Callie would be ready in a few minutes, and they’d be all set to head off in time for the workers to come in and transform the house for that night.
As Logan tossed the suit onto the bed and started to change, his phone lit up. Expecting Callie, he picked it up and answered without looking. “Hey, are you ready already?” he asked.
“I was born ready, son,” the voice drawled on the other end of the call. “You know that.”
Logan froze. “Dad?”
“The one and only.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I was calling to let you know that the legislation I’ve been working on finally passed.”
“I know,” Logan said.
“I know you know,” Hank replied. “I heard through the grapevine that someone paid a visit to Jack Coburn a few days back.”
“Oh yeah, who?” Logan asked.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Hank said.
Logan hated doing this back and forth with his dad. Nothing was ever good enough. If Hank didn’t get it done on his own, then he would rather it hadn’t gotten done at all. “He’s a good friend. You know that. I was just checking in. Was there anything else? Or should I go?”
“Hows the house guest doing?” Hank asked, the slight hesitation in his voice revealing the true reason for his call. He wanted to know why Callie wasn’t checking in. He wanted to know if his precious bill was still slated to go to vote.
“I know why you sent her here,” Logan said. “And I’m letting you know that I don’t need a chaperone.”
“What are you talking about?” Hank asked. His indignation at the question rang through even clearer than his words. Damn he was good at lying. Maybe that’s where Logan had learned that skill.
“I like her, dad. I like her a lot. And if you care at all about me, you’ll drop all of this crap now.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Logan,” Hank said, as if the name alone were enough to voice his disapproval.
“We’re dating? Okay?” Logan said. “I don’t need your permission to see her. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“You think bringing a girl out a few times means you’re dating? I mean, for you, that’s progress, but it’s far from a serious relationship. At some point, you have to take responsibility for yourself and for others. She quit her job this morning. Did she tell you that? She called up her pregnant sister and quit, just like that. She has commitments, responsibilities. She has a future Logan, and she doesn’t need you getting in her head. When I heard that you two were consorting, I had hoped maybe she’d be a good influence on you. It looks like the opposite happened.”
Callie quit her job? Logan felt a hollow shock inside. This is what he had wanted, what he had pushed for, but for some reason, it didn’t make him happy at all. In fact, it just made him feel guilty. She was going to give up everything for him, and he was hiding the truth from her, lying about what he was doing, trying to cover up what he had done in his efforts to be with her. No. He wasn’t going to let his father make him feel bad about this. This was Callie’s decision, and Hank would have to respect it. “She’s an adult too,” he said. Logan never actually thought Callie would go through with it. It had been a taunt, a tease, a way of reminding her that their situation wasn’t permanent, but it was more than that too. It was his way of asking her what their relationship really meant. Now that she had answered that question, her response terrified him.
“She has a job, Logan. She has a family.”
“This again? You could have just asked me to talk to Jack. You could have admitted for once that I could help you. I don’t need you cleaning up my messes for me. I’m a grown man. And I’m fully committed to taking responsibility.”