January 16th 2016
Logan's foot instinctively pressed down on the floor of the car as if he could will the vehicle to move faster from the passenger seat. When he realized what he was doing he laughed at himself…and the absurdity of the situation.
He and Duncan were on the I-5. Duncan was driving, and their speed had maybe topped out at sixty miles per hour. "Hey, man, think we can put the pedal to the metal a little bit here? I'd like to arrive at the tuxedo shop before it gets dark."
He saw Duncan look at the clock in confusion and then laugh. "Very funny, Logan. I'm not going that slowly. And how would it look for an elected official to barrel down the freeway like a bat out of hell?"
Duncan had always been a cautious driver, but this was just too much. Logan craned to look over at the speedometer and saw the proof of his suspicions. Fifty-fucking-five. "You aren't even on the ballot yet! Caution is one thing, but you're driving like an eighty-one-year-old grandma!"
As if on cue, a passing car screeched its tires as it pulled from behind them to next to them. The driver slowed down in line with Duncan's car and Logan laughed out loud when a little old blue-haired lady scowled widely at them and then flipped them the bird before racing off.
"I think that proved my point!" Logan laughed.
"Driving fifty-five is not only safer but more economical," Duncan explained as he waved to yet another motorist who shook a fist at Duncan as he flew past from the lane next to them. Duncan slowly moved to an exit lane and got off of the freeway.
"You're driving an electric car—nothing gets more economical than that!" Logan couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore. "Look, this isn't a damn Prius; Teslas were made to be sporty. This is a work of mechanical genius that can go from zero to sixty in 2.28 seconds flat. You're embarrassing yourself. And me!" When Duncan looked at him blindly, Logan stifled a growl. "Whatever, man, next time I'm driving," Logan informed him as they passed a digital speed tracker on the side of the road that read 'Speed Limit: 45. Your Speed: 31.'
The shop was located in a swanky boutique area of Neptune. Logan rolled his eyes as Duncan struggled to parallel park on the street. "If you just shift into reverse, the car will park itself!" Logan informed his friend after a few failed attempts. With a grouse, Duncan pulled away from the curb, opting to circle the block again to use the valet. Douche! Logan thought, tapping his foot on the floor impatiently. This whole experience was just getting worse and worse by the moment.
Duncan immediately went to speak to a salesman, and Logan saw Casey already waiting for them in the shop. No doubt because the ten-mile trip here had taken almost forty minutes. But Casey was a welcome sight. A break from the monotony and the tedium...and the farce.
"Casey Gant! Sorry we're late. It took...a while." Logan couldn't hold back the smile that spread across his face as he approached the other man. They'd never been particularly close in high school, but their paths had crossed frequently and they'd never been adversarial. Casey was too likable.
When the men reached each other Casey pulled Logan in for a bear hug. It took him a little off guard until Casey whispered, "Dude, never drive with Kane. I thought you knew that." When Casey pulled away from Logan there was laughter in his eyes.
"Now you remind me! Where were you forty minutes ago?" Logan admonished playfully.
"Not causing road rage down the 5 with you guys, and that's all that matters," Casey winked. "Actually I was in the coffee shop across the street. I met this amazing girl...hot, young, brunette. I'm regretting not asking her out now."
"Carpe diem," Logan said. "I, of all people, should know." He looked Casey up and down once, sizing him up, and then decided to take a chance. "So this wedding…"
"Yeah. Weird! Word on the street is that Veronica's knocked up. Is she knocked up?" Casey asked in a hushed tone.
"No, I checked that one out myself...she drank champagne the other day. Veronica would never do that if...well, she's not pregnant."
That seemed to perplex Casey. "Huh," he said distractedly scratching his head. "Figured that…" They both looked over at Duncan stiffly making small talk with the salesman. "I guess if they're happy…"
"Yeah, right. Of course. If…" Logan let the sentence trail away as Duncan approached.
