course.”
“Logan’s been edgy.” Suzi started chewing her lower lip. “I don’t think he gets along with Jason, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Oh?” Brian used the excuse of talking to her to go sit down next to her, though he kept a good foot and a half between then. He hadn’t spent as much time in the studio for the past month, but when he had stopped in, Logan seemed the same as always. Unless Suzi was in the room, too. Then he turned into a giant asshole.
Suzi shook her head. “You guys are his heroes. He was so excited when he got the call. We were still in that initial courtship dance, and he called me effervescing over the phone. ‘You’re not going to believe who just called me. He never produces anybody, and he wants to produce us . ’ I don’t think George Martin would have gotten him that excited. But now that he’s here, in the middle of it, he just seems frustrated and angry. Like it’s not quite what he thought it would be.”
“Jason is tough to work with.” Tough? Jason played an excellent asshole, too, and Brian had known him for nearly thirty years.
“Yeah, I guess. I guess I didn’t understand what a producer did. I thought it was analogous to an editor, but editors don’t contribute much at all to the creative process. At least, mine don’t. With mine, it’s more of a stretch this here, shorten that there, does the comma on your keyboard work?” She leaned back and bumped her head on another tree that had fallen behind the one she was sitting on. It had a weird pattern of peeling bark. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear all this.”
“No, it’s fine.” Brian licked his lips, wondering how deep he wanted to get. He wasn’t the world’s greatest expert on relationships, but she didn’t seem to have anyone to turn to. Unless he counted Greg. She seemed tight with Greg, especially now that Charity had gone home. The idea of her talking to Greg about this burned him, though. He wanted to be her hero. “You know what I think the problem is?”
Suzi turned sideways. “What?”
“Logan’s jealous.”
“Jealous? Logan? I’ve never seen it.”
“When you’re not there, he’s fine.”
“So you think I’m the problem?”
“Not unless you are planning to leave Logan for Jason.” Brian winced and tried to cover it by batting an imaginary fly off his face. Suzi with Jason. What fresh hell would that be?
“That’s ridiculous. Jason’s married. Even if I was leaving Logan, I wouldn’t be leaving him to steal some other woman’s husband.” Suzi shook her head. “There’s a hole in your story.”
“What’s that?”
“If he’s worried that I’m going to run away with Jason, why isn’t he worried about you? I just spent most of the last month with you.”
“And the kids.”
She shrugged and bumped her head again. “I’m clever. I could have gotten rid of the kids. Or I could have been using the kids as a reason to get close to you.”
Brian wished they weren’t in the middle of the forest having this conversation. Being lost gave his imagination too much privacy to run away. She could have been using the kids as an excuse to hang out with him. Maybe she wanted him as much as he wanted her? Or maybe he was more delusional than he thought. “I don’t know, but I’m pissed off about it. I mean, I’m threatening, too.”
Suzi laughed and peeked under the wad of moss she had pressed over her wound. He could see her putting the pieces together, but couldn’t be sure what puzzle she was working on. “Logan can’t be jealous. He didn’t act at all like that around Karl.”
“Who’s Karl?”
“My ex-boyfriend.” Suzi shrugged. “Logan was never jealous of him.”
“Because you dumped him. Karl was the past.”
“Karl dumped me.”
Brian’s mouth fell open. “He dumped you? Is he crazy?”
Suzi put her hand over her face. “See, now you’re making me blush.” When she lowered her hands, she was indeed blushing,
“Logan’s been edgy.” Suzi started chewing her lower lip. “I don’t think he gets along with Jason, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Oh?” Brian used the excuse of talking to her to go sit down next to her, though he kept a good foot and a half between then. He hadn’t spent as much time in the studio for the past month, but when he had stopped in, Logan seemed the same as always. Unless Suzi was in the room, too. Then he turned into a giant asshole.
Suzi shook her head. “You guys are his heroes. He was so excited when he got the call. We were still in that initial courtship dance, and he called me effervescing over the phone. ‘You’re not going to believe who just called me. He never produces anybody, and he wants to produce us . ’ I don’t think George Martin would have gotten him that excited. But now that he’s here, in the middle of it, he just seems frustrated and angry. Like it’s not quite what he thought it would be.”
“Jason is tough to work with.” Tough? Jason played an excellent asshole, too, and Brian had known him for nearly thirty years.
“Yeah, I guess. I guess I didn’t understand what a producer did. I thought it was analogous to an editor, but editors don’t contribute much at all to the creative process. At least, mine don’t. With mine, it’s more of a stretch this here, shorten that there, does the comma on your keyboard work?” She leaned back and bumped her head on another tree that had fallen behind the one she was sitting on. It had a weird pattern of peeling bark. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear all this.”
“No, it’s fine.” Brian licked his lips, wondering how deep he wanted to get. He wasn’t the world’s greatest expert on relationships, but she didn’t seem to have anyone to turn to. Unless he counted Greg. She seemed tight with Greg, especially now that Charity had gone home. The idea of her talking to Greg about this burned him, though. He wanted to be her hero. “You know what I think the problem is?”
Suzi turned sideways. “What?”
“Logan’s jealous.”
“Jealous? Logan? I’ve never seen it.”
“When you’re not there, he’s fine.”
“So you think I’m the problem?”
“Not unless you are planning to leave Logan for Jason.” Brian winced and tried to cover it by batting an imaginary fly off his face. Suzi with Jason. What fresh hell would that be?
“That’s ridiculous. Jason’s married. Even if I was leaving Logan, I wouldn’t be leaving him to steal some other woman’s husband.” Suzi shook her head. “There’s a hole in your story.”
“What’s that?”
“If he’s worried that I’m going to run away with Jason, why isn’t he worried about you? I just spent most of the last month with you.”
“And the kids.”
She shrugged and bumped her head again. “I’m clever. I could have gotten rid of the kids. Or I could have been using the kids as a reason to get close to you.”
Brian wished they weren’t in the middle of the forest having this conversation. Being lost gave his imagination too much privacy to run away. She could have been using the kids as an excuse to hang out with him. Maybe she wanted him as much as he wanted her? Or maybe he was more delusional than he thought. “I don’t know, but I’m pissed off about it. I mean, I’m threatening, too.”
Suzi laughed and peeked under the wad of moss she had pressed over her wound. He could see her putting the pieces together, but couldn’t be sure what puzzle she was working on. “Logan can’t be jealous. He didn’t act at all like that around Karl.”
“Who’s Karl?”
“My ex-boyfriend.” Suzi shrugged. “Logan was never jealous of him.”
“Because you dumped him. Karl was the past.”
“Karl dumped me.”
Brian’s mouth fell open. “He dumped you? Is he crazy?”
Suzi put her hand over her face. “See, now you’re making me blush.” When she lowered her hands, she was indeed blushing,
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