Chapter Three
“NPH Designs, where may I direct your call?” Sarah rolled her eyes, eyeing the empty desk out in the front lobby. She loved Nancy Finnegan, the company’s longtime receptionist, but if the old woman stepped away from her desk—and she did often—the calls were forwarded to Sarah. She took a sip of her iced mocha latte. “No. Neil Patrick Harris does not own this firm, nor did he ever. You have a great holiday, too.”
She set down the receiver and chuckled. Add that to the random inquiries as to whether the NPH in NPH Designs stood for the famous actor.
The inquiries weren’t completely farfetched. Rumor had it that Logan and Neil had been neighbors around the time of the firm’s name change. The way the story went was Logan lost a bet to him five years ago and had to change the name of his family-owned company from Scott and Associates to NPH Designs literally overnight. Because Logan was so private, no one really knew if that gossip was true.
She glanced over at his closed door. He’d been in there for over an hour with Mary Beth—alone. Logan had been all smiles when he greeted the accountant earlier and promptly told Sarah to hold his calls.
She tapped her fingers on her desk. It was supposed to be a meeting to review the year-end budget, but what if something more was going on?
She hopped out of her chair and tiptoed over to Logan’s office, glancing behind her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. She then put her ear up to the door.
Oh, God, is that laughter?
She pressed her ear harder.
“Ahem.”
Sarah jumped back and spun around.
Ryan stood in front of her with an enormous shit-eating grin on his face.
“Don’t scare me like that,” she said in a low voice. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
He nodded to Logan’s office. “What gives?”
“Mary Beth is in there.” She frowned and walked back to her desk. “They’ve been talking forever.”
“I’m sure it’s just business.”
Doubtful. She took a seat, but immediately bolted up. “Did you want to see him, because I can totally interrupt the meeting if it’s urgent.”
“Actually, I came to see you.”
“Oh.” She sat back down and scooted her chair close to her desk, more than a bit disappointed that she didn’t have an excuse to get Mary Beth out of the office. “Please tell me you’re not bailing on lunch.” Paul had been circling her desk earlier this morning, ready to share the news of his recent toe fungus as soon as she’d said hello. She didn’t need to hear any more about it while eating her leftover fettuccini.
“I’m still on for lunch. My sister even made you cupcakes.”
And yet, he didn’t seem in a hurry to leave. “So, what brings you by?”
“I’d like to help with your situation.” He nodded to Logan’s door. “I have a proposition that I think you’re really going to like.”
Sarah propped her chin on her fist. “Ooh. I’m intrigued.”
“I need you to go to this with me,” he said and handed her a card.
She scanned the contents. “You want me to go to a gala in Connecticut?”
“Yeah. It’s this weekend, and my ex-fiancée is planning it. It might be…better if I didn’t show up alone.”
Sarah knew all about his ex. Ryan had shared with her how it all went down during the company’s retreat last spring, which was a total surprise because he rarely talked about his love life—past or present.
She studied her friend, realizing how awkward this was for him. “Would I be your date?” That would be a little strange. Not that Ryan wasn’t dating material—anti-commitment or not, he was one of the hottest guys in the office—but she was trying to win over Logan.
So why did her heart trip a little over the image of walking in on Ryan’s arm?
“Nah. I just thought it’d be fun to show up with a friend. Let people make their own conclusions. Not that I’d be opposed to you acting as a buffer.” He gave her a crooked grin and nodded to the door. “Besides, Logan will be there, so if we pretended to be any more than friends, he’d bust our cover.”
“Logan’s going?” she asked, shaking off the thought of her and Ryan laughing over high school stories with his old friends.
“Yeah, he’s getting an alumni award.” He pointed to the card. “Check out the back.”
She flipped the card over and read the details. That was breaking news, but didn’t completely surprise her given her boss’s tendency to keep whatever he did outside the office private.
“Say yes, and on the drive up, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about what Logan’s like outside of the office.” Ryan leaned his hip against her desk. “What do you say? Can you get away this weekend?”
Boy, could she. She hadn’t been out of the state in months. A road trip with Ryan sounded like fun, and since they always had a good time hanging out at work, it was bound to be a lot of laughs. “You’ll tell me everything I need to know?”
“Yes. And then some.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to Sarah. “Here’s a sample of what you’ll get from me to fulfill my end of the bargain. I’ll see you at lunch. You can tell me your answer then.”
“See you.” Sarah waited until Ryan turned the corner, then unfolded the paper, her lips turning up as she read.
Logan is definitely a morning person. The man gets more done between the hours of four and six a.m. than most people do in an entire workday. One of his favorite pastimes is to watch the sunrise off his balcony. You’re probably wondering what Logan wears to bed. After four years of living with the guy, I can say with most certainty—boxers. I don’t know what kind he’s sporting these days, but in college, he had these ridiculous ones with Santa’s reindeer, that, yes, included Rudolph and his shiny red nose right on his junk.
She laughed out loud.
You didn’t ask, but between Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs, his go-to cereal while watching that sunrise is Cocoa Puffs.
Just then, Logan emerged from his office with Mary Beth, catching Sarah in mid-laugh. Ignoring Sarah, the accountant said good-bye and took off for her office.
He leaned against his doorframe and smiled. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing.” Rudy. She hid her smile and folded the piece of paper, setting it aside. “Good meeting?”
“Budget looks great. Hey, I have something I’m hoping you can help me with.” He walked back into his office and reemerged with his black wool coat, slipping it on. “I just emailed you over my Secret Santa list. I thought I’d do twelve days of gifts. Maybe mix it up a little and give Mary Beth twelve gifts throughout the day leading up to the party. If you could purchase them by next Thursday, I would really appreciate it.”
With that, he said he’d be back in an hour and headed for the elevator.
Envy crept up the back of Sarah’s neck as she clicked open Logan’s email.
Oh, for the love of God.
Chanel perfume and Godiva chocolate topped the list. He either forgot that there was a twenty-five-dollar spending limit or he didn’t care. Her jaw dropped at the last item on his list.
One box of Cocoa Puffs.
Son of an Elf! Why was his favorite cereal on the list to give to Mary Beth? She lunged for her phone, dialed the four-digit extension she knew better than her own, and waited for Ryan to answer.
“Speakerphone or no speakerphone,” she demanded.
“No speakerphone.”
“Good. You’ve got yourself a deal.”