"Guys, this is Armando and he's going to help us today," Duncan nodded to the man following him. "Mother visited last week and made some suggestions—" Casey snickered softly and poked Logan in the back. Logan wished he thought it was funny too. Logan nodded politely and stood quietly as the shop worker measured him and Casey.
Armando left and returned with black tuxedos and held them out to the two of them. "Where's yours?" Logan asked Duncan as he took the suit and walked off to a dressing room to change for the fitting.
"Oh, I already got fitted last week when Mother took Veronica shopping in the boutique bridal shop down the street," Duncan answered.
"Well that must have been a blast." After his snide response, Logan felt an intense wave of sadness in regards to Veronica. Even he knew that dress shopping was special; it was something a bride should do with her mom. Veronica would have felt the loss acutely and Logan suddenly felt guilty for not being there for her through it. Maybe that's why she's marrying Duncan, and not you, you selfish bastard, he reasoned with himself.
The jacket felt a little tight around Logan's chest and upper back. It was annoying. He felt stifled. Everything was just so...wrong. The jacket fit was wrong, the date was wrong, the circumstances were wrong. Hell, the groom was wrong. And at that moment, only one of those things did he have any say in.
He instantly became a man obsessed. "Hey, Armando," Logan called over the fitting room door, "I need a bigger jacket." Logan got no response, so he tugged the tuxedo pants on and fastened them up. He stepped out of the dressing room to see Armando busily marking up Casey's tux with chalk for alterations. "This jacket is too tight," he repeated testily.
Armando looked up briefly from where he was marking Casey's hem. "It's perfect," he dismissed.
"Or you could just get me a bigger jacket," Logan replied, bending forward a bit at the waist to prove his point.
"Logan, Armando is the best in the business. If he says it's perfect, it's perfect," Duncan protested, siding with the salesman.
Armando finished up Casey quickly and moved over to Logan. He pulled the jacket across the back and made a few chalk marks at his wrists. "Fits perfectly."
Then why did he feel like his chest was in a vice?"It's still too tight," Logan protested, pulling at his collar. Armando ignored him, moving down to make some adjustments to the fit of the hips of his pants and then the hem length. Will no one listen?
"Relax, Logan. Why are you being so difficult? It looks great," Duncan insisted. "Besides, I'm buying. It's my wedding, and this is a rush job."
As opposed to everything else about this wedding? Logan barely managed to keep his thoughts to himself. "No need, Duncan. I can buy my own tuxedo."
"That's not the point. You guys are my friends. You're my best man. I'm trying to do something nice," he pressed.
"Go do something nice for someone else," Logan sparred. Like your fiancée. Maybe take her on a real fucking honeymoon.
"Listen, I told Sheriff Mars that I'd take care of the suits. He can't afford these, so I said I was buying them all. It's no problem."
The more agitated Logan felt, the tighter the jacket felt. He needed to take it off; he was starting to sweat. "Well, tell him you bought mine for all I care, but it's not happening. I may not be set to inherit a billion dollars, but I can afford my own goddamn tux, Donut!" Logan ignored Duncan's shocked expression and the curious looks he was getting from Casey and Armando. "Are we done here? You know, since you're not listening to me anyway," he asked, knowing full well he was being an asshole. What is it about Neptune that just sucks me right back into my old rhythms?
Armando nodded in the affirmative, and Logan bent over to remove the loaner shoes they'd had him use for the fitting. When his hands reached down, the tuxedo jacket split open down the back seam with a loud snap! Logan couldn't suppress a smile as he stood up, feeling totally vindicated.
"Shall we start over? Maybe with something that actually fits, please?" he chided, suddenly calm in the knowledge that in this one instance he'd invoked change.
"Get the man another jacket, would you?" Armando called out to an assistant.
Finally, one round goes to Logan!
