Chapter 130
"Are you happy?" he asked.
"Here you go!" The waitress slid a hot plate onto the table and placed the pizza on top. "Would you like another round?" she asked, eyeing our empty glasses.
Logan held his up. "Please."
I nodded as I forced a smile. "Me, too." Then, the delicious smell of rich Italian sauce wafted toward me. "It looks delicious!"
"I told you," he said as he slid a slice of pizza onto a plate and handed it to me. "The best pizza in New York!"
"Maybe in New York, but what about Charlie Brown's Pizza?" I asked as I shook my head. "It'll have to go some in order to beat that." One corner of my lips curled into a sly smile. "I mean, how good could Garbage Pizza actually be?"
He laughed. "Well, see for yourself." He took a bite and closed his eyes, savoring the flavor. "What's all this about a pizza place in Ohio? I thought you were from Florida."
I laughed. "We stopped there once when we were on vacation passing through. I haven't tasted a pizza as good since."
"Well, take a bite of this," Logan said between bites. "You just might change your mind."
The pizza looked delicious with meatballs, sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions. It had been a while since I'd had a pizza like that. I picked up a slice and took a bite as the scent of spicy Italian sausage and cheese rushed toward me. The taste was exquisite, and I moaned involuntarily as the wonderful Italian flavors filled my mouth. "Oh my goodness! This is fabulous!"
A triumphant smile spread across Logan's face. "I told you!" He took a bite and moaned, savoring the taste. "But the question is: how does it compare to your Charlie Brown's Pizza?"
I shrugged. "I don't know," I teased. "But I think it's a good second."
"Second!" he scoffed. "Oh, come on! You have to admit that this is the best pizza in the world!"
I shrugged, enjoying the exchange. For the first time, it was like it was years ago. No suits. No contracts. No political offices. Just Logan and me. "It's fabulous, but I don't know about the best in the world."
"Oh, please!" Logan said as he took another sip of his beer.
We spent the rest of the evening eating pizza, laughing, and drinking wine and beer until I couldn't eat another bite. "I hope you don't plan on my walking back to Manhattan across the bridge." I leaned back and placed a hand on my stomach.
He shrugged. "I was thinking about it. We need to walk off what we just ate."
I picked up my glass of wine and pointed it toward him. "Don't even think about it."
Logan laughed as he finished his beer.
When the last bit of pizza was gone and the bill was paid, Logan took my hand and led me outside into the darkness.
"Man. That was good!" I said as I walked to the street beside him.
He laughed. "I told you!" he said as he raised his hand and hailed a cab.
"I'm still not saying that it was the best in the world, though," I teased.
He laughed as a cab pulled to a stop in front of us and we slid into the back. "St. George Terminal."
"Oh! The Staten Island Ferry?" the cabbie asked as he pulled away from the curb. "Good choice! It's much better than taking the bridges."
Logan nodded, as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his side. "But the best in New York?" he whispered into my ear, continuing our pizza debate.
I laughed as I nodded. "Now to that I'll concede."
He laughed triumphantly.
Suddenly, I remembered something that he had said in the restaurant. "Remember when you asked if I was happy?"
Logan nodded as he looked down at me, awaiting my answer.
"The answer is yes," I said, and then added, "but in a different way." Then, I laid my hand on his leg and looked into his eyes. "But I'm happier now."
Logan nodded as he laced his fingers with mine. "So am I."
We rode in silence the rest of the way back to our building. On the way, the thought of my car still parked at my office crossed my mind, but I had no doubt of Logan's sincerity when he had told me that he would make sure my car was in our parking garage in the morning.
"May I walk you to your door?" Logan asked as we walked into the lobby of our apartment building.
I nodded, not sure if he intended to stay or not. A moment later, the elevator opened on my floor. "Well, this is it," I said as Logan followed me to my apartment. At my door, I stopped and turned around to face him. "Thanks for tonight. I had a wonderful time."
"So did I," he said, waiting as if he wanted to say more. "I'm sorry things got so heavy tonight."
I shook my head as I forced a smile. "I'm not."
He returned the smile. "Well, sleep well," he said, and then pulled me into his arms. As his lips descended upon mine, my heart soared. It was as if no time had passed between us. For the second time tonight, there were no contracts, no power suits, no agendas, and no political offices. There was only Logan and me. Soon, he pulled back, leaving me breathless, and then gave me one last sweet kiss. "Night."
I smiled. "Night."
I watched as he walked away, and looked back over his shoulder one last time.
Inside my apartment, I slipped out of my coat, hung it up in the hall closet, and set my purse on the side table. I kicked off my shoes and then plopped down onto the couch, suddenly exhausted. I leaned back and was going to turn on the television, but then my eyes fell upon my acoustic guitar, sitting upright on a stand in the corner.
Crossing the room, I picked it up and strummed my thumb across the strings, listening to the notes sing in the silence, one by one, filling the room. I searched through my guitar case and found a pick, and then tuned my guitar. Then, I started playing around with the notes and a tune began to form. Collecting a pad of paper and a pen, I sat down and started writing. Soon, I was lost in the music, and by the middle of the night, I had written the first song that I had written in years.
