Bayside Destinies Read online

  He glanced over at his house. “I’m not entirely sure. I just got here.”

  She scrunched her face and adjusted her thick glasses. “You know, there was a break-in a couple blocks over last week. In the middle of the day, no less! Thugs are moving into our safe community. They’re everywhere these days. We can’t escape them, even here.”

  “I hadn’t heard about the break-in. Do you know whose house it was?”

  “Someone who works at home. Everyone’s working on the world wide web these days, you know. I don’t understand it myself. You’re young and hip, you probably get it.”

  He nodded, more interested in the police combing through his property.

  One of the officers marched over. He glanced at Mildred, then turned to Logan. “There aren’t any signs of an actual break-in. You have a broken window, but it isn’t big enough for anyone to fit through. We need a key so we can look around inside.”

  “Sure, I can let you in.”

  He shook his head. “I just need a key, sir. You and your mom need to stay back here by the sidewalk.”

  His mom? Mildred was old enough to be his grandmother.

  Logan didn’t reach for his keys. “What about the alarm? I need to punch in my code to turn it off.”

  The officer shook his head. “The security company turned it off remotely once they were notified that we arrived. Your keys, sir, or we’ll have to break down the door.”

  Grumbling, Logan twisted his house key from the others and handed it to the man.

  “It’s a real shame.” Mildred shook her head.

  “If you want, I can let you know what I find out tomorrow.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll wait. I won’t be able to sleep until I know what’s going on.”

  He sighed. If she was that nosey, why hadn’t she seen anything while it had happened?

  Logan waited for what felt like forever while the cops went through his home and while Mildred rattled on about how the world was ‘a-changing for the worse.’

  Finally, the officer from earlier came out and handed Logan his key.

  Another one followed, carrying a brick. “This was found inside. It came with a note. Does this mean anything to you?”

  Logan grabbed the wrinkled piece of paper and read the messy scrawling through a plastic bag.

  Audrey is mine.

  Rage tore through Logan. His pulse pounded in his ears.

  “Sir?” asked the cop.

  Logan wanted to tear the note to shreds. “Audrey is my fiancée. It was written by her ex-boyfriend, Bryson. There is a warrant out for his arrest and a restraining order against him from her. Sergeant Nico Valentin knows all about that.”

  “You’ve been working with Sergeant Valentin?”

  Logan nodded. “Yeah. Can I go inside now?”

  “We’ll need the note, though.”

  Fuming, Logan handed it over.

  Twenty-Three

  Audrey sipped her cold coffee. The morning had flown by in a harried rush.

  “Any prospects for a receptionist?” she asked.

  Cassidy shook her head. “Not yet. If you happen to hear of anyone looking for a job, send them my way.”

  “I can put a flier on the bulletin board at my apartment complex. There have to be hundreds of people living there.”

  “You’re the best! I’ll print some off for you.” Cassidy disappeared into the back office.

  The front door opened. Audrey groaned, not wanting to deal with another customer until she had a chance to eat lunch.

  “Welcome to the doggie hotel.” Audrey forced a smile and glanced over. The first thing she saw was a colorful bouquet.

  Logan flashed her a heart-melting grin and held out the flowers. “These are for the most beautiful woman in Enchantment Bay. I’m here to take her out to lunch. I don’t suppose she’s available right now?”

  Audrey’s mouth gaped. Had she forgotten about a lunch date?

  “Aw.” Cassidy appeared beside her. “That’s the sweetest thing ever.”

  Logan set the flowers on the counter. They were already in a vase. “Is this a good time? Sorry I didn’t call first. I just couldn’t wait to see you.”

  Audrey’s heart fluttered. Was he for real, or just the most confusing guy she had ever known?

  Cassidy practically shoved Audrey out of the chair. “Go. Enjoy your lunch. Take all the time you need.”

  “Are you sure? We’re swamped.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Just tell me all about it when you come back. You will come back, right?”

  Logan chuckled. “I promise not to keep her too long.”

  Cassidy sighed dramatically. “You don’t happen to have a single brother, do you?”

  “Actually, I do. You want me to introduce him to you?”

  Cassidy’s face flushed red. “No, no. I was only joking. I’m far too busy to think about dating.”

  Audrey grabbed her purse, and before she knew it, she was in Logan’s car, holding a single rose that had been on the passenger seat.

  “Is Roosevelt’s good?” Logan pulled onto the main road.

  “It’s perfect.” She twirled the flower, trying to make sense of everything. A bouquet. A surprise date. A rose.

  This went beyond their fake engagement. Was he having a change of heart?

  It was impossible, wasn’t it?

  Logan laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand.

  Audrey’s stomach flipped-flopped.

  He rubbed her thumb with his. “I was thinking, if you’re not busy tonight, we could have dinner. I’ll set everything up—you can just relax after a hard day’s work.”

  Now he wanted to take her out for dinner too? She struggled to find her voice. “Pick me up at six?”

  That would give her enough time to get Charlie settled in at home and put up a flier for Cassidy.

