Haven

"So what is he like?" Betty asked, curious, as she and Callie stood alone at the kitchen sink washing vegetables to prepare for dinner that evening.

"Curtis is...well, he is very driven when it comes to his career, because he knows he will be the one to take over the company when his father retires. I guess he is really smart, he works as hard and as often as he can, expect for the times he has dinner with family or with what he sees as his most important clients."

"What about fun? What do you to do for fun?"

"We..." Laughing, she shook her head. "Fun is not a worked that Curtis is familiar with."

"So you two don't go out?"

"We do, but mostly its work related. Curtis likes having me with him."

Nodding as she processed the information, Betty made no comment, as she didn't want to tell the girl that it was obvious she and Curtis were not a perfect match...the young man only wanted Callie at his side for the purpose of window dressing, Betty was sure and she didn't like it in the least. She felt Callie deserved better, she had come to like the girl, Callie was kind and sweet and open...everything about her was real and genuine, she couldn't have been fake if she had tried, she was simply too warm for that, an observation that Betty eagerly shared with Logan when she finally got the chance to talk to him privately about Callie.

She started the conversation off casually, mentioning that Callie had been volunteering at Haven for a month, at that point, and she was doing a remarkable job...everyone adored her, all the girl had to do was smile and she could easily win anyone over, Betty commented, before very firmly adding that Logan was the only one that seemed to have some sort of problem with Callie working at Haven.

"I don't have a problem with Ms. Nolan." He kept his attention on his desk, on whatever file he was reading as Betty set across from him.

"Really? I heard about how you reacted the day she first came here."

"I am sure you did hear about that."

"Jumped down the girl's throat before she could get a word out."

"That isn't exactly how it happened." Finally, he looked up at Betty with a frown.

"Really? So you didn't call her a spoiled brat?"

"Well, I might have..."

"And you didn't tell her to go so place where her expertise in running up Daddy's credit cards could be put to good use?"

"Yeah, I said that. I said a lot of stupid shit."

"I have to agree with you there."

"But I have been perfectly nice every since."

Snorting, Betty glared at him. "Nice? You don't even speak to the girl."

"And I am sure she doesn't mind." Closing the file on his desk, he set back in his chair, as he looked at Betty hard. "Care to tell me what this is about, Bets?" He knew when she had a topic on her mind, one she felt she needed to discuss with him and he gave her the opening she sought, knowing she would take it.

"I am worried about her, Logan."

"About Callie?" It was the first time he had used her first name.

"Yes. I am worried about this guy she is dating. I think he is wrong for her."

"Betty..." He groaned and shook his head. "This is not a dating service."

"I am well aware of that, but I..." She paused and blow out a breath and he could see, in her eyes, that she was indeed concerned and it made him curious. "I just get the feeling that Callie is vulnerable and this Curtis guy sounds wrong for her because he seems self centered and I have a bad feeling." She couldn't explain it, she only knew that her gut was telling her something and she felt she needed to share her fear with Logan.

"Look, I get that you like Callie, and despite my reaction to her, I am sure she is a decent girl, but the fact is, she is twenty three years old and she can take care of herself."

"Age has nothing to do with ones ability to take care of themselves."

"I know." More so than he cared to recall, he knew age wasn't a factor in self defense.

"I hope I am over reacting, but...I don't know. I will just keep on eye on her."

"You do that." He couldn't help but smile, Betty's big heart was a beautiful thing.

"And I guess I can rely on you to continue doing the same." She said it casually, with only a hint of a smile, as she stood and he frowned again.

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, Logan, cut the crap, baby boy, and remember who you are talking to."

"Betty..."

But she waved a dismissive hand, cutting him off. "I know you, I have eyes, and the fact is Callie is a very beautiful girl."

"What does her being beautiful have to do with anything?"

"So you do think she is beautiful?"

"Betty." Exasperated, he cursed under his breath and she laughed.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I just have to call you on it."

"On what?"

