Page 108 of The Equation of Us
Hope, maybe. A tiny flickering flame of possibility.
Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon, I need to find the courage to knock on that door again.
Because the equation of us—messy, complicated, unexpected as it is—might still balance after all.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Trying Something New
Nora
I stare at the phone number I’ve just typed into my phone, my finger hovering over the call button. This is either the best idea I’ve ever had or the absolute worst.
Probably the worst.
But I’m out of better options.
I hit call before I can change my mind, pressing the phone to my ear as my heart hammers against my ribs.
One ring. Two. Three.
Just as I’m about to hang up, convinced this was a terrible mistake, someone answers.
“Hello?” The voice sounds like Dean’s, but younger, less controlled.
“Logan?” I ask, cursing the tremor in my voice. “Logan Carter?”
“Yeah?” Now there’s suspicion in his tone. “Who’s this?”
“My name is Nora Shaw. I’m—” What exactly am I to Dean now? “—I know your brother.”
A pause. “Dean’s Nora?”
The unexpected possessive makes my chest tighten. “I don’t know if I’m still his anything,” I admit. “That’s actually why I’m calling.”
“How did you get my number?”
I wince. This is the part that makes me sound like a stalker. “I may have… looked you up on the hockey team roster for your school. The contact information was in the media guide.”
“Wow. Resourceful.” He doesn’t sound angry, just surprised. “And slightly terrifying.”
A weird little chuckle escapes me.
“I know this is weird,” I say quickly. “And I completely understand if you hang up right now. But I need to talk to Dean, and I need it to be somewhere neutral. Somewhere unexpected.”
“Ah.” Understanding colors his voice. “A grand gesture type situation.”
“Something like that.” I pace my small dorm room, too nervous to sit still. “Look, I know I’m putting you in an awkward position. But Dean talks about you a lot, and I thought—”
“He talks about me?” Logan sounds surprised.
“All the time,” I say truthfully. “He’s really proud of you.”
There’s another pause, longer this time. “He’s miserable, you know.”
The simple statement hits harder than a lengthy accusation would have. “I know. I am too.”
“What happened? He won’t tell me anything.”
