by Kathryn Shay
“Emerson?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s not exactly a guy in my life. We had a nice lunch, though.” She frowned. “But then afterward, Finn wasn’t very friendly to him when we discussed promoting the kitchen through local businesses.”
This time, Erin stopped. “Finn doesn’t like your new boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” She giggled a little. “Maybe someday, though. And yes, Finn was his usual grumpy self.”
“Be careful with Finn, Millie.”
Millie frowned. “I will, I promise. I’m not letting myself go back to what things were like when I was in college.”
Erin slid her arm around Millie. “That was a dark period for you.”
“But over. Honestly, it is over.”
When Millie left Erin at her house and headed back home, she tried to enjoy the sound of the birds in the trees and the sight of a bunny in the grass. But she kept thinking about Erin’s warning. Her friend had been there those few years when Millie realized she didn’t have a crush on Finn, she’d fallen in love with him.
Which was totally unrequited.
Damn it. She’d spent too much time suffering over him. He never saw her as anything more than a kid. If he knew how she felt, he’d call it a crush. So at least his unawareness helped her.
As did Erin, who’d gotten her past the addiction that was Finn Casella.
* * *
“Here, I’ll help you on.” He held out his hand.
Millie grasped Finn’s warm fingers and stepped onto the boat, which swayed with the motion. Her name was The Siren. In Greek mythology, Sirens lured men from their real lives, which was true for him and boats since Finn’s childhood. She loved that something made him happy.
“Thank you for helping me set up today.”
“No need to thank me. You’re the one who’s treating us to an ocean cruise.” He did it every year, near the end of the boating season, and Millie had attended eight of them. The store closed at two, Finn brought the staff out in a limo, and they spent about three hours cruising around the Atlantic.
He gave her the once over. “Do you need to change?”
“No.” She’d come to work in casual khaki pants, a white gauzy shirt with a hot pink T-shirt beneath it. And wore slip-on sneakers. “This is fine. I can take this shirt off if I’m hot and I brought along a sweatshirt in case it gets cold. Your clothes seem all right.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” He’d worn khakis too and a taupe overshirt to work.
Unfortunately, she’d had to be alone with him on the thirty-minute ride to the marina in his Mercedes coupe. She tried not to notice the breath of shoulders spanning the front seat, how his scent—something spicy—filled her head. Now, they had another half hour to get the boat and food ready.
“The seats and tables on the deck need to be wiped down. If you wouldn’t mind doing that, I’ll go below and make sure all the food is here.” He had it delivered by a local deli and arranged for someone from the marina on board to accept the bags.
“Sure, I don’t mind. Remember, I started out by cleaning the store.”
“That’s right. You were an excellent worker even then.”
For a minute, he studied her with those laser-focused green eyes. Then he moved closer and took her hand again. “Have I told you recently how invaluable to the store you are? And to me?”
To him? He’d never said that before. She swallowed hard. And tried to make light of it. “You gave me a very large raise.”
His fingers tightened on hers. “Millie, don’t I verbalize how I feel about you?”
God, she knew he didn’t mean the statement the way it came out, but the words still made her shiver. “Um, actually Finn, you rarely say the words.”
“Do you know how I feel, though?”
“I know how important I am to the store.”
“That’s not—”
“I’d better get to wiping the boat down,” she interrupted. “People will be here soon.”
She headed toward the bow without saying more and heard him go down below. She absolutely wouldn’t think about what just happened. How she wanted to mean something more to him. She wouldn’t go back to all that after a year of building an emotional distance from him.
With the sun on her face, she sprayed the surfaces of the thirty-one-foot boat with cleaner she found in a cabinet. There was seating for eight on the L-shaped, beige leather benches, though Finn would be at the wheel a lot of the time. He’d stop at a cove and throw down the anchor when they ate.
A half hour later, the others arrived. They got a real kick out of the fancy transportation every year. Some of them were shy, so she made a point of engaging Craig and Lorna, who religiously inventoried the books and kept the shelves stocked. And Joe Monti who cleaned the store every night.
Finn came up to the deck with two buckets filled with bottles of champagne. “Hi, guys. I’m glad you’re here.”
Greetings from them, and murmurs of thanks abounded. Finn popped the cork, poured the bubbly and when everyone had some, he lifted his glass. “To Fitzgerald’s and all the people who keep it open.”
After they enjoyed the champagne, Millie released the ropes from the dock and they set sail out in the water. Finn looked devastatingly handsome in a Captain’s hat, which he’d put on for show. Once they got moving, she’d donned a baseball cap and stuffed her long hair into it too.
They ate a fabulous meal of cold shrimp and lobster, warm croissants with brie, a variety of fruits and a couple of salads. Afterward, Erin took off her shirt and pants. She was gorgeous in a bikini. Max Pickney whistled. And Judy rolled her eyes. All three of the clerks liked each other and worked well together.
“What?” she said when Millie stared at her. “It’s mid-day and the sun’s hot, even for this time of year.”