"The fact that you like her." She sounded almost smug. "I can see it, Logan."

"You are imagining things, Bets. I...if you think I have an interest in..."

"I do believe you are flustered, my dear boy."

Cursing again, he raked a hand through his hair, silently counting to ten, unable to believe she had managed to corner him. "Bets, I have no interest in Callie Nolan. I don't care what decent and good you think she is, I don't care that she is beautiful, the girl is...hell, she is a child in more ways than not and you know as well as I do that she is pampered and spoiled." Everything in her life had been handed to her...yes, she had suffered when she lost her mother and father, but that was, Logan was certain, the only pain the girl had ever known. She was an innocent, clueless as to how hard life could really be when one didn't grow up in a safe little world where bad things did not happen...he could look at her and see that she was too soft, too trusting, and too naïve for her own damn good, yet with all that knowledge combined, he couldn't deny to himself, that he was indeed drawn to her.

Stupid and foolish, he knew the attraction was best left ignored, for his sake, and for Callie, who wouldn't have any idea how to be involved with someone who didn't come from a background similar to her own. Never mind the age difference, the fact that he had lived far more than his share of lifetime experience put her out of any league he wanted to be involved it...Callie was in a class he didn't dare venture near, despite the fact that the conversation with Betty made him even more aware of the girl each time she came into a room.

She was impossible to ignore, she was too bright, too warm and welcoming and watching her do something as simple as walk across the room made him so damn hard he couldn't form a rational thought. His mind was too filled with images of Callie bent over his desk, her sweet ass in the air as he fucked her hard and fast from behind...he fought a constant battle to keep the very sexually charged thoughts from his mind, but the battle was, more often than not, a losing one, as he found his desire inflamed by the reality that Callie appeared to be just as attracted to him as he was so intensely attracted to her.

He noticed, just as Betty had, the looks she stole in his direction...more than once their eyes locked across the room was they pretended not to be aware of the other and several time he found himself tempted to see how it could play out, but he never did. For her sake as much as his, he knew Callie was a woman he needed to stay away from...she was wrong for him in every way imaginable...he had no illusions that he could fit into her world and according to Betty, she had a boyfriend that Logan got the chance to see for himself a few days after his talk with Betty.

Stepping outside for a moment, to savor the cool evening breeze, his attention was drawn instantly to the sound of Callie's voice as she and a tall man with pale blond hair stood a few feet from him, beside a fancy looking car that was completely out of place parked in front of Haven.

Callie stood with her back to him and the man she spoke to was too caught up on what he was saying to notice Logan lingering in the shadows, just outside the building, watching closely and not bothering to not listen to what was being said.

"Callie, this is simply unacceptable." The man's voice was laced with hard anger.

"You are being impossible, Curtis, and I can not talk to you when you are like this."

"What I am is pissed off and it is your fault."

"For crying out loud. I told you I volunteer here every Friday."

"I know, but you could have changed days or something, anything that would have made it possible for you to attend this dinner with me." He shook his head in obvious disgust.

"Curtis, I am sorry, but...I like working here and I have made a commitment."

"What about your commitment to me, to the fact that I need you at my side, at certain functions, to make a proper impression." He stressed each word carefully, as if he were talking to a simple minded child and listening to him, Logan instantly decided he didn't like the man.

"I am board out of my mind at these dinners. All you talk is business..."

"And all you have to do is stand at my side and look beautiful, but apparently that is a task that is too difficult for you."

"Curtis..."

But he waved a hand, dismissing anything she had to say. "Forget it. I will go alone, but this is a one time deal, Callie. I mean it. Never time, you will attend with me and I assure you, I'm just about sick of the amount of time you spend here..." He looked towards the building, clearly very disgusted by what he saw as Callie sighed and shook her head.

"I am not giving up volunteering here, Curtis."

"Once the semester is over you will have no obligation to this place."

"Once the semester is over, I intend to continue working here."

"I sincerely do not believe that will happen."

