She giggled. “That is almost verbatim what Brandon used to say.”
Which was the moment he realized she’d mentioned Brandon several times now, and he didn’t have any understanding at all of what Brandon was to her. Had they been dating? Friends? Was Brandon interested in her?
Shit. What if his brother wanted Lori?
He couldn’t—
“It’s also one thing my fiancé hated about me,” she said and sighed, taking a long swig of the beer. “Obviously, he became my ex.” Her smile was tight. “But because he became my ex, I also got to meet your brother.”
Logan’s gut tightened. “Oh. Did you two—”
“No.” She shook her head. “God no.”
Now his gut tightened for a different reason. His brother may not be the most built or outgoing guy in the world, but he was good and smart and—
“Brandon’s girlfriend Cassie is absolutely perfect for him. In fact, things got so serious right before he moved that I went from having two buddies most weeknights to no buddies.” Her lip stuck out. “Both of my best friends moved to Germany. Brandon for work. Cassie because she decided—rightfully—she couldn’t be without Brandon for a year.”
“I—Cassie?”
She frowned. “You didn’t know your brother had a girlfriend?”
More tightening. And who was the asshole now?
“No,” he said. “Brandon never said anything.”
“Hmm.”
Familiar guilt reared its head. “Not his fault,” Logan said. “I’ve been . . . out of contact for a lot of the last year.”
Lori set her beer down. “What does that mean?”
He sighed. “I was in the military. Last year, I was in an accident. An IED went off near—”
She gasped. “Oh my God. Are you okay?” She patted his arm, pulled back. “Of course, you’re okay. I’m sorry. I—”
Logan covered her hand with his. “I’m fine. I had some friends who aren’t.”
Her eyes dropped to her lap, but not before he saw them fill with moisture. “I’m sorry. That’s horrible.”
“It is,” he said. “It’s our job. It’s part of the risk we accept, but it is also really hard to lose people you consider family.” He sucked in a breath, released it slowly, tucking those memories back down. “I was hurt, and it took me some time to recover in Germany.”
She nodded. “So, that’s why he applied for the job.”
“Brandon?” Another nod. “Yeah, I think so. We just didn’t think by the time his German visa was processed that I’d be home. I think we overlapped for all of a week and most of that was filled with my appointments and debriefings.”
“Cassie didn’t leave to join him until a few days ago. I’m guessing that’s why—” He nodded as Lori did that nose-wrinkling thing that was absolutely adorable. “I wonder why he didn’t tell me about you, though.”
“My fault,” Logan admitted. “I didn’t want anyone outside our family to know. Stupid, but”—he sighed—“it felt like my whole life had been determined by the military and then suddenly I was injured and forced to be discharged. I didn’t want to be someone’s pity case of a brother. I just wanted to be left alone and—”
She tugged her hand back. “And now I’m forcing you to rehash it.”
“No,” he said. “The psychologists did that. My parents and Brandon did it. I’m in a better place than I was six months ago, but I still definitely feel like my life has taken a sharp left I hadn’t prepared for.”
“Did you always want to be a soldier?”
He nodded. “Joined the army straight out of high school. Been in ever since.” A sigh. “Thought I’d retire in uniform.”
“I’m sorry.”