by Laura Ann
She quickly whipped around, her ringlets flying and jumped into her car, driving off before he could say anything else.
Finley stepped back quickly to avoid getting hit and watched her speed out of the parking lot. He whistled low under his breath. “Dang, that woman might actually be the death of me.” He frowned. “And what’s the big deal about her brothers?”
CHAPTER 6
So, should we have dinner so I can meet the family?
Goldie studied the message on her phone. “Who in the world is this?” She quickly typed a reply. I think you have the wrong number.
Nope. I’m just curious when I get to meet those brothers you warned me about.
“Well, shoot,” Goldie muttered. A couple of days had passed since she and Finley had agreed to fake date in exchange for his donation to her art exhibit. She had hoped that they wouldn’t have to see each other much, but he obviously had different ideas. “So, he wants to meet my brothers, huh? Well,” she grinned. “Let’s just see how he handles it.”
You can come over tonight. Everyone will be home.
You live with your brothers? How many do you have?
Three. Triplets. And yes, we all live together. Keeps the bills down.
TRIPLETS? Are you serious? I didn’t think that was humanly possible.
Goldie rolled her eyes. She knew triplets were rare, but they are obviously quite possible. Believe it or not, multiple babies is not a myth.
Huh. This I gotta see. What time?
Six.
Great. See you there, sweetheart.
Goldie fought the urge to send an emoji with the tongue sticking out after he sent her one with heart eyes, but she restrained herself. “We’ll just let my brothers handle him,” she giggled.
If they handle him too much you might not get any more of those amazing kisses.
At the thought of their kiss, Goldie felt her fingers float up and touch her lips. The kiss had been an amazing contradiction. How could such a soft touch cause such a foundation-shaking result? Sensations she had never felt before had rocked her to the core and a part of her wanted to see if it would happen again.
Goldie scowled and shoved the feelings aside. “His pretty face and swoony kisses do not make him any less of a jerk,” she muttered. She took a vicious bite of her apple as she tried to bring her mind back to more important matters. What in the world should I fix for dinner tonight?
A few hours later, Goldie rushed into her house. Throwing her supplies bag in her room, she began rummaging through the cabinets to see what was available. Spaghetti? I can’t cook someone like Finley Gruffman spaghetti! He probably eats caviar every night!
Goldie groaned and hung her head. “Absolutely not, Goldie Locke,” she scolded herself. “You will not worry about impressing that man and you will certainly not cater to his every whim. If he’s too good for plain, comforting spaghetti, then he’s too good for you.” With a grunt, she began grabbing things out of the cupboards.
“Who’s too good for your?” Harlan bellowed from the entry to the kitchen.
Goldie gasped and spun around, holding a box of pasta to her chest. “Har! What the heck? You scared the pajeebies out of me.”
Harlan raised his eyebrows. “What the heck are pajeebies? Sounds dangerous.”
Goldie mock scowled at him and turned back to her work, ignoring his original question.
“Who were you talking about, Golds?”
“No one.”
“Liar.”
Goldie rolled her eyes and turned around again. “I was talking to myself, Har. It was no big deal.”
Harlan narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak.
“We have a guest coming for dinner by the way, make sure you three are on your best behavior,” she warned as she turned back to the stove.
“Who?” Ridge chimed in as he walked into the kitchen.
“A... friend,” Goldie hedged.
“What kind of friend?” Sawyer added from the family room.
Good grief. “It’s nothing special. You’ll just have to wait to meet him yourself.” She put the water on to boil.
“A ‘he’ huh? Gentlemen, I do believe we have ourselves a candidate,” Harlan said with a grin.
Goldie spun around, noticing that all three brothers were standing together with overly confident grins on their faces. “What are you talking about? A candidate?”
Ridge raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his muscular chest. “A candidate for your heart. But don’t worry. We’ll be sure to vet him thoroughly.”
Goldie’s eyes widened. I can just imagine what they plan to vet him with. “Uh, no. I don’t think so. There will be no vetting, this guy isn’t a candidate for my heart, he’s just coming to dinner. So leave it be.”
The brothers looked at each other then back at her.
Ugh. I hate it when they do that triplet thing. I can never tell what they’re thinking.
“Sure thing, Small Pint, we’ll make sure he leaves here in one piece.” Sawyer grinned mischievously. “No biggie at all.”
Goldie glared and shook her wooden spoon at the men. “I mean it. You guys need to leave him alone. He’s definitely not someone you want to mess with.”
Three sets of eyebrows shot up, followed by three identical grins. “Oooh, the challenge is on now, boys!” Sawyer whooped. “Let the games begin!”
