“Actually,” I answered, “I’m Logan’s girlfriend. Evelyn Russell.”
The hand froze, tightened on mine while her gaze flew to Chelsea as if demanding confirmation. All Chelsea did was take a long sip of her drink, and the blonde’s eyes returned to me, narrow and assessing. She let out a strange noise, a bitter laugh like she’d just heard the most ridiculous thing in her life.
“Nice to meet you.” It sounded like pure bullshit. “I’m April Kelley.” Those words came out weighted. It was revealed as a seemingly recognizable name, although I hadn’t a clue.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said, giving her a blank look that wiped the smile from her face.
“How long have you and Logan been seeing each other?”
“A couple of months.”
April had a bizarre expression. “I hadn’t heard he’d started dating again.” Her voice fell down an octave. “But it’s not like we talk these days.”
Every cell in my brain screamed that she was one of Logan’s ex-girlfriends. It wasn’t surprising, her cold and distant personality was similar to his at times, although I think she was at level: expert. She was stunningly beautiful. They must have made a gorgeous couple.
Chelsea’s reaction told me I had to tread lightly. The break-up between them hadn’t gone well. I wondered immediately who had ended it. In my experience, you can come out just as wounded when you’re the one who breaks it off, so it was too hard to know from her thinly-veiled contempt if it was his doing.
“Well,” Chelsea said, “I’m glad to hear you’re doing good, April. We should probably go mingle with my family. Some of them came up from Florida, and I don’t get to see them often.” Chelsea gestured back toward the swarm of people by the bar. “Evelyn?”
“Okay,” April said. She smiled like the Cheshire cat, as if aware she’d sent Chelsea running. “Nice meeting you.”
“You, too,” I responded, hurrying to keep up with Chelsea.
I waited until we were well out of earshot, but Chelsea beat me to it. “I’m so sorry about that,” she said. “That had to be really awkward.”
“Yeah, probably, except I still don’t know who she is. She’s one of Logan’s exes?”
Chelsea’s mouth dropped open. “He didn’t tell you?”
“No, tell me what?”
“She’s not one of his exes, she’s his only ex. They were together for twelve years.”
chapter
FOURTEEN
Twelve freaking years. That’s not a relationship, that’s a marriage. He spent twelve years with that calculating woman. Was that why he was the way he was? Had she trained him to be such a tidy, neat freak?
Oh, god.
Was that why he was obsessed with controlling me in the bedroom?
I finished my drink and snatched a bottle of water off one of the trays of a server who passed by. It solved the problem of my cottonmouth.
“No,” I said. “He’s never mentioned her.”
“I cannot believe she came, she’s got some balls on her. Logan never told us what happened between them. But whatever it was, it was bad because suddenly April’s name was like Voldemort’s – she who shall not be named.”
“When was this?”
“I dunno, a while. Maybe three years ago.”
Things came into focus. If I’d invested twelve years in another person, only to have it fall apart, I’d be hesitant to get back into a relationship too.
“He’s not going to like that she’s here,” Chelsea added.
“Well, what’s a wedding without a little drama?” I responded in a humorless joke.