Veronica was disappointed when Philippa walked into the shop alone. Where was Lilly? An afternoon alone with the British heiress wasn't exactly in her top ten—or one hundred—ways to spend a Saturday. Veronica couldn't blame anyone but herself though. If it weren't for her big mouth, Philippa would be on a plane headed halfway around the world in a few days. Now, she was here until Valentine's Day at the very least. Veronica still didn't know what had come over her. The sight of Philippa in the restaurant, brunette and beautiful with mile-long legs and perfect curves had inspired a very immediate and visceral reaction. What's the adage, Veronica? Keep your friends close and Logan Echolls' fiancée closer? It went something like that, she was sure. Be cool, sodapop, she commanded herself. Smile firmly in place, Veronica rose to greet her new BFF.
"Yay!" Veronica cheered. Ugh. "You made it. Lilly didn't send you all on your own, did she?" Please say no, please say no!
"Of course not. I'm surprised she didn't beat me. I popped into a café to get us all tea," Philippa held up a drink holder with three cardboard cups in it that Veronica hadn't noticed before, "while she parked and picked up croissants from the bakery a few doors down. She said it's the best so…"
"Oh, yes. Lilly acted like it was the second coming when Bouchon opened a Neptune shop," Veronica laughed. Do not get sucked in by her charm, Veronica. Intel, you're here for intel. "So we have a lot of time to make up for and only a few short weeks to do it. I am so happy we have some moments to ourselves. You have to tell me absolutely everything there is to know about you."
"Everything?" Philippa looked flustered for the first time. It made Veronica happy and she had to swallow back the triumphant grin that was threatening.
"Well, at least everything about you and Logan. Where did you two meet?"
Philippa smiled wistfully and Veronica felt a tinge of jealousy. "We met in London last August. My father had read about all the wonderful things Logan was doing out here with his foundation and he was inspired. He's become obsessed with the plight of abused women and educating people on how to read the signs of abuse and how to react, so when he saw what Logan had done...well, he rang him up and they formed a...I guess a connection you could call it. That was in June, and by August, my father and Logan had struck up a partnership and Logan flew out to meet him. One thing led to another, and here we are."
Veronica tried her best not to be moved. Damn all the do-gooding. How could she hate this woman—which she had to do on principle—if she was a do-gooder? It was hard.
"It's a very personal battle for Logan," Veronica said, looking down at her hands.
"Yes, he and his poor mother at the hands of his father," Philippa agreed. Veronica looked up and met Philippa's eyes. Of course Logan had told her all about Lynn. It shouldn't have surprised her; they were engaged after all. But Logan so rarely opened up to people. "And Logan's obsession can only be matched by my father's. It's a good alliance for both of them, I think."
"What prompted your father's obsession?" Veronica couldn't help but ask.
Philippa threw her a wide-eyed look. "I'm surprised you don't know." She paused for a moment, flustered. "I know Logan doesn't talk about me much, but I thought you'd have Googled me or something. Then again, I suppose I'm far away from home." She paused for a moment. "It's all to do with my elder sister, Sarah—it was a few years ago now, and I was at university at the time. My mother died when we were little, so it was just the three of us, you see. And my father never liked Sarah's boyfriend, John. Of course Sarah was young and rebellious and determined to get under dad's skin...well, none of us knew how bad it was until it was too late."
Veronica cursed herself for not Googling her best friend's fiancée or at least reading to the end of any article about her. She'd never really ever made it past the pictures of Philippa and Logan before she'd shut the pages. Now, morbid curiosity got the better of her, and Veronica couldn't help but confirm what she thought she already knew. "What happened to her?"
"He strangled her," Philippa admitted, pulling a tissue from her purse and dabbling at her eyes. "Her friend found her and she was rushed to hospital, but...well, long story short, we took her off life support a few weeks before her twenty-third birthday."
Veronica felt like an ass. Philippa was crying, and Veronica, herself, was fighting back tears. She'd convinced herself that Philippa was like Madison Sinclair and Shelly Pomroy. This girl in front of her was anything but the silly empty-headed heiress she'd expected. Of course Logan would find a paragon—beauty, brains and a realist. Well, shit. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pried. I should have...I don't know."
"It's okay, really. It's getting easier. Especially with the foundation and feeling proactive. I'm heading up the contributions sector of the UK foundation. I feel like I'm doing my part."
