Chapter 14

“You didn’t have to be so harsh, you know?”

I ignored Logan as I walked to his car because it was expected that he would sulk. I mean, anyone who walked in while he had been holding Mr. Pattinson would’ve thought he was its owner.

In my opinion, I had been completely truthful. It was better than lying to the poor woman. I didn’t know whatever it was Principal Donna expected of us but it was next to impossible. I was being realistic; Patty would have to close down the shelter.

“Did you even look at the animals?” Logan asked me, getting into the driver’s seat and making no move to turn on the ignition. “Did you try to even feel sorry for them?”

“If you really want to help, Logan, then you can adopt an animal. Preferrable Mr. Pattinson since you both got off on the right foot,” I told him, not particularly liking the way he was implying that I didn’t have empathy. I would rather tell Patty the truth so she didn’t get her hopes up and have them smashed than lie to her and have her get her hopes up and watched them get smashed.

“That’s not the point,” he snapped.

“Then what is?” I faced him with my entire body. “Please tell me.”

He rolled his eyes. “The point is, if we really wanted to, we could help Patty. We could help the animals.”

“How? Who’s going to pay money to keep that place alive when it’s already falling apart? Would you?”

“I would.” His chest heaved with heavy breaths and I realized then that for some reason, this meant a lot to him. I’d barely seen him this passionate about anything other than baseball. “I would, Lexi. We might have a choice but those animals don’t. You heard Patty. She doesn’t have anyone else. How do you expect me to look her in the eyes and tell her that the only thing she has is going to be taken away from her?”

My resolve was failing and I hated it because I knew he was right. It would be cruel to do that to Patty. Another thing I hated was how deep emotions were swirling in Logan’s green orbs. I was beyond touched and something gnarled at me from the inside. How come I never saw this part of him? Why was it coming out now? And why on earth did I feel the intense need to wipe that pained look from his face?

“Logan,” I sighed, my mind swirling with endless possibilities of how we could fuck things up. There was no in between; it was either we helped the shelter or we completely ruined it. “It’s going to be hard.”

“I know that,” he said. “But we can do it. Let’s save the animals.”

I eyed him for a few seconds then snorted because the eye contact was becoming way too intense. “Who knew you were a cat lover? Wimp.”

“What can I say? I love animals more than I do people,”

I shrugged. “Humans disappoint. Animals don’t.”

He chuckled, languidly resting back against his seat and holding my gaze intensely. “So, what now? Where do we go from here?”

My heartrate was picking up speed which annoyed me to no ends because I knew it was because of Logan’s deep gaze on me. I didn’t understand what it was I was feeling. It was warm... and soft and all too uninvited. I cleared my throat. “Uh... first, we go to Patty and tell her that we were wrong and we’ll try our best to make a better home for the animals, then go to Principal Donna on Monday and explain our plans on how to do just that. Of course, after we’ve made those plans, that is.”

We talked for a while about our plans, specifying what we thought would work and what we thought wouldn’t. We ended up driving to a local diner to get lunch, settling back against the car seats as we talked, ate, and made plans. It was the first time I’d ever talked this long with Logan, without the arguing or making any stupid pranks. As weird as it was, it was definitely welcomed. I wouldn’t deny that it had been getting old; planning all those pranks. This was better. It was… calmer.

I was beginning to see why Logan was surrounded by so many members of the female gender.

Not that I would ever become one of them, because I was certainly not interested, but I could definitely see it.

“So, tell me, Hale,” he said, slurping the last of his smoothie through the straw. “Asides making my life hell, what do you do for fun?”

I smiled, stuffing my mouth full with French fries before chewing. “I like to read.”

His brows raised. “Nerd. What kind of books?”

I rolled my eyes at his comment, “Historical romance novels.”

“Ugh.” A small laugh escaped his lips. “You’re such a girl.”

“And you’re a stereotypical jock,” I retorted. “And I’m not ashamed of them. There’s a reason it’s the most dominating genre in book history.”

He made a humming sound at the back of his throat. “Said every girl, ever. What do you like about them?”

Nobody had ever asked me that before, so it took me a while to answer. “I think it’s the fact that I get to escape into a world of dukes and marquesses and earls and stubborn high-born ladies with an air for taming dominating males, see London from my mind’s eyes. I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Wow, Hale, I didn’t peg you for a romantic.”

I almost blushed. “I’m not but as you said, I’m a girl. Sometimes I get bored of the mundane and want to experience life through a lens that’s not mine. No harm in that.”

“None whatsoever,” he acquiesced with a nod.

“What about you? What do you do for fun? Aside from baseball, that is,” I already knew he was in love with baseball and I wanted to know more.

He stretched, his shirt rising up with the movement of his long arms enough that I could see the scattered wisps of hair leading down into his jeans. I averted my gaze, my cheeks heating up. My mother would be ashamed of me. I hoped he didn’t notice that I had been ogling him shamelessly as I sipped my smoothie through the thick straw. What was wrong with me?

“Asides baseball…” he drew out, chuckling a little before meeting my eyes mischievously. “I think it would be pranking you.”

I scoffed, then let out a laugh. “I knew it! I knew you enjoyed toying with me, Logan Hernandez, you blackguard.”

He raised his hands up in surrender with a cheeky smile. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You just have this cute funny look on your face when you’re angry.”

“Yeah? You think I look cute when I’m angry? Well, get ready because I’m about to get real gorgeous.” Although I meant the words in a threatening manner, they obviously came out as a joke because Logan burst out laughing.

“See! That’s what I’m talking about,” he blurted through his laughter. “You look like a bunny about to explode.”

I shook my head at him though I couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And I’m not going to stop poking you until you give me some attention.”