The Duet(41)

Without a word, Jason scooted his chair back so that the wooden legs scraped against the hardwood. All three of us turned to stare at him, but he didn’t offer any response. Instead, he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer from the bottom shelf.

“Want one, Derek?” he asked, already reaching for a second bottle.

“Sure thing,” he replied.

“Oh, no thank you. I’m fine,” I teased, resting my hip on the kitchen island and pretending to not check him out as he bent down again, retrieving a third bottle.

When he handed it over to me after popping the top off, his brown eyes met mine. “My apologies. Didn’t figure you for a beer fan, Princess.”

“Aw, he calls her princess,” LuAnne said, peering over at us from the stove.

Derek and Jason chuckled while I rolled my eyes.

“It’s not a term of endearment, let me assure you,” I answered.

Jason held up his hands in defense. “Who said it wasn’t?”

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. I nearly jumped at the noise, considering I hadn’t heard it ring in all the days I’d stayed there.

“Who’s that?” I asked as Jason turned to answer it.

“It’s Logan, and he’s just in time for dinner,” LuAnne said. I watched her moving around the kitchen. In one quick motion she took a pot of boiling pasta off the stove and dumped it into a strainer in the sink. Meanwhile, Jason opened the front door for his teenage cousin who looked just as shell-shocked as he had been at the coffee shop the day before.

“Is she here?” he asked Jason as he stepped through the threshold, probably not intending for his voice to carry through the house as well as it did.

Jason patted his back, “Hello to you, too, cuz.”

I smiled, watching them approach. When Logan saw me standing in the kitchen, his eyes traveled over my loose cotton dress, down to the beer in my hand, and back up to my face in a matter of seconds.

“Hi Logan,” I offered with a smile, hoping to ease his nerves.

It didn’t work. His eyes widened when I said his name and then he took two awkward steps forward.

“I brought you these,” he said, skating over a formal greeting in an attempt to shove whatever it was he was holding into my hand.

When I glanced down at the bag I saw the Big Timber Brew logo.

“They’re chocolate-covered coffee beans,” he explained.

“Oh!” I flipped the bag over to get a better look at the candy. “I love these, thank you, Logan.” I stepped forward to give him a quick hug and my eyes met Jason’s over Logan’s shoulder. He tipped his beer to me with a thankful smile before he took a long sip.

“Who’s hungry!?” LuAnne hollered as I stepped out of Logan’s embrace.

I overheard Logan whisper, “Oh my God, my shirt smells like her now,” as I went to take my seat at the table.

Logan sat across from me, anxiously fidgeting in his seat, and Jason sat beside me, casually resting his hand on the back of my chair in a way that completely confused me. LuAnne set out a big bowl of spaghetti with a fresh salad and breadsticks. The food smelled divine, and I even let myself enjoy the pasta knowing full well my trainer would kick my ass for it in the morning. He’d taken to calling me on Skype so we could continue our sessions as usual while I was in Montana. At first, I contemplated holding up a stick-figure of myself working out to fool him, but then I’d go back to LA ten pounds heavier and he’d only kick my ass more. The life of a public figure. Every time I glanced at a rag magazine while I waited in line at the grocery store (yes, celebrities do that, too) they’d have my picture next to a bold statement: “Too thin?”, “Too Fat?”, or my personal favorite, “Seriously, does she ever stop eating?”

“So the coffee beans were kind of an attempt at buttering you up,” Logan said, breaking me out of my bread-filled daze.

“Were they now?” I asked.

Logan’s gaze darted to Jason, and then back to me. “I have this request and I’m sure that you’ll be too busy or whatever, but I thought I’d ask because I’d be an idiot not to ask. Every guy in school would be so jealous if you actually said yes.”

His ramblings were piquing my interest.

“Said yes to what?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

Logan took a deep breath. “Would you go to prom with me?”

Derek’s howling laughter filled the kitchen until I heard an audible kick beneath the table. Jason’s foot had undoubtedly left a nice indention on his shin.

“Prom?” I asked, trying to clarify his question in my mind.

He smiled wider. “Yup.”