Page 117 of The Fall Classic

I hate how much I wanted to be on Logan’s list. And I hate how worried I am for him, even though I wasn’t.

“You know what sucks?” I tell Liv, my lips pulling to the side. “As much as I want him to want me, I want him to be happy even more.”

Her frown is instantaneous, and she pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Georgie.”

“Thanks, Liv.”

I pull out my phone and scroll back through last night’s texts, looking for something I missed. But there’s nothing to miss. He asked about my day. He told me he was tired and sore and waiting for more information. No possibility of injury, no mention of what might or might not happen. No letting me in …

Do I say something? Tell him I know and ask him how he’s doing?

I almost snort at the thought. That’s something another woman gets to do, not me. A woman who knows she deserves the whole story.

Not a woman who was only waiting to be forgotten.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Georgie

Around one thirty, Marlowe and my dad show up, and I’m running on empty emotionally. I checked the numbers they sent me on break, and all it did was make me angry. This is my dream. The trucks, the expansion. I wrote all of this in the back of my notebook and never had the guts to do anything about it, and now two people that have nothing to do with my family legacy and who only care about me when it’s convenient are trying to make my dream their reality.

The anger in me is so foreign.

The pain isn’t.

“So, how’s my girl?” Dad asks when he comes up to the truck. His arm is around Marlowe, and she’s beaming, the poor woman. She actually believes he’s going to stick around this time, doesn’t she?

And heck, maybe if she can make this fleet idea of his work, he will. Maybe all he’s ever needed is someone to dream with him … and do all the work so he can take all the glory.

“Fine, Dad. This is my friend Olivia,” I say.

Liv and my dad exchange pleasantries. Marlowe keeps a radiant smile on her face.

“How about an It’s Bean Real on the house for your dad?” Dad asks.

How about you don’t take anything else away from me?

The words are on the tip of my tongue, so close, in fact, I have to roll my lips together to keep from saying them.

I give him a curt nod. “Coming right up.”

“Did you have a chance to look at the numbers?” Marlowe asks as Liv starts working on the drink that’s quickly become our seasonal favorite, and it’s barely autumn.

“I did. The math checks out. I don’t have anything else to add.”

“That’s it?” Marlowe’s smile doesn’t move, but her voice does. “We were hoping for your actual thoughts, Georgie. Not confirmation.”

“That’s all I have for you right now. I’ve been up since four thirty. Sorry.”

Something flashes across her face. “I see. Well, forgive me for thinking you might actually want to be part of creating something as a family.”

Her words knock the wind out of me.

“Marlowe.” Dad’s hand finds her arm before I can answer. She stops, purses her lips, and her shoulders drop.

“Excuse me,” she says, not quite looking at me. “It’s been a long week. I should take this call.” She’s got her phone out and starts walking back toward the car, and I’m glad she’s gone before she can see that her words have so much power over me.

“Are you okay, Georgie girl?” Dad asks. I’ll say this for him—he may not care about people as deeply as he should, but he can read them like a book.