"Curtis..."

"Not now, Callie. I have to go. But we will finish this conversation."

With one final look at her, he turned and walked to his car and to Logan's delight, Callie did not make any effort to call out to him or stop him, though it was obvious by the her ridged stance that she was upset.

"Seems like a real ass."

The words were spoken before he had a chance to really considered them and with a look of surprise, Callie turned to face him as he moved away from the building, into the light cast by several nearby streets lamps.

"Logan..."

"I didn't mean to overhear. I stepped outside for a moment..."

"And Curtis and I were not whispering." She smiled despite the somber emotions that he could clearly see flaring in her eyes. "Sorry you hard to hear that, but he...well, he is upset and he can get a little vocal when things don't go his way all the time."

"There is a word for that."

"Spoiled. I know. My fault, I guess."

Tilting his head slightly, he regarded her with a serious look as she took a step towards him, her arms folded over her chest, in a vain effort to ward off the cold.

"How is his being spoiled your fault."

"Well, I tend to be at his beck and call, and when I am not, he gets upset."

"He needs to learn to deal with it, Callie, because it isn't your place to be at his beck and call and old Curtis needs to realize you have a right to do what matters to you." Guys like Curtis where, in his opinion, a dime a dozen, but he decided not to say as much in that moment as the cool night wrapped around them. "Look, I know it isn't any of my business, but I think you might want to consider your relationship with Curtis and see if it's what you really want, because it is obvious to me that you can do a hell of a lot better." The guy clearly didn't see her for the person she was, he only wanted her because he felt she looked good on his arm, and in Logan's opinion, it seemed pretty shallow. Callie had a right to more...she needed someone to respect her thoughts and her feelings and she needed a man that could and would realize that she was more than just a remarkable beauty, because she was a remarkable woman as a whole. Mind, body, and soul...she had it all...she had all any man could want, a reality that Logan found rather unsettling as he cast one last smile in her direction, before going back inside, directly to his office.

The comments Logan made rendered her near speechless, and she kept replaying his words in her mind as she went back inside, into the kitchen to help Betty, hoping she would see Logan again. But she didn't, he didn't make an appearance for the remainder of the night, he kept to his office, leaving Callie to ponder all he had said, as she went home that evening were she lay awake for hours, mentally comparing Curtis to Logan and not liking what she discovered.

The men were as different as two men could be...Curtis was self centered and spoiled and convinced the entire world revolved around his wants and his needs. He refused to give even the slightest consideration to others, while Logan did nothing but that...all that mattered to him, it seemed, was Haven and keeping it operational so he and his staff could give a helping hand to those that needed it most. He was a bit gruff, at times, there was no denying that, but Curtis could be downright rude and unfeeling...and if she were honest with herself, she had never once felt as drawn to Curtis as she was to Logan Hanson and not just on the physical level.

Of course, the fact that she was attracted to Logan meant little, it wasn't as if she had any plans to act on the attraction, feeling certain she would be turned down flat, and that, thank you, very much, was a humiliation she could live without, just as she decided that she could live without Curtis and be much happier.

The decision she, she finally fell asleep and the next day, when Curtis insisted that she take time to meet him for lunch, to discuss what he called her horrible behavior the might before, she took the chance to tell him it was over. She was done, she couldn't be at his beck and call because she wanted to have her own life, the freedom to come and go and do as she chose...she made it clear that she couldn't and wouldn't be the mindless little arm candy he needed, she had a right to more, Callie stressed, telling him she was sorry, despite the fact that she wasn't.

Naturally, Curtis did not take the news well, he didn't care for people making decisions that created a difficult situation for him...he was pissed and he told her as much, calling her every horrible name he could come up with and in the end, Callie hung up the phone in disgust.

His childish reaction only confirmed that she had made the right decision and she felt free when she went to the shelter the following afternoon and when she explained to Betty that she had called it quits with Curtis, she received a hug and an assurance that she had done the right and most reasonable thing for herself.

