Page 9 of Asystole

It’s cute.

“And I meant flying with them, not for them. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a group of civilian volunteers who offer their skills without making the full commitment. We learned about all kinds of options during medical school. Since there’s a branch in Boston, they came and gave their spiel.”

Logan stays quiet longer than I expect, and I wonder if I somehow said the wrong thing.

“I mean, it was just a thought,” I quickly add. “What you do for the hospital is plenty important, and I think it’s pretty cool.”

“Well, as long as you think it’s cool,” Logan finally says with a crooked grin, making my cheeks flame.

I hate when I blush because it makes my skin match my hair and I feel like a fucking tomato, but Logan doesn’t give me shit.

“I’ll have to look into that, thanks,” he finally says.

“No problem.”

Silence hovers over us for a couple of seconds before Logan says, “You still seeing that girl you mentioned when we were back in Ricochet?”

My gut twists at the mention of Kendra, and my features must give away my anxiety because Logan quickly says, “Aw shit, did I just stick my foot in my mouth?”

“No, no, we’re still together,” I confirm. “Just, you know, kinda going through a rough patch.” Our waiter delivers our appetizers, and I dig in because I’m starving. Talking around the whole loaded potato wedge I just shoved in my mouth, I add, “Long distance is starting to take its toll.”

“Where is she?” he asks, taking a much more respectable bite than I did.

“Florida.”

“What the hell is she doing down there?” he laughs.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. I know she was ready to escape Vermont’s winters, but she also knew that I was committed to Boston for the next several years and chose to go anyway.” I shrug. “Until recently, it’s been working out great. I stay so busy, working eighty hours a week, that I don’t really have time to keep up with a relationship. Med school was even worse. But, um, recently, things just seem tense, and we’re arguing a lot. She does marketing for sports franchises and loves it, which is great, but it’s hard to be that committed to your job and your partner, especially when you only see each other once every six months.”

“That sucks, man. I’m sure that’s added stress you don’t need.”

Right about that, isn’t he?

“What about you?” I ask. “Seeing anyone these days?”

“Hell no,” Logan snorts. “But not for lack of trying. Just can’t seem to find anyone that sparks my interest,” he says, dropping his eyes to his napkin.

“Well, there’s a table of four women behind you that’ve been eye-fucking you since you sat down,” I point out.

Logan barks out a laugh.

“They’d, uh, they’d have better luck getting my attention if they were men,” he says, watching me to gauge my reaction.

“Oh, right! I think Hanlon mentioned that to me once a long time ago,” I say, vaguely remembering the conversation.

“Of course he did,” Logan mutters.

“That reminds me. Did Stone call you?” I ask, wondering if they’d reached out to Logan with the news as well.

Logan’s eyes snap to mine as he reaches for his drink.

“Yeah,” he says in a confused tone. “How’d you know that?” he asks.

“After Hanlon called me, I figured they’d call all of their friends.”

I swear Logan stops breathing.

“I, uh, couldn’t take the call. What’s up?” he asks with a note of hesitation, as if he already knows.