The men all laughed and slapped each other on their shoulders as they walked back into the family room.
“Well, that didn’t work.” Goldie sighed, long and loud, then shrugged. “Guess we’ll just have to see how Finley holds up.”
FINLEY BOUNDED UP THE steps of the front porch. Slow down, man. You’re way to wound up. I’m just curious about actually seeing a set of triplets. That’s all. He lied to himself.
Ever since he and Goldie had shared that kiss to convince Victoria of their relationship, Finley’s head had been in a spin. He couldn’t seem to get the feel or taste of Goldie out of his mind. Nothing in his life had ever felt so right, so- perfect- as holding her and kissing her had.
With a firm shake of his head, Finley shook the thoughts away and rang the doorbell. “I’m just curious about her brothers. This has nothing to do with Goldie,” he muttered to himself.
A scowling man, with dark, buzzed hair answered the door. “Can I help you?”
Fin was taken aback and fumbled with his words for a moment. “Uh, I’m here to see Goldie?”
The man looked him up and down, widened his stance and folded his arms over his chest. “And just who might you be?”
Finley physically felt himself slip into his business persona. Raising one eyebrow cooly, he refused to be cowed by the guy in front of him. “Finley Gruffman. And you are?”
Finley caught a slight widening of the man’s eyes before they were schooled back into his stoic facade.
Good. He knows who I am.
“He’s here, boys!” The man called over his shoulder.
Finley narrowed his eyes and folded his arms as he waited to see what was happening next.
Two other men, obviously related joined the first at the door.
“Huh,” Finley huffed. “Triplets. The squirt was right. I thought you guys were a myth.”
The brothers all looked at each other as if they were silently communicating with each other.
“So...” Finley’s eyes darted from one brother to the other. “Can you really talk to each other, like in a secret language?” His lips twitched in a smirk. The men before him were big and muscular, but Finley was bigger. By several inches and several pounds. It would probably take all three of them to take me down.
The triplets stared at him as if they didn’t know what to make of him. Before they could come to a conclusion, a feminine voice burst on to the scene.
“What are you three doing?” Goldie began shoving her way through her brothers, pushing them away from the door. “I told you guys to be on your best behavior. Now move it! Let him in, he was invited to be here.
”
Reluctantly, the three men stepped back, but only slightly. Finley would either have to hold his breath to get past them, or he would have to move them aside to get inside.
“Ignore these bozos and come on in,” Goldie said with an exasperated huff.
Fin contained his smirk and worked his way into the house. He had never been more grateful for his build than he was that night. A couple of the brothers tried to hold their footing, but their six foot frames just weren’t quite enough against his six-foot-five bulk and they gave way as he came in.
Goldie shook her head and rolled her eyes again, muttering under her breath about male machismo.
“I did warn you,” Goldie said to Finley as he followed her to the dining room.
“Yes, you did. But a few more details would have been nice.” He glanced over his shoulder to see her brothers following them.
“Food is hot, better grab it now,” Goldie called over her shoulder. She showed Finley a place at the table and told him to have a seat before heading into the kitchen.
Finley followed her.
“You can sit down,” Goldie said as she grabbed the salad bowl. “I’m just going to bring in the food.”
Finley took the bowl from her. “Despite what the media says or what you might personally think, my mother worked hard to instill my brothers and I with manners. What else needs to go in?” He asked, looking around the kitchen.
Goldie’s jaw dropped into an ‘O’ shape and Finley had to clench his jaw not to kiss those pink lips.
“Well, I will admit, I didn’t see that coming.” Goldie smiled for the first time since he had gotten there. “Thank you,” she said softly. “If you’ll take in the salad, I‘ll dish up the rest of the meal and we can bring it to the table.”
Finley nodded and walked through the doorway. Three sets of eyes watched his every move as he set down the bowl and returned to the kitchen. Finley bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. It was obvious the brothers didn’t know what to make of him and Fin hoped to keep it that way.
Once they were all settled at the table and all the food was dished onto plates, Goldie broke the silence.
“I’m sure you’re used to much fancier fare, Mr. Gruffman, but around here we’re a little more into comfort food,” Goldie said off-handedly.
Finley shrugged. “Most nights I fend for myself, so this is great. Thank you.”
“So...” One of the brothers finally spoke. “Just where did you meet our little, half pint, here?”
Finley grinned and looked at Goldie, who was glaring at her brother. “Half Pint? I hadn’t thought of that one.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Goldie said with a scowl.
Finley turned back toward the brother who had spoken. “I’m sorry. Before I answer that question, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduce. I’m Finley Gruffman. And you are?”
