Chapter Four
Logan only saw Jeni twice over the next month, but he thought about her more than he cared to admit.
She met him and Andrew for lunch once and joined them at McNellie’s one Friday night, which might have bothered him if it were anyone else. It wasn’t as easy to meet women when you already had one at the table. But not only was Jeni more like one of the guys, Logan also found he wasn’t as interested in working the room that night.
Jeni was an enigma. There were times she came across as fun and witty and others when she seemed closed off and introverted. She was still prickly and sometimes a little defensive, and he wasn’t quite sure where they stood on the friendship scale. But he sensed there was more to her than she let show and wanted to dig deeper. He was drawn to her and didn’t know why.
Maybe because she was fucking hot. Thick, soft-looking brown hair that fell to the middle of her back, those cute freckles canvassing her nose and cheeks that somehow made her seem softer than she probably wanted to come across, and a body meant to drive men to the brink of insanity.
But he wasn’t supposed to notice any of those things, her being Andrew’s sister and all.
Andrew was a good friend—maybe the best guy friend Logan had ever had. Friendship with guys had never been something Logan was very good at. Sure, he knew how to shoot the shit and talk about sports, cars, and women. He could play a round of pool and throw back a few beers and tell jokes with the best of them. But real friendship, where you could actually talk about things? Be there for each other? That wasn’t something he’d had much of growing up.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t limited to men—he didn’t have women friends either. He could flirt, woo, and appreciate spending time with them in and outside of the bedroom, but moving on to complex layers of intimacy wasn’t easy for him.
Logan wanted deeper relationships but hadn’t quite figured out how to get there.
He wasn’t sure why it clicked with Andrew, but it did, and their friendship felt effortless from the start. Maybe because Logan had met Andrew when he was older and away from all that shit he’d dealt with as a kid.
He’d expected to like Andrew’s twin just as much as he liked Andrew, maybe even more simply because she was a woman.
That hadn’t exactly worked out like he thought it would. But he was getting there.
Today was Sunday, and the Chiefs were on a bye week, freeing up Logan to watch football as nothing more than a spectator. He’d still have to keep an eye on social media activity during the games, but things would be more relaxed than usual. Before he’d landed the Chiefs job, he’d spent most Sundays watching football with Andrew, and it felt like old times. Except for one thing.
Logan sat in the passenger seat of Andrew’s truck, a little confused as to how they’d gotten here. “Remind me why we’re watching the game at Jeni’s?” He didn’t mind, per se. He just hadn’t expected it. They’d always watched games at Andrew’s.
“Jeni’s TV is bigger than mine. She doesn’t mess around on game day, and since I told her we were coming, she’ll have all sorts of food made. It used to be an all-day affair at our house growing up. She’ll probably have more beer options too.”
Logan had noticed that the evening he met her. She’d ordered a Guinness, and he’d had the strangest urge to leap across the table and kiss her right then and there. Most of the women he had drinks with preferred cocktails, fruity wines, or light beer. Jeni’s taste for a good, strong stout was apparently a real turn on.
Who knew?
Andrew shot him the side-eye. “We don’t have to go to her house if you don’t want to.”
Logan sort of wished Jeni didn’t live next door to Cassidy, because she hadn’t spoken to him since he’d texted her after spending the night. Even more, because now he thought of that evening as the night before he met Jeni.
That was weird, right?
“It’s fine. I don’t care where we go. I bet she’ll be laughing with you and insulting me in under fifteen minutes.”
He’d said it as a joke, but Andrew grimaced. “I feel like I should apologize for her. She hasn’t been very nice to you.”
Logan shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
It had been a while since he’d met a woman that got him worked up like Jeni usually did, it was true. Women typically came at him with flirtatious banter and sexy smiles rather than glares and snarky comments.
But he figured he could handle one feisty Jeni, no problem. Oddly enough, he kind of liked it.
“Still,” Andrew said, “like I told her, I’m disappointed you two don’t get along all that well. I really thought we’d all be good friends. You and I get along great, and she and I are so similar. I don’t get what the rub is between you two.”
“We’re cool,” Logan said. “Really. I don’t mind being around her, and she can tolerate me. But I’d have to disagree—she’s not like you at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s mean, for one,” Logan said with a half grin. “Presumptuous and opinionated. Kind of rude. Loud and excitable but also a little uptight. And unapologetic about all of the above.” Andrew’s eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, and Logan realized he might be offering a little too much information. Only someone who’d thought about Jeni a lot would have a list of qualities locked and loaded. “None of those are words I’d use to describe you, my friend.”
Andrew sighed. “She’s had a rough few years. Don’t get me wrong—she’s always been strong-willed and stubborn. But the rudeness and negativity aren’t part of the Jeni I know. I think her divorce really messed her up. She’s been pretty closed off since then, and I worry it will affect her making new friends here. She hardly knows anyone, and my first attempt to introduce her didn’t exactly go well.”