Beauty, brains, realist and a domestic abuse fighter, I'd better stop this discussion before I find out she nurses orphaned kittens and has found a cure for cancer. Veronica shook her head. "Wow, that wasn't where I expected this outing to go. This isn't what I'd intended when I said full-disclosure bridesmaid dress shopping was on the agenda for today."
Philippa dabbed at her eyes once more and then seemed to rally. "No, it's nice to talk about Sarah. I don't want to forget her. And the fact that you were so nice to me and didn't know about her is...rare." Veronica reached out and took Philippa's hand for a moment.
And there it was. Veronica liked Philippa Winthrop-Scott. She should be happy; she should be thrilled. She liked her best friend's fiancée. It was best-case scenario as far as friendships were concerned. But still, it irked her.
"Ladies! I come bearing French pastries to die fo—" Lilly's voice cut into the moment. "Are you two okay?"
Veronica and Philippa quickly pulled apart. Philippa passed out the tea she'd brought in and quickly excused herself under the guise of checking out the shop. Veronica let her go; she knew Philippa just needed a moment.
"What's going on? Did someone die?" Lilly asked looking genuinely concerned.
Veronica rounded on her friend. "Yes, as a matter of fact. Her sister did a few years ago, apparently. Thanks for the head's up on that one, Lilly."
Lilly's eyes got wide. "Sorry! I thought you knew. It was huge news...even here. Billionaire heiress murdered in the prime of her life...it made the cover of People magazine, Veronica."
"Oh my god, that was her? I didn't realize! I—I can't believe I said..." Veronica groaned, her hand coming to cover her face.
"What did you say to her?" Lilly asked.
"I asked her how they met and about their motivations for the foundation...nothing terrible, looking back, but not happy-happy bridesmaid dress shopping talk," Veronica groaned.
"It's all right, V," Lilly said, putting an arm around her and looking around the shop, Veronica could only assume, to look for Philippa.
"It's not all right, I was—"
"I tried to hate her, too. Really! Like I hate everyone Logan dates. I tried. She makes it infuriatingly impossible to hate her," Lilly whispered.
"She really does," Veronica said, sniffling back the laughter-through-tears reaction.
Philippa appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, before them wearing a god-awful burnt-orange monstrosity of a bridesmaid dress. It was straight out of an '80s bridal magazine with puffy sleeves and huge skirt and sequins from head to toe. All that was missing was the feathered hair and some kind of sweatband around her forehead.
"What do you think, ladies?" Philippa asked, studying herself in the mirror. "I personally think this is the one!" She smoothed out the ginormous skirt as she spoke, and Veronica was speechless for a moment before Philippa turned back to them, a smile cracking one side of her lips. "Well, at the very least, Celeste would hate it, which I was thinking could be our theme for this wedding."
Lilly burst out laughing and Veronica soon found herself joining in. "Be nice to my future mother-in-law," Veronica protested. "She's paying for the whole thing!"
"Oh, shut up! It's a drop in the bucket, and she already had a chance to plan her own wedding," Lilly said through her laughter. "I'll show you the pictures; Philippa's bridesmaid dress is closer to reality than you'd guess."
Philippa peeled herself out of the garish dress and let it slip to the floor. She stood there, all confidence, in her corset bra and matching lace boyshorts. "Good riddance," she said as she stepped out of it. "Sorry, seemed like breaking the tension was necessary."
"I'd say," Veronica agreed, sobering up. "I'm sorry—"
"No! I already said 'no sorrys'," Philippa insisted, going back in the dressing room to retrieve her tea. She grabbed her phone out of her purse as she strode by them. She motioned for them to follow as she plopped on the couch near the dressing room mirrors. Veronica had never met a girl so confident while wearing nothing but lingerie. "But seriously, I was on Pinterest all morning, and I found some really lush stuff. Let's look."
Lilly and Veronica smiled at one another and then took their tea to the sofa, taking a seat on either side of Philippa. Veronica felt happier—more alive—than she'd felt in months. This was exactly what she'd needed.