  “I’ll be there right at six.” He spoke of how much his family liked her. “They haven’t stopped calling or texting me since last night. I hope you can make next Tuesday’s dinner.”

  “It’s a date.”

  He flashed her his heart-melting smile.

  When they arrived at Roosevelt’s, appetizers and drinks were already at the table.

  Logan squeezed her hand. “I ordered those ahead, thinking we might not have a lot of time. Hope that’s okay.”

  “Of course it is.” She felt weak in the knees, and took her seat before her legs went out from under her.

  As they dug into the crab cakes—Audrey hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until the food touched her mouth—Logan gazed into her eyes. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?”

  Her face warmed and she looked away. She really needed to find out what was going on with him. Was this an elaborate show, or did he really mean all of this?

  “Audrey?”

  She turned back to him and studied his eyes, her pulse pounding. “What’s with all of this? I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I’m confused.”

  He reached across the table and held her hand. “I know I’ve probably sent mixed signals.”

  “Probably?”

  Logan laughed. “Okay, I’ve definitely sent you mixed messages.”

  She nodded. “Is it to put on a show? Did something happen?”

  He rubbed her palm and looked deep in thought. “It’s not a show. The only thing that has changed is I’ve realized my feelings for you.”

  Audrey’s breath caught. He had feelings for her? Beyond friendship and wanting to protect her against Bryson? Her mind wandered back to Dakota saying he’d had the look of love. She tried to find words, but nothing came.

  He put his other hand on top of hers, swallowing it between both of his. “You caught me completely off guard when you showed up talking about a wedding pact—”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Logan squeezed her hand. “Don’t be. But despite my shock, I was still curious to catch up and get to know you again. The years had made me forget how
amazing you are, but you’ve reminded me. More than that, you’ve shown me just how much more wonderful you’ve grown with time.”

  She stared at him, trying to comprehend it all. It seemed impossible that Logan Hunter would feel anything other than pity for her. Yet here he was, saying he actually had feelings for her.

  The waiter came and brought their food. It gave Audrey an extra minute to try and take in everything Logan had just said. It was just so hard to believe.

  She glanced around the restaurant, to make sure Bryson wasn’t there. She would’ve been mortified to find Logan’s change of heart was actually for his benefit rather than hers, and that she’d been dumb enough to believe any of it.

  Bryson was nowhere in sight. Mostly just people who appeared to be eating lunch with colleagues.

  She and Logan dug into their meals. He kept gazing into her eyes and giving her that smile. Her heart was going to give out if he kept that up. She might very well melt into a puddle and slide right off the chair.

  Audrey wanted to ask him what had made him change his mind, but she couldn’t find the words. It was hard to think straight around him, especially after he’d said all of that.

  What was she supposed to do now? What did it mean for them? Did he want them to be an actual couple? Being fake engaged didn’t help matters any. It just made things all the more confusing—so much more confusing!

  “Audrey?”

  She looked up from her plate. “Did you say something? Sorry.”

  “I just asked how Charlie’s enjoying doggie daycare.”

  He even cared about her dog. Could he be any more perfect?

  “It wears him out, if you can believe that. He has so much fun with the other dogs that he falls asleep on the ride home. Then he’ll just relax with me in the living room, which is nice considering how tired I am after work.”

  “Are you being overworked?” Concern filled his eyes.

  “It’s just temporary. Cassidy and I both have to fill in at the front desk until she hires someone new. She’s the one running herself ragged.”

  “I can think of a few people who might be looking for work. Do you want me to mention the position to them?”

  “You’d do that? That would be wonderful.”

  “Anything for you.”

  Her insides all melted together. She definitely wasn’t going to survive the meal.

  Twenty-Four

  Logan slid his finger around the screen of his new phone. It was the latest model and had great reviews. It shouldn’t turn itself silent or give him any problems like the other one had.

  “How does this look?” asked the window installer.

  Logan got up from his couch and wandered over to the new window. “Looks good to me, but you’re the expert.”

  Louie wiped his forehead. “You’re the one who has to live with it, so I want to make sure you like it.”

  “It’s great. Thanks so much for coming on short notice.”

  He nodded and went back to work.

  Logan returned to his couch, playing with the new phone. After a minute, it buzzed with a text from Shale.

  How’s your fake fiancée?

  Great. Want to go on a double date?

  Logan was deliberate about not using the word fake. He never should’ve told Shale about the engagement being a farce. His brother would never let him forget it, especially if his relationship with Audrey actually turned serious—and now he wanted it to.

  Another text came in.

  I’m working the next few days, but thanks.

  Someone pretty asked me if I have a single brother.

  Now I’m definitely busy. No blind dates.

  I said she’s pretty. You’d like her.

  No blind dates.

  Logan laughed. Okay. Let me know when you’re free.

  Just to hang.

  Right.

  Logan shook his head but couldn’t blame his brother for being nervous about a blind date. Logan had been on his share of bad ones in the past.

  He went into the kitchen and pulled out everything he had for a picnic. That night, he and Audrey were going to dine inches from the bay’s shore. All he needed was to put the food together once it was closer to six.

