The woman’s eyes bugged out from behind her glasses, as she pushed shakily to her feet—sucking in quick, comical breaths. She had yet to close her mouth, and judging by the pallor of her skin, she was just seconds away from passing out altogether.
“You’re him. I can’t believe it...you’re actually him.”
Logan shifted nervously. It had been thirty seconds and she had yet to blink.
“Yeah, hi. My name’s—”
“Dylan Stone,” she gasped. Saying each word with a kind of reverence. “I know who you are. I just can’t believe you’re here.”
Of course Dylan would have a cult following amongst the PIs in downtown Cleveland.
Logan’s shoulders relaxed, and he was quick to suppress a smile. “Uh...yeah.” His eyes flickered briefly around the room. “I guess I’m like ‘enemy number one’ around here, huh?”
Before she could answer, a door opened from somewhere in the back and Lacy’s voice drifted into the room. “Quin, do you have that file I was asking for...” She stopped cold when she entered the room, staring blankly in Logan’s direction. “What are you doing here?”
Not exactly the hero’s welcome he was hoping for. It didn’t help that Quin was just seconds away from starting to actually drool.
“Uh—hi.” He cleared his throat quickly, trying to find some of that tee-shirt and jeans confidence he’d been cultivating since he woke up. “I mean...good morning. I came to see you.”
Lacy lifted her eyebrows, taking a cautious step forward. “I can see that.” The hint of a smile flitted across her face, but she maintained a stoic calm. “Was there a particular reason?”
Quin was appalled—that was no way to treat her idol! Logan was crushed—she wasn’t at all happy to see him? In an act of desperation, he offered out one of the cups in his hands.
“...I brought coffee?”
Perhaps it was the fact that he’d phrased it as a question. Perhaps it was the fact that he was so thoroughly undone, he hadn’t noticed how Quin had started taking shameless pictures on her phone. Whatever the reason, Lacy’s face softened into a warm smile.
“Espresso, right? From that same place?” He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and she smiled again. “Thank you.” She took the cup and lifted it to her lips, eyeing him over the rim. “No work today?”
He hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head.
“No, I’m taking some time off.”
She nodded slowly, eyes twinkling into his.
“Finding some of those quiet moments?”
A flush warmed his face, followed by an instant grin.
“Yeah, something like that.”
For a moment, they both simply stood there. Taking carefully measured sips of their espresso. Watching each other with secret smiles. Then a loud voice shattered the moment.
“I have a picture of you in my bedroom.”
Both Logan and Lacy turned to Quin at the same time. One with a look of incredulous disbelief. The other with carefully contained exasperation.
“Quin, honey,” Lacy forced a smile, resisting the urge to strangle the girl with her bare hands, “why don’t you go work on some filing for a while.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a command.
The girl pushed slowly to her feet, looking like Lacy had just told her there wasn’t going to be a Christmas, but skulked obediently away—shooting backwards glances at Logan all the while. Lacy waited until she had gone, before turning back with an embarrassed smile.
“Sorry, she gets a little...obsessive when she gets a crush.”
Obsessive. That was a delicate way of putting it.
Logan just smiled. He could care less about the girl. He was just thrilled that they were talking. That his brilliant coffee excuse had gotten him through the door.