He frowned and then shot her a dark look. "Whatever."
She rolled her eyes and took another long drag from her cigarette.
"Logan."
His eyes jerked back to mine. "Right. So." His eyebrows furrowed together.
"So?"
He chewed his lip for a second before bursting out, "Why didn't you say anything about what your mom was going to do? You told Mason, he told Nate, but no one told me. What's up with that?"
My stomach clenched in knots. I leaned forward and lowered my voice, "Why didn't you bring this up in the car, when it was just you and me?"
He shot me an incredulous look. "Because your mom
just
went to the hospital. You were doing your numb shit."
"My numb shit?"
"Yeah." He jerked his head in a quick nod. "When you don't want to feel all your crap or your mom's crap so you shut down—but it wasn't working then. You were feeling it and you were freaking. I could see it. Remember? I distracted you."
I rolled my eyes. "That would've distracted me too, and it would've been a lot more private."
Heather snorted but turned her head and blew out her smoke again.
"Or tonight too. You could've waited until tonight."
Logan snorted this time. "Yeah, right. Like I could tear you away from my brother. If you're home and he's home, you two are always with each other." His voice went low, almost threatening. "It sucked being a third wheel before, but I don't appreciate being a fourth wheel now."
I sucked in my breath. What was he saying?
"If Mason doesn't tell me, you should. Don't kid yourself, Sam. Nate's not here for you or me. He's here for Mason. If my brother wasn't so straight with you, I'd think those two were a happy gay couple. They're so giddy living together and making their plans for college." Logan kicked up a leg to rest on the edge of my chair. He pushed his chair in the air so it rested on the back two legs as he grumbled, "I forgot what those two were like when Nate actually lived here."
I sighed. What the hell did I do here? Logan was hurt, that was obvious. Mason had been shutting him out lately, but why? Was it my place to intervene? As I considered that, I remembered the party two months ago when Mason and Nate worked together like a slick team and manipulated Logan. He meant to protect me while Mason wanted to protect his relationship with his brother as well as with me. It worked. The threat had been silenced, and Miranda never even knew she had hit the one button that could've unraveled the brothers' relationship.
I was seeing another button now, the tight bond between Nate and Mason. Logan was hurting because of it, and he was right. If Mason wasn't going to look out for him, I would. He'd done it for me too many times to count.
I leaned over and touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Logan."
"For what?" He had tensed under my touch but didn't take his eyes away from me.
"For not telling you. I don't care what Mason says, I'll tell you from now on."
Some tension left him, and his shoulders relaxed. "Thanks, Sam. I know he does it to protect me, but it pisses me off."
I bit my lip. What would happen if Logan ever found out how they had manipulated him? A knot formed in my throat at the idea of that day. I knew it was coming. All secrets came out, no matter how long or deep they were buried.
Then Logan switched his gaze to Heather. The cocky smirk slid back into place. "So, how's Channing?"
Heather froze, but then threw him a seductive look and blew a puff of smoke into his face. "Oh, you know. He's probably still sleeping from all the sex we had last night."
Logan's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"
"Oh yeah." She nodded. Her voice lowered to a husky tone, full of promises. "I tired him out, especially when I brought out the handcuffs. I hope I remembered to uncuff him this morning." She feigned concern before her lips curved into a sultry smile. "I'm sure I did and if I didn't, I'll have to make it up to him tonight."
"You're into handcuffs?"
"Oh, I'm into a lot of stuff, Logan. A whole lot of painful dominatrix sort of things, only the good kink that every couple wishes they could do. You know what I mean."
I caught the wink she sent at me behind her hand.
Logan licked his lips. "Oh yeah. I love it when a girl lifts her legs like a pretzel. Do you do that for Channing?"
"Of course." Her voice lowered even more as her finger slid from her throat to the front of her shirt. She paused in the valley between her breasts, above where she had knotted the ends of her shirt together. "He does. He really does."
Logan sucked in a breath; his eyes enraptured where her finger paused.
Then she snapped them together in front of his face. He jerked back, startled from the sudden movement, but Heather calmly grounded out her cigarette. "Anyways. Break time is over for me. Enlightening, Kade, every time you come here. It's always so enlightening." She caught my gaze. "You can stay for awhile if you'd like. You never took your half hour for supper."
When she went inside, I was surprised to see Logan grinning at them.
"She was joking."
He lifted a shoulder. "I don't care. Jax can be hella hot. I forgot how much fun it is to mess with her."
"You were friends with her?"
"Somewhat. She was best friends with Tate."
My gaze shot to his. "What?"
He nodded as his grin thinned.
"Tate as in the Tate that you dated for two years, that you loved, that tried to cheat on you with Mason?"
He nodded before yawning, "Yeah, that Tate. She wasn't always the prissy bitch you met a few months ago, Sam. Tate was cool. I wouldn't have dated anyone who wasn't cool. Her and Heather had been friends for years."
My eyes widened. "Did she used to work here?"
His lips pressed together, but he didn't say anything.
"Oh god. She did, didn't she?"
Then laughter boiled out of him. He slid further in his chair with a wicked smile. "Yeah, she worked here. She quit after she'd been with me for a year, that was when she became the bitch you met a few months ago."
"She wasn't before?"
"Nah, not until she became obsessed with Mason, then she became one." The wicked glint in his eye depleted as memories rolled over him. His voice grew softer. "Tate was really laidback at first, but she wouldn't stand for any bullshit. She never let the guys mess with her, not even me. I think that's why I liked her. She knew what she wanted and she went after it."
"You?"
