“Luke?” Joy darted him a glance. “Oh, no, not at all.”
Good. Because no matter how dangerous the turns, the thought of her thinking of that guy when she kissed him bugged the shit out of him.
She shifted to lean back against the hay again. “I mean, you both have darker hair and are really good-look…ing, but the rest is all in Gram’s head.”
Clearly, the middle part escaped before her brain caught up with her mouth. The color creeping into her cheeks confirmed the slip-up, and he managed to contain his grin as he asked, “You think I’m good-looking?”
“That was a statement of fact, not an opinion.”
Sure. Okay. He let it slide for now since he wasn’t in the habit of fishing for compliments, even if they were from a most unexpected source.
“So, what happened with this guy?”
She plucked a piece of hay and avoided his gaze. “Sounds like you already know what happened.”
He shrugged. “That was just the second-hand rumor around town.”
“Well, it was true.” She leaned her head back before tilting it toward him with a rueful half-smile. “What they didn’t know—what no one knows—is he also stole a whole bunch of money from me. I did actually pay for my own engagement ring, about five times over.”
He shook his finger at her and mimicked Edna. “That’s not how it’s done.”
Humor filled her smile at his horrible, shaky, old-lady voice.
“I don’t blame you for not telling anyone,” he added a bit more seriously. “Did you at least get the money back?”
“I didn’t press charges,” she admitted with a grimace.
“Why the hell not?”
“I just wanted to get out of town without drawing things out and having to face all our friends.”
“Why? Did you cheat, too?”
She cast him an offended look. “No I did not.”
“Then why would you feel bad for what he did?”
“Because it’s humiliating. I mean, I was so frickin’ naive. And I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his face again—especially after catching him and his secretary.” She shuddered as if reliving the memory.
“You saw them together?”
“On his desk.”
He cringed with her. “Ouch.”
“Yeah. And when it came right down to it, most of our friends were really his friends, and I’ve heard what they say on that subject.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he prompted, “What do they say?”
“If she was any good, he wouldn’t have to get it somewhere else.”
Logan laughed at the absurdity of the words. “People say stuff like that?”
“Yes, they do.” Despite the blush in her cheeks, she looked like she was fighting her own smile. “I just told you, I’ve heard them.”
“Well, they sound like idiots.”
The grin broke free as she shook her head and rolled her eyes.