"What do you think about this one?" Philippa asked, tilting her phone this way and that so they all had a good look at the dress on the small screen.
"My boobs will never fit into that," Lilly rejected.
Philippa took a long look at Lilly's chest. "Hmm...I'd forgotten about your rack," she sighed. "Let's look at the halters." She swiped a few times. "How about one? The cut is timeless, so no cringing in twenty years when we look at these pictures. It should contain the twins nicely," she commented, pointing to Lilly's breasts. "It'll hide my laughably short torso, and the color—"
"It's beautiful!" Veronica cooed. "But Celeste detests lavender."
"Well, that's another tick in the plus column, I'd say," she announced. "It's a well-known designer; they should have it. I'm going to go ask." Philippa stood up and strode across the store in her lingerie to find a saleswoman, and Veronica sat speechless.
"Dammit, Lilly, I like her," Veronica groaned after a moment.
"I know. Pissed me off too," Lilly replied evenly. "You know there are worse things than liking your bridesmaid and the woman your friend is going to marry," she told Veronica seriously.
"I know, I know. It just...wasn't my plan," Veronica sighed. "But I can adjust," she said, trying to convince herself more than her friend. "I'm getting good at that. Adjusting...accepting."
"Settling?" Lilly speculated.
And here we go again. "Why would you say that?" Veronica huffed, dejected.
"I just want to make sure that this is what you want," Lilly cautioned.
Veronica was silent for a moment. Was this what she wanted? She had to admit that she wasn't as happy with 'content' as she'd anticipated. Especially when her friends were all against her. It muddled her thoughts. Logan was still taken, and by someone wonderful. "This is what I want," she replied evenly.
"I love you is all," Lilly pressed. "You'll always be my sister, even without—"
"Thanks for caring, Lil," Veronica said, scooting over to lean her head on her friend's shoulder.
Philippa emerged a moment later, wearing the beautiful dress they'd seen online. It was stunning.
"How do you keep doing that? Appearing out of nowhere," Lilly laughed.
"Oh, there's just another door to the fitting room around the back," Philippa smiled mischievously.
"Well, it's absolutely stunning," Veronica admired.
"It really is beautiful," Lilly agreed.
The saleswoman followed from inside the fitting room with an identical dress for Lilly.
"Lilly, go try one on," Veronica commanded good-naturedly. "I was never one for the matchy-matchy, but this is...I'm in love."
Lilly wasted no time taking off for the fitting room. "Can you go get the dress Veronica chose too so we can get the whole effect?" Lilly asked the salesperson who nodded politely and walked away.
A few moments later, Veronica found herself in a large fitting room, wearing the wedding dress of her dreams. She didn't have much love lost for Celeste, but they'd found the perfect dress. The sweetheart neckline accentuated her bust tastefully, and the bodice pulled to gather on one side, elongating her slim waist in a way that gave the illusion of more curves than she naturally had. She was pleased that she'd decided to take the time to style her hair this morning because the medium length gently curled locks softened her face. Veronica felt just as amazing as she had when she'd tried the dress on for the first time. But this was even more exciting because she was here with her friends.
When she emerged from the dressing room, her bridesmaids were speechless for a long moment as they studied her.
"Wow! Veronica Mars, that dress is..." tears gathered in Lilly's eyes and Veronica turned to see that Philippa's eyes looked glossy as well. Veronica's two attendants screeched in unison and flew at her. Veronica wasn't expecting the group hug and lost her balance. The three of them ended up in a pile as she heard and felt her dress come apart with a distinct rip.
The three girls erupted into laughter from their heap on the floor. At the sound of a throat clearing, Veronica sobered up a bit and managed to turn enough to see a very displeased-looking saleswoman staring down at them.
"Whoopsie," Philippa managed between bouts of laughter. "Good thing this is just the shop's sample dress and not the real thing," Philippa said as she tried to extricate herself from between Veronica and Lilly.
"I can't bend my knees enough to get up," Lilly said desperately, sending them all into another fit of laughter.