The humor was gone now. "No, Mason. She wanted him. I was the means to get to him. I should've recognized the signs earlier than I did, but I don't think I wanted to see them. She talked about how Mason was the alpha male at school. She'd say things about how every person needed their other half, that they were supposed to be equals. That's about the time that she started to become more of a bitch to everyone. She tried to become the female alpha that was his equal, I guess. When she became friends with Kate and Parker, that crew, her and Heather parted ways. Tate was awesome in bed. I was getting great sex so I didn't put two and two together until Mason called me from his room." His jaw clenched.
I could see the anger and hurt still there.
"She used me. That girl used me, straight out. She was a cold bitch the first time we slept together. But to give her some credit," he winced, "I don't think she counted on me actually falling for her. But that first night lasted to two, then three. I was taking her on dates, coming here to hang out with her."
"That's why you and Brandon acted like long-lost friends."
He nodded. "I guess. I don't know. I always liked Brandon. He was cool to hang out with." He flashed me a dimple. "He got us free alcohol, you know. Even when we were sophomores. I think his older brother was running the bar then, but Brandon still snuck a keg for us." He paused. "Or two."
The door opened then and Brandon popped his head out. "Hey, Sam. My sis needs your help."
"Okay." With a small smile at Logan, I headed inside. I wasn't sure how I felt about everything he had revealed, but I couldn't dwell on it. As I stepped through the door, my eyes got big. The crowd had doubled. Then I saw Mason and Nate come in through the door. Great, they brought the entire party from the house here.
Brandon was still in the doorway, but I looked around him to Logan. "Everyone from the house is here."
He sat up straight in his chair. "Everyone?"
I nodded. "Yep, Mason and Nate brought everyone."
Oh joy.
When the dishwasher had to go home for a family emergency, I offered to take his place. I wanted to avoid the extra attention. Time flew after that. Bins of dishes were pushed through the window. I hurried to wash them, get them dried, and back into place for the cook. After two more hours, it didn't look to be lessening, and I heard Heather sigh as she picked up the phone. She was calling in reinforcements. Another girl came in to be a server, and there was another cook in the kitchen. At one point, Heather stuck her head through the window to where I stood and asked if it was okay if I did dishes for the rest of the night.
I nodded. Hell, I was relieved.
At one point, the new server that I hadn't met snapped at me. I'd been stacking the dishes and didn't get out of her way fast enough. I ducked back into the kitchen, but heard Lily hiss, "Watch it, that's Mason Kade's girlfriend."
"What?" the new server exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?"
Lily whispered to her, "Don't worry. She seems really nice."
"Oh." The girl mumbled something else to her, but I couldn't hear anymore. They moved away from my window.
"I thought you were a waitress?"
Mason stood in the back doorway with an odd grin. As he came closer, he reached for an apron and tied it around his waist. His eyes were glazed over.
I snorted, reaching for more plates to pile on the crate. "You're drunk."
He settled beside me and sighed. "Yeah, a bit." Then he bent down and placed a soft kiss on my shoulder.
I wanted to melt into him, and I did, for a second. Then I pulled away and began lining up the plates in their slots again. "Frank had to go home so I volunteered to take his place. What are you doing back here?"
He narrowed his eyes at me. "You like it back here, don't you?"
"Yeah," I confessed. "I kind of do."
He reached out and brushed some hair back from my forehead. When he leaned close again, I felt his lips there and snuggled against him.
"Employees only, Kade!" Heather rapped on the window. "Out."
He wrapped an arm around my waist. "Make me, Jax."
"Are you serious?" She shifted and one hand went to her hip.
I hid a grin at the movement. After watching her yesterday and today, that was what she did when she was all business. She'd shift back on her left heel, her hand went to her hip, and she narrowed her eyes at whoever was giving her trouble. Her elbow stuck out when she really meant business. She did it all now, but then threw both hands in the air. "Fine. Fine. Just actually help your girl. If you distract her and we get behind because we have no dishes, I'm throwing you out."
"Whatever."
"Don't think I won't call a few of Brad's buddies. They're bigger than you, Kade."
He chuckled but sighed when she narrowed her eyes again in a warning. "Fine. Yes, I'll help her. Why do you think I'm here?"
"You're here to see your girl. When your posse came in, she went back there so then you had to go back there to see her. I'm not a moron, Kade. I know why you're back there, and I don't want any sex going on in my diner. You hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"My diner, Kade!"
"I get it," he barked back now. "Your diner, your job. My girlfriend."
She stuck out her chin at him. "She's my worker and she's my friend."
Mason grew stiff beside me. I wasn't surprised when his next words came out as a threat, "I already told you I'll help her back here. If you keep talking to me like that, you and I are going to have a real problem."
I knew neither of these two would back down so I moved Mason to the back end of the dishwasher. Ignoring Heather's hawk-like scrutiny, I lifted the door and pulled out the crate that'd been washed. "You need to wait until they're all dry and then stack them in those places over there."
He glanced to where I pointed and nodded. All the other dishes were easy to see. As he started to dry, I went back to loading more dishes onto the crates to put through the washer. Heather hadn't moved.
"Sam," she started.
My hand shot in the air. "Don't. If I was dating Logan and he were back here, you wouldn't care. I know you don't like Mason, but I love him. He's being a good guy right now. If you think that I would let my relationship interfere with my job, then I need to show you that's not who I am. I am sorry about being late today, but you have my word it will never happen again."
Her hand fell from her hip again and her shoulders dropped. "I'm sorry. I was being a bitch." She chewed on her lip for a second before she gave me a sheepish grin. "I kind of think I'm in love with you myself. I get it now. I see why those two care so much about you." Her eyes twinkled in humor. "If I were a lesbian, I'd want you as my girlfriend. I have a straight boner for you, Sam. Hot damn."