Page 55 of That Last Secret

“Don’t start, Ave,” I scold, not wanting her to make this any more awkward for me than it already is.

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever you say, girlfriend. Let’s go. The limo is waiting for us.”

“A limo?”

“You know these Ford brothers,” she scoffs. “We might only be going out to dinner and some drinks, but they want to roll up in the best form of transportation.”

I laugh as we descend the stairs to meet everyone waiting for us.

Once I step outside, the humid air smacks me right in the face. Long Beach Island in August feels like the armpit of summer. Not that New York City is much different, but there’s nothing I hate more than moisture in the air and feeling sweaty.

My anxiety flared to life the moment my eyes land on Logan standing outside the limo talking with Oliver. I have no idea what they are going on about, but they’re both laughing.

I feel like I don’t see Logan laugh nearly enough.

Avery closes the door behind me with a bang and it forces everyone to look in our direction. Heat rises to my cheeks when Logan’s eyes land directly on mine. This time it’s not because of the weather.

Except the way his eyes trail my body, makes it feel cold out here.

“We’re going to be late for our reservation,” Peyton says, opening the back door to the limo. Everyone starts to move behind her, piling in one by one.

But Logan doesn’t move.

I don’t move.

We stare at each other as if there’s no one else around us while my heartbeat thrums in my chest like a beating drum, faster and faster the longer we keep eye contact.

But that only lasts a few seconds before he breaks the stare and piles in behind Oliver. My hands feel shaky and I will the thoughts down of spiraling into a panic attack. Every part of me is dreading this evening.

But I want to do this for Thomas and Peyton.

I just didn’t want to do it here.

The beach house brings up so many feelings for me. Mostly, I don’t want this night to be over and Logan goes back to hating me the way he did the last time we left here.

I inhale and exhale a calming breath before getting into the limo behind him.

Thankfully he took the seat on the opposite side.

Distance is best.

Dinner went better than I thought it would.

We all engaged in conversation as if everything was the way it used to be.

Avery, Kali, and Peyton all discussed some last-minute things we need to do next week before the wedding, while Marc filled us in on all the renovations he plans to do to his new house he bought in the mountains and the guys asked about him taking over the real estate business from his boss.

It makes sense that he bought the house in the mountains after his trip there.

It’s where I think he officially fell in love with Avery.

Those two had heart eyes all of dinner.

Now that dinner’s over, we walked down the street to a small restaurant that sits on the second floor of the building and overlooks the bay. The music is upbeat, and the area is packed with plush seating and a small dance floor in the middle. The sun has just crossed the horizon, but the hue of orange still lingers in the sky.

I find myself staring at the colors changing in the sky on the balcony when Logan comes up beside me, close enough that our forearms graze when he rests himself on the ledge. The heat from his body seeps into me, suddenly making it hard to concentrate.

“Having fun?” he asks.