Page 23 of Structure of Love

“Don’t say that. I want to know you. I can relate, to a degree, having been on the opposite side of the problem. I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the bratty brother problem. It gives me some hope that maybe Cooper will turn out like you, although I’m not holding my breath.”

“Ah, true. My story would put things in perspective for you, wouldn’t it?”

“It really does. So you’ve been running the bar for how long, now?”

“Coming up on five years.”

I tried to do the math. “Which makes you…?”

“Thirty. I can’t place your age either.”

“Also thirty.”

Logan laughed. “You do not look it. I would have put you at five years younger.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“Oh yeah?” His eyes shot to me, and he gave me a sweep from head to toe, mouth kicking up on one side. “You give me so much to work with, too. This will be quite fun. Ah, one more heavy topic, sorry. Just got to know, but with a business name like Gay 4 Renovations, I assume you’re out?”

“Very, very out. You?”

“Also very out. Came out at fourteen, actually, mostly to spit in my parents’ faces, as they’re uberconservative. Half the family cared, half of them didn’t. I’m not the only gay one, though. Erin is too.”

“Wait, if your parents are conservative, are they okay with her being gay?”

“She hasn’t told them. They’d lose their collective minds over it. She’s supposed to be barefoot, pregnant, and in a kitchen, according to our mother’s plans.”

“Oh shit. Well, uh, good luck with that inevitable explosion.”

“I’ll warn you when to duck and cover. It’s going to be nuclear for sure. That aside, feel free to swing by my bar and flirt with me.”

I snickered and lifted his hand to kiss the backs of his knuckles. I loved the feel of his calluses against my fingers, and my fantasies were trying to rear their heads. I kept imagining those fingertips running over sensitive skin, how they might feel, because my brain liked to make things difficult on a first date. “Like this kind of flirting?”

“You damn tease,” Logan grumbled. He shifted in his seat, as if his pants were suddenly a bit tight. “Of course you do that when I’m driving.”

Because I was evil, I leaned over to whisper into his ear, “You can kiss me later.”

The sultry look in his eyes was downright intoxicating. “You can bet I will.”

Some people might think twice about Logan after hearing his personal history. Me? He was even more of a green flag. Anyone who could pull themselves up by their bootstraps, who could make something of themselves against all odds, was the kind of man I wanted as a boyfriend. He’d earned grace by straightening himself out. He did it right, too, through hard work and therapy.

I wasn’t about to give him grief over not always being perfect.

I had a new question, though. “So have you lived in the area your entire life?”

“Basically, yeah. Grew up in Canton, for the most part stayed in the area. When downtown Plymouth started taking off, I took a chance and opened the bar on the main square, and that paid off in spades. Is your company actually in Plymouth?”

“Yup, the old shoe factory. We bought and restored it, too.”

“So you can swing by for lunch sometimes and let me flirt with you?”

“I’m all for lunch dates.” Look at him, already trying to charm me into more dates. Anticipation and a sort of euphoric feeling built up in my chest in response. Please oh please, I wanted him to like me as much as I liked him.

Since he was throwing out lures, I chose to throw out one myself. “You obviously like DnD, so would you like to join my crew for a game? We’re having a one-shot in a couple weeks. We typically play on Mondays.”

“Yeah? Great timing, I have Mondays off. That said, weekends can happen too. Give me enough of a heads-up and I can make sure my night manager has got things covered. Weekends aren’t always off the table for me.”

“That’s great. Helps with planning things. We normally play Monday nights, starting at about eight.”