“With who?” Logan practically barked from across the counter, his expression no longer blank. He was glowering. Hard.
I blinked rapidly in surprise at the bark. What was this? Was Logan daring to play protective big brother?
Oh God, could my life get any more pathetic? I’d been relegated to “familial” in his book.
“A colleague of Chloe. She set us up. She said he’s wonderful.”
Apparently, he was a divorced father of two, and he was looking for something serious again after a year in the dating pool. As soon as Chloe heard that she said she knew she had to set us up. She said he was just what I needed.
I felt another burst of butterflies at the thought of meeting him.
“A blind date?” Logan was still scowling.
“Yes.”
“Because you’ve had such great luck with those in the past.”
I made a face at his reminder that he’d saved me from the last one. “Witness one bad one and you think you know everything.”
Maia suddenly marched across the room toward the door. “I’m going to pick a film,” she threw over her shoulder before disappearing.
“Maia?” I called out, concerned by her reaction. In response I heard nothing but the slamming of my front door. I shot a confused look at Logan.
He shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I’m still trying to figure out half of her moods.”
I chewed on my lip and slid onto a stool. “Maybe she feels like I’m abandoning her by not staying to watch the movie with you.”
“Maybe.”
“I hate disappointing her, but she has to appreciate that I have friendships outside of you two and that when I see other people it doesn’t mean I’m abandoning her.”
Logan nodded. “I’ll talk to her about it.”
“Thank you.”
He sighed and got up off his stool. “It’s like another language and there’s no one to teach it to me.”
“Teenage girl?” I smiled sympathetically.
“No. Women in general.”
“Well, that’s because we’re far more intelligent than men. It’s hard for you simple creatures to keep up.” I smiled beatifically.
He narrowed his eyes on me. “Very droll, Grace.” He turned to go and then seemed to think better of it. “So who is this guy you’re seeing tonight?”
“His name is Colin. He works at the estate agency with Chloe.”
“He sounds like a dick.”
I snorted. “How did you get that from those two pieces of information?”
“The only Colins I’ve ever met have turned out to be dicks, and estate agents are no better than smarmy salesmen.”
“He has a good job, he’s divorced, and he has children. He’s not a dick.”
“That makes him sound like even more of a dick.” Logan turned fully around now to argue.
“He sounds like he’s responsible and willing to commit!” I felt my temper genuinely start to rise at his overprotectiveness.
“Really? Responsible? So who is looking after his bloody children while he’s out on a date with you?”
“I imagine his ex-wife is. He divorced her, Logan. He didn’t kill her.”
“No, of course not. Why kill her when he can keep her around as a glorified nanny while he fucks beautiful, impressionable women.” He gestured to me in irritation.
I was stunned silent for a moment.
There was an undercurrent of true anger under his ridiculousness, and I felt stifled by the way he saw me. I might as well have been Shannon for the proprietary way he was treating me and talking down to me.
“I am not impressionable!” I snapped, and hurried from the room. “You can see yourself out! I have a date to get ready for.”
If in the back of my mind I thought it strange that Colin had asked me out for drinks rather than dinner, I was determined to shove it aside and think he was just trying to make the whole first date thing more relaxing.
I should have listened to the back of my mind.
When I first saw him I thought him handsome, with his tall, dark, clean-cut good looks. Charming as well, as he stood up from the bar to shake my hand and press a kiss to my cheek. He smelled good too. He also couldn’t tear his eyes away from my cleavage.
And he did not look old enough to be a divorced father of two.
As I settled into a booth across from him with my glass of wine, I immediately said, “So Chloe tells me you have two children.”
He practically choked on a sip of his pint. “Excuse me?” He coughed into his hand, eyes bright with mirth.
Chloe was going to die as soon as I got my hands on her.
I gave Colin a strained smile. “Not divorced either, then?”
He shook his head, grinning. “What the hell kind of nonsense did Chloe tell you?”
“Please tell me your name is Colin.”
“My name is Colin and I work with Chloe, but I’ve never been married and I don’t have kids.”
What kind of game was my friend playing here?
“Your name is Grace, right?” he teased.
I stared into his warm brown eyes and found myself nodding. I didn’t know what Chloe was up to, but Colin seemed congenial enough. “I don’t know why she said those things.”
“Chloe has a weird sense of humor. She does tell me I’m the second work colleague of hers you’ve been on a date with though.”
I thought I detected something suggestive in his eyes and tone, but I shrugged it off, deciding I was paranoid. “It’s a large estate agency,” I joked.