"Me neither. We're stuck here, which is a shame because I'm positively famished," Philippa announced.
"Croissant anyone?" A familiar voice spoke up from the couch and Veronica turned to see Logan standing there.
"Is that my croissant?" Lilly demanded from her prone position atop Philippa.
"Didn't see your name on it," Logan replied casually before stuffing the rest of the pastry into his open mouth.
"How did you get here?" Veronica asked from the bottom of the pile of fabric, tulle, and lace.
"Oh, I think most of Neptune can see you through the shop window," Logan said, standing up and moving toward them. He hoisted Lilly up first and then reached down for Philippa.
"Thank you, darling," Philippa said, kissing him on the cheek and retreating into the dressing room after Lilly. "We won't be a minute," she called from behind the closed door.
"Are you just going to leave me down here?" Veronica asked, annoyed.
Logan grinned after her. A grin that would have made Veronica go weak at the knees if she weren't already flat on her back.
"Of course not," he said, taking her by the hands and pulling her up straight.
Veronica gasped as the tattered dress began to fall off of her. She frenziedly attempted to catch the neckline before it dropped completely, but Logan beat her to it. He immediately stepped in closer, his hands settling on her waist, clamping the dress around her. The boning of the slightly corseted bodice kept her modestly covered, but instantly Veronica's state of undress was the least of her worries.
Logan was but a whisper-length away, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek. It was ragged, his breaths coming out in uneven pants. And then their eyes met and he stopped breathing altogether. The feel of his hands on her was electrifying. His fingers were splayed, spanning almost the entire circumference of her waist. Instinctively she reached out and grasped on to his upper arms for purchase as she momentarily allowed herself to lean into him, into his touch.
Just this once.
And then Veronica closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth of the lightning strikes streaming from his fingertips, sending sparks throughout her middle before traveling to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her breasts. Her core.
The sound of the shop door opening with a jingle snapped her out of her trance. She popped her eyes open again to see Logan's intense gaze still trained on her. It was then that she realized she hadn't been breathing either and let out a choked gasp as she wrapped her arms around herself and pulled away.
Still out of breath, Veronica managed to pull herself together enough to talk.
"Well thank you for being the gentlemen to come in and help," Veronica said, looking over his shoulder for Duncan or Casey, who were thankfully still absent.
"Lucky for me, Duncan and Casey are already at the cafe down the street getting us a table. I was in the tux shop longer than them due to...technical difficulties." He nodded to her dress. "I guess it's contagious."
Veronica didn't want to leave him. She didn't want the moment to end. But the spell had broken, and all that was left was an awkward silence that stretched between them. She didn't know what to say.
"I'll just let you get changed. See you at the cafe in a few minutes," he said, leaning forward to kiss her on the forehead and then making a hasty retreat. He stopped at the pastry box to steal another croissant on his way out.
"Thanks, Logan," Veronica called, finally finding her voice.
He waved a hand at her over his shoulder—wiggling his fingers—his mouth obviously full of pastry. She watched as he strolled outside the shop and disappeared past the boutique window. With a frustrated sigh, she gathered as much of the ripped dress as she could and waddled into the dressing room to change.
Logan took his time walking to the cafe. He realized that he was smiling, a distinct contrast to the dark mood he'd been in when he'd left the tuxedo shop a few minutes before. Seeing Veronica acting like her old self had him feeling conflicted about everything, but it also made him happy. And then that moment with just the two of them...well, he didn't know what to make of that at all. But he'd liked it.
"Did you get everything sorted out?" Duncan asked him as Logan sat down with his friends at the large table they'd reserved.
Logan wanted to snarl at his friend, but he kept his cool. "Yeah. The new jacket fits, and I gave them my credit card. All sorted out," he replied. "I saw the girls on my way here. They're on their way," he added.
"Did they look like they were getting along?" Duncan asked.
Logan was curious about what Duncan was implying. But then the thought of how he'd seen the girls made him smile. "Yeah, man. They looked...cozy," he finished, unwilling to share the story. Not with Duncan anyway.
