It seemed… sinister. It felt… fucked up.
Logan frowned at the thought of Cole trying to implicate Stella into the situation. Something wasn’t right. In fact, Logan was beginning to feel like Cole might be involved in this situation a whole lot more than he was letting on.
With this in mind, Logan decided that what he needed was some thinking time. And the best way he knew of doing this would be by hitting the road for a good, old-fashioned jog in the Blue Rock hills.
Logan quietly slipped out of the bed and got into his torn running t-shirt and short black running shorts.
It was time to work up a sweat and see if he could come up with a solution to this problem – a solution that involved sticking around and making good his commitment to Stella.
Logan was a Daddy know. There was no way he was going to leave his girl hanging.
And if Logan could manage to get one or two of his friends involved too, then that was even better…
The Blue Rock hills, more specifically the Deep Dive canyon, was a popular running spot for the hardened, physically fit runners and athletes in the locality.
With its punishing terrain and swelteringly hot temperatures, it wasn’t the kind of place to come for a gentle warm up run. No, this was something else. To run in the hills, you needed grit, determination, and a whole heap of cardiovascular prowess.
Fortunately for Logan, he had all these things.
As did Leo and Eddie too…
‘Fuck! That wasintense!’ Logan said, just about reaching the top of the canyon ahead of Eddie and Leo. ‘I think this means that the juices are on you…’
‘Damn it, man,’ Leo said, arriving seconds later, his breathing heavy. ‘You’re getting faster with age.’
‘That was brutality defined,’ Eddie said, making a final effort to sprint to the finish. ‘But I think we all did a good job.’
The three Daddies high-fived and took a moment to take in the surrounding from the top of the canyon. Beneath them in the distance was Blue Rock, its coastline full of cafés and boutique shops looking as pretty as ever. Behind them was the lush forest and lake-filled expanse of territory that stretched out for miles, further than the eye could see.
‘We need to arrange a camping trip,’ Logan said. ‘The sooner the better.’
Logan imagined how much fun it would be to take a camping trip with Eddie and Leo. They hadn’t done anything like that together for a long time. But a few beers around the campfire seemed like a perfect way to escape the Cole situation…
‘Guys, I need to talk about something,’ Logan said, realizing that he needed to open up to his friends. ‘I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but…’
‘No, speak, we’re here for you bro,’ Leo said, lifting his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, his six-pack glistening in the morning sun.
‘Yeah, whatever it is we’ve got your back,’ Eddie added, squatting down onto his haunches and then powering back up into an upright position. ‘Damn, I came up too fast! Maybe wearegetting too old for this.’
The men laughed.
The levity of the moment put Logan at ease.
‘Okay, so here’s the situation…’ Logan said, beginning to explain exactly what had happened on the night of the crash, how he couldn’t remember anything after blacking out, and then of course Cole’s increasingly menacing presence in his, and now Stella’s, life.
When he was through explaining the situation, Logan took a deep breath. It actually felt like a huge relief to get it off his chest. And luckily for Logan, he had two of the best friends a man could ask for…
‘You need to do what is right for you and Stella,’ Leo said. ‘If that means facing Cole, then that’s what you need to do. Whatever it takes, man.’
‘Yeah, and we’ll be here to back you up if you need it,’ Eddie added. ‘I do not like the sound of Cole at all. I’ve known people like him. If a dude acts like a snake, that usually means heisone. I think this is one problem you need to tackle sooner rather than later by the sounds of things.’
It was comforting to listen as Eddie and Leo continued to spitball some suggestions for how Cole could be dealt with.
Logan always thought of himself as someone with good problem solving skills, but listening to Leo and Eddie it was clear that in fact Logan really could benefit from sharing his problems more rather than trying to be macho by covering them up.
‘One thing though,’ Leo said. ‘I think you need to explain all of this to Stella. You can’t keep her in the dark. She’s not some naive kid. Stella’s smart. And she might even be able to help.’
‘That’s true,’ Eddie added. ‘I’ve heard actually that over at EcoPlay, Stella is in with a real shot of becoming VP. That’s not nothing. This isn’t the same Stella who you knew at college. She’s building a big reputation for herself. And with that in mind, you need to make sure that any danger from this Cole asshole is squashed ASAP.’