"He sounds like an ass." Betty said with a huff and Callie smiled.

"I take it Logan told you about the conversation he heard?"

"He mentioned it, but that only confirmed what I felt after you told me about Curtis, the first time, and I am glad you are done with him." She smiled easily, recalling how upset Logan had seemed when he had explained to her the things he had heard Curtis say to Callie. "I know you're too good for that Curtis ass, and I am sure someone better will come along really soon." Maybe, Betty mused, Callie's someone was closer than she realized...it seemed the attraction was more than just mildly mutual, the looks exchanged between Callie and Logan could have set a rain saturated forest ablaze in six second flat. The trick was getting one of them to take action...make a move that would clue the other in on what they were feeling and how great it would be if they just took a chance.

They did come from different backgrounds, there was no denying that, some would have even suspected they had nothing in common, but Betty knew better. She had a feeling Logan and Callie were more alike than they realized, they were both passionate, caring souls...they devoted themselves one hundred percent to the things that mattered most to them and despite the age difference, they were well matched maturity wise.

Convinced that they could have something great, together, Betty made certain to share with Logan the information regarding Callie having ended her relationship with Curtis and though he didn't say anything, she easily sensed that he was pleased. His eyes said it all, each time Callie's name was mentioned he got a certain look...Betty didn't call him on it, but she knew what it meant, even if he wasn't ready to face it. That was something he would have to do on his own, it would backfire, if anyone tried hard to blatantly push, but a few nudges in Callie's direction could not hurt, Betty decided, so long as she was subtle about it.

She began it simply enough, asking Callie to take their weekly inventory list to Logan, to go over the supplies they needed, knowing the task would force the two of them to sit down and have a conversation. Alone. In Logan's office with the door locked...with no distractions from the outside...it was Betty's theory that two combustible forces couldn't be in close quarters for long, without some kind of explosion finally occurring. Not even Logan and Callie could have that kind of will power...hell, he was a man after all and she was a beautiful young woman that seemed to be having an increasingly difficult time in hiding the sensual admiration in her eyes each time she looked at Logan and Betty knew he was just as on edge.

In all the years she had know him, she had never seen Logan as tense as he increasingly became aware of the way Callie looked at him...she could easily sense he was reaching a breaking point of some kind, Callie was as well, Betty was more than sure as she quietly watched the more than obvious desire build. It seemed almost tangible, it added an electric like vibe to the air, most anyone that happened into a room could feel it radiating like heat from the midday sun and even though Callie said little about her weekly meetings with Logan, Betty knew she looked forward to them with eager anticipation reflected in her manner and her dress.

Of course, she didn't have to do anything special, to attract Logan's attention, even if she did not fully realize it, she had his attention the moment she walked into a room...she kept all of his attention focused on her when she walked out of a room, looking flushed and disorientated to such a degree it took great effort on Betty's part not to laugh out loud. She had never in all her life seen two people so determined to ignore the intense pull between them...rather she had never seen a man so determined to ignore what was obvious, as Betty had already come to conclude that Callie needed only a nudge that Logan might be interested and she would jump at the slightest chance to jump him.

Logan, however, managed to keep his desire more in check, or he tried to, at least, until the unexpected moment came when his basic needs managed to over ride logic and simple reason to such a degree control went out the window during his weekly meeting with Callie.

It was well after eleven, when she finally managed to get to his office, the inventory list in hand and the instant she came into the room, as always, his body began to react...he fought not to stare at her openly, as she set across from him, her long legs incased in jeans and her full breast perfectly displayed beneath a black sweater. She looked damn near perfect, so sweet and soft and beautiful...he wanted to pull her from the chair and into his arms...he wanted to bend her over his desk and finally, completely, submerge himself in her until he could think straight again.

"That pretty much covers it." Her soft voice pulled him from his erotic things.

"Excuse me?"

"The inventory list. That covers everything."

"Right." He shook his head clear as she stood and he followed her with his eyes.