"Interesting choice of words," Duncan said, eyeing him.
Logan shrugged noncommittally. Duncan opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by giggling voices entering the cafe.
Casey was wide-eyed and leaned forward to whisper to Logan, "That's her—the girl from the coffee shop this morning."
Logan smiled at Casey's flustered expression and turned to see Veronica, Lilly and Philippa approaching the table. He saw Philippa's steps falter when she noticed Casey. Logan's first reaction was happiness. Phil hadn't dated anyone seriously since her sister had died, and Casey was actually a good match for her. But then reality dawned on him. Except for that small detail that she's 'engaged' to you, you idiot. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the calm before this whole ordeal began.
For a moment he wanted to come clean, right then and there. To tell everyone that he and Phil weren't really engaged. He seriously considered it—just blurting it out as the girls sat down. But he didn't. Something held him back.
Philippa sat down between Logan and Casey, and Lilly and Veronica sat down between Logan and Duncan.
Casey opened his mouth to introduce himself to Philippa, but Duncan cut him off. "It's so great to have everyone here together. I know we don't have much time before the wedding, but I really look forward to us all spending more afternoons like this together." He paused and turned to Casey. "Casey Gant, this is Philippa Winthrop-Scott, Logan's fiancée."
Logan watched as Casey turned a shade whiter before his eyes.
"It's lovely to meet you, Casey," Philippa said, smiling brightly and holding out her hand for him to shake.
After a second's pause, Casey found his voice. He took Philippa's hand and said, "The pleasure's all mine."
Casey looked over her shoulder at Logan who laughed softly despite himself and whispered, "It's okay, man. Really." He winked. Logan didn't want Casey to feel uncomfortable. Sure, Logan was known for being somewhat possessive, but things were different now. At least in regards to Philippa. He looked over at Veronica across the table and noticed that she appeared somewhat stiff and reserved again, the moment in the boutique apparently a distant memory.
That, he thought. That right there is why I can't come clean this instant. The light he'd seen inside her when she was with the girls earlier had disappeared. He watched as Lilly leaned into Veronica and pointed out something on the menu that made Veronica smile. Then Veronica noticed him watching and offered him a quick half-smile and wink before she went back to looking over the menu. She's still in there. My Veronica. And until I figure out what's going on—until I figure out why she's acting so...different—I'm not going anywhere, he vowed. It was time to see what exactly Lilly and Phil had in mind when they'd said they were planning something special.
After the group had ordered, Philippa and Lilly began handing the phone back and forth between each other across the table. "Look at these bouquets. Now that I know we're doing purple, I can be a lot more specific as to which pins I search for," Phil said, handing her phone across the table once again. "It'll be—"
"I thought you'd settled on pink for the bridesmaid dresses," Duncan interrupted.
There was a pregnant pause at the table and Logan watched Veronica's head drop into her hands and Lilly narrow her eyes and then shake her head. Lilly turned and rolled her eyes at Philippa.
"Well, Donut," Lilly condescended, "I guess I'll be the one to speak up. Veronica liked the lavender dress today. And Veronica hates pink."
"Veronica doesn't hate pink. She wears pink sweaters all the time," Duncan protested.
"She hasn't worn pink since high school! She wears mostly blues and greys now," Logan stepped in, unable to keep quiet any longer. Seriously, Duncan had to be colorblind.
Lilly smiled, set her jaw and gave Duncan a hard look as if begging him to challenge them.
Philippa broke the tension. "Well, Veronica's dress is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You're all going to be swept off your feet at the sight of her," she smiled brightly at Veronica before turning her gaze to Lilly. "Now, back to Pinterest. Bridal shower themes."
"What is it with girls and Pinterest?" Casey joked.
"I'll have you know that Pinterest has the answers to all of life's questions," Philippa countered.
"Like why we're here?" he challenged.
"Well, yes, actually. Literally." Philippa quickly typed something into her phone. "See? Top brunch spots in SoCal. This one is number seven," she showed him triumphantly.