  “There you are.” Louie appeared in the doorway. “I’m all done with the window. Do you need anything else?”

  “Nope. Thanks again.”

  Louie nodded and slid on a hat. “Pleasure working for you. Thanks for paying ahead of time.” He glanced at the stuff strewn about. “Have a nice picnic.”

  “I plan to.” Logan showed him to the door, then checked out the window. It looked exactly like the old one, minus a scratch from a rock that had been picked up and shot out by a lawnmower before Bryson threw the brick through it.

  He glanced out over his yard, irritation growing at the thought of Bryson having been on his property, vandalizing his home.

  Logan had purposefully not told Audrey about it. That would only give her one more thing to worry about, and given how sweet she was, she would probably feel partially responsible since Bryson had followed her to town.

  Logan wandered toward his bedroom and called Nico.

  “Did you get your window fixed?” Nico answered.

  “The repairman just left. I don’t suppose you’ve found Bryson?”

  “Unfortunately, no. Everyone on the force has seen his picture and is on the lookout for him. Beyond that, all we can do is post wanted posters.”

  “That’ll only make matters worse.”

  “That’s what I think, too. And besides, if we start, we’ll have to start posting fliers for everyone—and that’ll be too much. I’ve got to go, Logan. I’ll call you if anything changes with the case.”

  “I appreciate it.” He climbed onto his bed and closed his eyes for a moment. Fatigue washed over him—it had to be the stress of dealing with Bryson—as he was certainly getting plenty of sleep.

  Logan drifted off to sleep as his mind replayed his lunch date with Audrey.

  His phone buzzed, waking him. He felt rested.

  Too rested. He sat up and grabbed his phone.

  It was after five! He had to make the meal and then get over to Audrey’s apartment by six.

  There wasn’t enough time. He raced out of bed and down to the kitchen.

  One of the cleaning ladies was mopping the floor. “Hi, Mr. Hunter. I put the food in the oven like you requested in the note.”

  Note? He tried to push past the sleepy fog to figure out what note she meant. “Thank you.”

  Then he remembered. He’d written himself a to-do list, including the time to put the food in the oven. Shirley must’ve seen the list and thought it was for her. Clearly, she’d found the fresh meal Logan had ordered in the fridge.

  He often ate those delivered prepared meals, otherwise he would only eat healthy when he went to his parents’ house, and that wasn’t nearly enough.

  “You’re a lifesaver, Shirley.” Logan raced back upstairs to get himself ready. His heart beat a little faster than normal at the thought of seeing Audrey again in less than an hour.

  He didn’t know how he would be able to make a relationship work with his career, but the thought of not seeing Audrey again felt like a hundred-pound weight pressing on his chest. He had to at least give it a try. If he didn’t, he would always wonder what would’ve happened.

  Logan double-checked everything in the mirror before heading downstairs. The steaming food sat on top of the stove. He arranged everything else into the picnic basket and then scooped the main dish into travel containers.

  Everything was perfect, and despite having fallen asleep, he should still be able to make it to her place by exactly six, as promised.

  He called goodbye to Shirley and Mandy, letting them know he was leaving so they would lock up when they left. As he made his way to his car, he felt like he was walking on clouds.

  If this was how he was always going to feel about seeing Audrey, he wanted it to last forever. How he
would get any work done he didn’t know, but he was sure he could figure something out.

  Twenty-Five

  Audrey sprayed perfume on her wrist, then dabbed some on her neck before spinning in a circle in front of her full-length mirror. The new dress was perfect—attractive without looking like she was begging for attention.

  As soon as Cassidy found out that Logan had invited Audrey for dinner too, she’d let Audrey off early, gushing about how cute they were together.

  Audrey had gone shopping and picked up some new clothes. If she was going to keep going on dates, she couldn’t let Logan figure out that she only had a few outfits that she mixed and matched to make them seem like more than what they were.

  She slid on her heeled sandals and tucked a flowered hair clip near her ear. Her look was complete. Now she just had to wait fifteen minutes before Logan arrived.

  “Do you need to go outside one last time, Charlie?”

  He snored in response, laying halfway on his back in the doggie bed.

  Audrey laughed. Doggie daycare was the best thing for him and all his energy. She rubbed his belly, then went out onto her deck for some fresh air. It always smelled so nice, just like the bay.

  At exactly five after six, she heard the buzz of the front door downstairs. Her heart skipped a beat, and she practically floated over to answer it.

  “I thought you said right at six, Logan,” she teased.

  “This isn’t Logan.”

  Her excitement drained from her body. Bryson.

  What was he doing there, and where was Logan?

  Audrey struggled to find something to say.

  Bryson was never short on words. “Let me in. We need to talk. Now.”

  She grabbed her phone and texted Logan.

  Bryson’s outside my building. Watch out.

  Did you call the police?

  Not yet.

  Don’t waste time with me! Call them.

  OK.

  “Let me in, Audrey.” Bryson’s voice held a menacing tone.

  She struggled to hold herself together. “H-hold on. I’m in the middle of something.”