After a few hours of more chatter and dessert and some sunbathing, they motored back to the dock and moored the boat. When the others packed up and headed to the limo, Millie went to the wheel where Finn stood. “Have fun?” he asked.
“Yeah. This was so nice. Thank you again. But, Finn, I’d like to ride—”
A gust of wind blew off her hat. Her hair went wild. She recovered it and tried to stuff the messy locks back in.
“Here, let me help.”
Oh, no, no.
Behind her, he gathered her hair in his hands. “Hmm, this is lovely.”
“It’s a pain in the neck.”
He took his time but instead of putting it in a ponytail, Dear Lord in heaven, he braided her hair. His knuckles skimmed her nape as he continued the process.
“H-how do you know how to do this?” she asked
“Hayley’s got long hair. She taught me. Do you have a tie?”
She slipped one out of her pocket.
When he finished, he grasped her arms from behind. “Will you stay and help me pack up stuff? We’ll put the leftovers in the fridge at the store.”
She pivoted around. It took every ounce of her strength to say, “I’m sorry, Finn, I can’t. But Erin offered to help with this part. She’s down below now, dealing with the food.”
He scowled. Not a frown, but a deep scowl. “Do you have plans tonight?”
“No. Grandma and Grandpa have had Scout a lot lately and I want to get home to relieve them. He can be a handful if I’m gone too long.” Which was a bald-faced lie.
She started away and he grasped her arm again. “Is something wrong, Millie?”
“No, of course not. Again, I had a great day. Thank you.”
She drew back, and his hand dropped from her arm. She had to get away from him.
* * *
“This looks wonderful, Finn.”
“My manager did the set up.”
Millie had a knack for décor and together they’d designed the book store itself when he expanded. He smiled. They’d had fun with that, and though they disagreed on certain things, there was laughter involved.
“The color of
the table’s drape accents my book cover,” Sabrina added. “How sweet.”
“Hmm.” He checked his watch. “People should be coming in soon.” One of the moveable stacks had been wheeled to the back so the space was large enough to have three rows of chairs and standing room out into the bookstore proper. “Should we wait till it’s full and announce you?”
“Let’s do that when the seats fill up.”
“All right.”
“I’ll go the ladies’ room and check my makeup.”
No need for Sabrina to refresh her face. She was perfectly groomed, and wore a deep green dress that was form-fitting and flattering.
He had a sudden flash of Millie on the boat yesterday, her hair flying all over the place, her t-shirt and beige pants casual.
Concentrate, Finn!
In ten minutes, the seats were occupied. Millie should be here by now, so he texted her to bring Sabrina out, and as the bestselling author came to the front, the group clapped. Finn waited till she reached the table.
“Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming. I present to you the First Lady of Mystery, Sabrina Knight. She’ll be signing all her books, which are displayed on the wall facing us. Her current release, The Man on the Porch, the third book in her Harvard House series, is stacked right here.”
Sabrina said, “Hello everyone. I’m happy to see so many people here. Let’s get to it.” She sat and people approached her.
He heard behind him, “I like that she talks to each patron. It takes longer, but they won’t forget what she did.”
He turned. “I—what on earth did you do to your hair?”
She fluffed out the strands that now fell in waves past her shoulders. “Grandma cut it this morning.”
He’d stutter if he said more. The auburn curls were gone, the mane of hair almost to her waist had been chopped off.
“It was time for a change.” She shifted from one foot to the other. “I like it.”
“The style’s flattering,” he finally said, recovering a bit of his poise.
“Thanks.”
He noticed she wore a dress he’d never seen, but he couldn’t ask her about it. He shouldn’t have commented on her hair because he was her boss. But, damn, her appearance stunned him.
Turning back to Sabrina’s event, Finn controlled his reaction to her by watching the people buy books. A few minutes later, the door opened. Millie brushed past him and made a bee line for the guy who entered. Emerson’s grin was wide when he saw her. He leaned in, murmured something then brushed his hand down her hair.
And Millie smiled broadly.
Well, good. She’d had boyfriends over the years but none of them stuck. Finn wondered if this one would.
Taking the guy by the hand, she led Emerson over to him. “You remember Emerson, don’t you, Finn?”
“Yes.” They shook. “Thanks for coming.”
He glanced down at his jeans with perfectly placed slits in them and a T-shirt that advertised, Feed the hungry. “I apologize for not dressing up for this occasion. I didn’t know it would be formal and came from the kitchen.”
“No worries,” Millie told him. “Some of the customers are wearing jeans.”
Finn, of course, wore a suit.
“Can you keep an eye on Sabrina?” he asked. “Judy’s getting what she needs, and restocking the table, but stay close?”
“Yeah, sure. I always do that.”
“I’ll be out in a half hour then you can take a break.”
Finn headed to the office, walked inside and sat. And sniffed. The small space smelled of perfume. Not the flowery scent she’d had on the boat, though. Something more…suggestive. For her date?
Hell of a thing to be thinking about! He called up the spread sheet on today’s sales and stared at it blindly. What was wrong with him? His mind wasn’t on this.