"No, I meant why are human beings here," he clarified.
They're flirting. Logan snickered and turned to see Veronica studying him carefully.
"I knew what you meant," Philippa laughed.
The food took forever to come, and by the time it did, Lilly and Veronica were chatting away, Casey and Phil were caught up in some debate, and Duncan looked decidedly out of place. Logan felt almost chipper at the sight of it all.
Veronica had ordered a bottle of champagne and it came with the food.
"Veronica, it's 2:30 p.m.," Duncan chastened, looking around the cafe to see who else was there.
"Yes, well, a toast is in order," she said, nodding to the wait staff who produced champagne flutes and then quickly filled and distributed them. "To old friends and new," she looked pointedly at Phil, who grinned, "coming together." They all took a sip. "And to my bridesmaid and new friend," Veronica stopped and smiled warmly, "who has found herself the love of her life." They all sipped again and Logan noticed that Phil was openly smiling at Casey.
A bubble of laughter threatened. He poked her in the back. "She's talking about me," Logan whispered.
"Oh, right! Sorry!" Philippa snickered a little as she turned to look adoringly into his eyes.
"Now you're overselling," he said through smiling teeth. Logan moved in so that his mouth was right above her ear. He hoped it looked intimate. "This guy has really gotten to you, hasn't he?"
"Stop it," she said between clenched teeth. "I'll tone it down, I promise! Though he is quite fit."
Logan laughed and kissed her cheek.
The rest of the meal went along without a hitch. When it was time to go, Logan begged off riding with Duncan and instead hopped in Lilly's car with Philippa.
"So, somehow I don't think things are going according to plan anymore, are they, ladies?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" Lilly countered.
"What are you talking about? You guys are all pally best friends now. I can't imagine you can go through with your plan to sabotage the wedding of the century," Logan explained.
"On the contrary," Philippa spoke up. "Today was perfect and now I've seen first hand what has you guys in such a tizzy. Today I saw the real Veronica Mars, and she's feisty and alive and fun. All the more reason to get to the bottom of what is really going on here. No, I'm more determined than ever. She cannot, cannot marry that man. Sorry, Lilly, no offense. I know he's your brother and all."
"No, I'd be offended if you wanted them together. Duncan's not bad per se, just wrong. Wrong for Veronica. I can't put my finger on it, but she's...trapped or something." She spoke next to Logan. "I don't know yet, but Philippa and I intend to find out with or without your help."
"No...no, I'm in. Let's stop this wedding. I don't like how he's treating her, and don't know why she's letting him. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to bring him down."
Lilly sighed and shook her head. "Why don't men ever get it?" Lilly inquired rhetorically.
"I'll never understand," Philippa answered airily.
"You two together is dangerous," Logan said, pointing his finger from one to the other. "If I wasn't so terrified right now, I'd be turned on." He paused for a moment. "Okay, I'll bite. What's wrong with my 'Take Down Duncan' plan?
"What's wrong with it is that if you take Duncan down, you'll never come out on top as the hero," Lilly schooled him.
"We have to work together to drive a wedge between them and then strategically position you to be in the right place at the right time to subtly save the day and—," Phil added.
"And to be her shoulder to cry on," Lilly finished.
"Oh god, you're finishing each other's sentences now. I've created a monster." Logan lounged in the back seat and closed his eyes for a moment. The girls had a point, but he hated being so underhanded. His usual method was to hit people where it counted—sometimes literally. He didn't want to purposefully hurt Veronica. He just hoped that the end justified the means. Logan sat up straight and then popped his head up between the girls. "Tell me what I need to do."
"I think we start with Duncan," Lilly stated.
Darn Philippa and her ability to win everyone over. Even Veronica. At least for now. I hope you liked it.
Somehow in the upload process, I seem to be losing parts of a few sentences each chapter. It's strange. I try to read them once they are posted, but I've read it so many times that I don't catch it unless I read it a few days later. If you see anything, let me know.
Thanks to kmd0107 and brit for the beta.