29: The confidence

Pulse racing, Logan stared at the man standing across the living room.

The sun had only just begun to set. Didn’t that mean Charlie was hours early?

Not that it mattered now. The time to deal with this situation had finally arrived, and Logan was up to the challenge.

Mostly.

“You recognize me, then,” he said in a calm voice. “Well, that’s that out of the way.”

“Yeah, I recognize you.” Charlie’s dark brow furrowed. “Now you need to tell me what the hell you’re doing in my parents’ house. I’m two seconds away from calling the cops.”

“He came with me.” Terri appeared in the kitchen doorway, pale.

“What?” Charlie breathed. “Terri, what are you talking about?”

“He came with me.” She took a few cautious steps into the living room.

Then, as if suddenly making up her mind, she joined Logan at the mouth of the hallway.

Charlie blinked and stared at them, looking exactly like the picture of shock. “Do you know who this man is?”

“Logan Denton. Hedge fund manager.” She stood a little straighter. “And, yes, before you bring it up, I know that you’re investigating him.”

Charlie’s jaw flexed. “You need to start explaining now, Terri. This man is dangerous.”

“He’s not.” The absolute confidence in her voice made Logan look at her in surprise. Since when did she have so much faith in him?

Before anyone could say another word, the door behind Charlie opened and Donna Lane entered the house.

“Hello everyone,” she said, sounding fatigued. “Charlie, honey, I didn’t know you’d be here this soon.”

Logan and Terri glanced at each other. Join the club.

“You met Terri’s, um, friend?” She smiled warmly at Logan.

“Mom.” Charlie gripped her shoulder. “Hold on a sec.”

“We just met,” Logan jumped in, smiling big. “And we know of each other through work.”

Charlie snorted. “Logan, get out of this house now. This is your last warning.”

Donna’s eyes widened in shock. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing!” Terri took a step toward her family. Even though she smiled, the fear was evident in her face. “Mom, you were right. Logan is my boyfriend. Charlie and he, they… don’t get along the best.”

She cast her gaze at her brother, and a silent exchange must have happened because Charlie sighed and turned away.

“I thought you said you know each other from work,” Donna said, looking at Logan.

“Yes, and that’s how I met Terri.” He forced himself to smile in spite of his racing heart.

“And what’s the problem here?” she asked, directing the question at her children.

Charlie opened his mouth to answer, but Terri flew across the room and grabbed his arm.

“It’s silly, Mom. Just a misunderstanding. In fact, we were about to talk it out when you came in.”

Thankfully, Charlie said nothing. He only stood there, face pinched, watching Logan from the corner of his eye.

“Hmm.” Donna’s lips pursed. “Well, make sure you do work it out, because there won’t be any fighting in this house. Especially not with your father in the hospital and there being enough stress as it is.”

“How is Dad?” Charlie asked, showing the first hint of emotion that had nothing to do with rage.

“Good. He’s resting. I came home to get some clean clothes and then I’m going back there.”

“We’ll give you some space, Mom.” Terri tugged on Charlie’s arm. “The guys and I will hang out in the backyard.”

Charlie got his feet moving, but not without casting a venomous stare at Logan on his way into the kitchen. The three of them tromped out the back door and into a yard enclosed by a wooden fence.

“I’m listening.” Charlie stopped under the flood light and folded his arms across his chest.

Terri cast a look at the house, making sure their mother wasn’t at a window listening. “We met in Vietnam.”

Charlie spat out a curse. “I knew something weird was going on while you were there. You didn’t even lose your cell phone, did you?”

“Hey, lay off her.” Logan took a half step in front of Terri, blocking her from Charlie’s view. “She didn’t do anything wrong, and if you give her a minute to explain, you’ll discover that.”

Charlie turned beet red. He leaned to get a look at Terri. “Please tell me you weren’t telling Mom the truth when you said this guy is your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Her soft touch on Logan’s arm made him breathe easier. He hadn’t known what to expect when this moment of truth came, but it was nice to feel she was on his side.

“I care about Terri,” Logan said. “I have a personal interest in her safety.”

Though her hand slipped from his arm, he didn’t miss the way she smiled at him. He hoped she knew his statement was anything but an empty compliment.

“Now will you please listen to us?” Terri implored. “And really, I mean just listen.”

Charlie’s arms were still folded across his chest. A long moment went by… and then he nodded once.

Terri and Logan shared a look.

“Okay.” She drew a long breath. “Here’s what happened.”

While they stood in the backyard, dogs barking in the neighborhood and a train going by somewhere in the distance, Terri told the full story, with Logan jumping in here and there with bits she’d overlooked. He made sure to let her do most of the talking, though, since her chance at successfully placating Charlie was a thousand times greater than his.