He kept seeing Millie, with that sexy hair that made her seem older. He missed the curls and the length. In their place were waves that looked silky. Too silky.
He went to the file cabinet, unlocked it and removed his laptop. In the breakroom, he sat at the table and opened the machine. Called up his unnamed book to Chapter Six.
But nothing came. In truth, he didn’t like Mick Gallagher much tonight. Or ever, really.
Something made him start a new file and he decided to free write.
* * *
Molly McGuire walked down the street, unaware that she was turning the heads of the men she passed. She had a place to get to and that was all that mattered.
The building came into view and she walked faster. And faster. She had to get there…
* * *
“Finn!”
He startled out of the story. Millie stood before him. “Yeah?”
“The book signing is almost over.”
“What?”
“You’ve been back here an hour and a half.”
“I have?”
Her mouth quirked up. “What were you doing on that?” She gestured to the laptop.
“Nothing that concerns you.” He closed the top abruptly, stood, went to the office, locked the machine up. And said, “Let’s go.”
He didn’t watch the sway of her hips in the silky material of her dress. He kept his gaze over her shoulders.
Sabrina signed the last of her books, then caught sight of him. She arched a perfectly shaped brow. “Finn, glad you could join us.”
“I’m sorry. I got caught up with something on the computer. I had no idea how much time had passed.”
She stood and crossed to him, the dress moving sensuously over her body. “Hmm. You can make it up to me later.”
The words were a whisper, but Millie and her boyfriend stood right next to them. Millie frowned and Emerson chuckled.
Millie turned abruptly to the alcove. “Emerson, would you help me dismantle the signing area? We can leave after that. Judy’s closing with Finn tonight.”
He thought Millie was.
“Is that all right, Finn?”
Angry at himself and her, he quipped, “Sure, rearrange the front then go and have fun, you kids!”
* * *
Miserable, Molly walked out of the building after the devastating meeting with her long-lost father. It was getting dark now, and she was in an unfamiliar part of town. She couldn’t believe what he’d said when she’d told him…
“I have a daughter?”
“Yep. Hi, Dad.” She’d joked because she wanted to throw up.
His face blanked at the word. I’m nobody’s Dad. You got it wrong, kid. Now scram…”
She’d bolted out of his apartment and down the street. Now, she heard footsteps behind her. Maybe her father had come after her. She glanced back. No, it was a bigger man, taller, catching up to her. Her heart beating fast, she crossed the street. He followed her. When she reached a group of people waiting for the light to change, she stopped and turned. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I saw someone following you. I circled around and got in between you and him. I’m trying to help.”
“Do you have ID?”
“Yeah, sure.” He took a wallet out of his back pocket.
His name was Fitz Connors and he lived in the city, not far from her. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a police officer.”
At her wary expression, he said, “I can call in my badge number and get you to listen to the conversation.”
“No, no, that’s all right. Thanks, I guess.” She noticed the people had moved away with the light change.
“Let me walk you home. You can think of it as a police escort.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please? I’ll worry if you don’t.”
“All right. You can walk me home…”
* * *
Chapter 3
* * *
The next day, Millie walked to the soup kitchen to serve food. She thought about the people who needed meals from them to live and felt guilty for squandering some of her
resources. Then she thought about Emerson. They’d gone to a jazz club last night after the signing and she enjoyed the evening. Even if she did wonder how Finn was enjoying his. In bed with Sabrina.
Despite her vow to put him out of her mind, as she walked, she daydreamed about what Finn would be like in bed. Did he talk while he made love? Did he ask his partner what she liked? Did he say what he preferred? Or was he quiet, like he was in daily life? Take his time, not say much? She was certain he’d be solicitous of his partner, and pursue his own gratification along with hers.
And what the hell? she thought as she reached the soup kitchen. Why was she doing this?
Shaking off the fantasies, she went in through the employee entrance, which was down a flight of stairs and about twenty feet away from the stove. The space smelled like cooking beef. “Hello Ruth, Helen, Jackie.”
“Hey, Millie. Good to see you.”
Emerson approached her. He was dressed pretty much like last night. Except today, his hair was pulled back in a tail and he wore a ballcap. Hair coverings were required and she’d stuffed hers under a blue scarf. “Hey, babe.”
She frowned at the language.
“So, what do you want to do today?”
“I’d like to work the floor.”
“You’re an angel.”
Working the floor was hard. Ninety-nine percent of the guests were sweet and grateful, but every day, some were not. They treated the volunteers like servants. Complained that the food was awful. And last week, one guy stood up and threw his dinner on the floor. He’d been escorted out by the bouncer, and told not to come back, but his poor server cried.
Before the meals went out, a minister who volunteered here gave a short, universal prayer, invoking God, the higher power and spirit, asking for a pleasant two hours with the guests.
After the grace, she went to stand in line for food. Today’s meal was sloppy joes with French fries and broccoli. She put sixteen plates on her cart and wheeled it out to her two tables. Someone else brought milk and behind her was the salad person. “Hello, everybody.”