The brother snorted, but answered. “Harlan. And this is Sawyer and Ridge.” He indicated the other two in turn.
“Nice to meet you,” Finley said with a head nod.
“Sure, it is,” Harlan drawled sarcastically. “But now, back to my original question. How did you meet our sister?”
“I met her at an engagement party,” Finley said as he took a bite of bread.
“It wasn’t yours was it?” Ridge growled.
“Uh, no. It was my brother Quentin’s. Surely, you’ve heard about his recent engagement? To Ms. Willow White? It was all over the newspaper, not to mention my brother Brody’s marriage last summer. He also married a colleague of your sister’s here. Tia Frogg.”
“So... what? You just thought you needed another teacher to round out the family?” Sawyer asked with a smirk.
“Sawyer!” Goldie yelled. “That was completely uncalled for. Mr. Gruffman has been answering your questions, there’s no need to be so rude. He didn’t come here to be interrogated, he came for dinner.” Goldie’s shoulders dropped. “And you guys wonder why I don’t date. Seriously.”
To their credit, the brothers all looked down, appearing chastened at her words.
“Speaking of which, your sister and I are dating,” Finley said calmly after he finished chewing.
Those three bowed heads shot up and Finley had to fight not to laugh. Chaos broke out over the table as the brothers all yelled and shot accusations around the room. Goldie dropped her head into her hands, groaning. Finley smiled as he chewed and watched the action.
CHAPTER 7
Finley grinned at Goldie. “I understand why you’re so fiery.” He looked around at the yelling brothers. “You’d have to be in order to survive.”
Goldie frowned. “I’m not fiery.” She tossed her head of curls. “I’m an artist. I’m passionate.”
Finley’s grin turned into a full-blown smile as he leaned into her space. “Yes, I know. I saw that the other day.” His eyes dropped to her lips and back up.
Goldie felt a hot blush on her cheeks. She leaned closer to keep her brothers from hearing. “If you bring that up, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Finley’s eyes sparkled. “I don’t think they can hurt me. I’m quite a bit bigger than them.”
“Yeah, but there are three against one here. Not to mention, my brothers are all military trained. They know moves you’ve never even heard of.”
Goldie stopped talking when she realized the room had gone deathly quiet. Finley must have had the same revelation because they both turned to look at the triplets at the same time.
Harlan was watching them with a suspicious slant to his head, while Ridge was sitting back in his seat with his arms folded and a scowl on his face. Sawyer looked stunned, as if he couldn’t quite figure out what was going on in front of him.
“The food is getting cold,” Goldie stated. Picking up her fork, she cleared her throat and tried to go back to eating, hoping everyone would follow her example. The pasta sat in her stomach like a lead balloon. I can’t believe how crazy everyone is being. I know they’re overprotective, and don’t know my relationship with Finley is fake but seriously, do they expect me to never date or get married?
“This is delicious, thank you for the meal,” Finley said in to the awkward quiet.
“You’re welcome,” Goldie whispered with a grateful smile. At least someone is trying to get along. And it’s actually the rich, spoiled player. Go figure.
“So...” Harlan cleared his throat before picking up his water glass. “Tell us about what you do, Mr. Gruffman.”
Finley’s eyebrows shot up. “Call me Finley, or Fin. Mr. Gruffman was my father and is now my oldest brother.” He shrugged. “I’ve never answered well to it. Too formal.”
Harlan nodded. “Fine. Finley. Obviously, all of us here,” he waved his fork around the table, “have heard of you and your brothers. I’m pretty sure you’re one of the most famous and probably wealthiest families in town.”
“Harlan...” Goldie warned.
He waved her off. “If you’re going to bring home men to date then it’s only fair that I get to know them.”
Finley put up his hand. “It’s all right, Goldie. All’s fair in love and war.” He grinned, folded his arms and leaned back in his seat.
“Are you going to answer the question?” Harlan raised a brow.
“My brothers and I run Gruffman, Inc., a company my father started. We are investors. Sometimes we buy out companies and revamp them, sometimes we loan money for startups and other business ventures.”
Harlan nodded. “I would guess that with your assets, you can have pretty much any woman you want. In fact, you have a reputation for having several women at the same time.”
“Har!” Goldie gasped. I can’t believe this. What is he trying to prove?
Finley stayed relaxed in his chair, but his muscles were tightly coiled and Goldie worried he would snap at any moment. “While I will admit that I have had access to many women, I would advise you to not believe everything you hear in the media. They love a juicy story
, true or not.”
Harlan nodded. “Fair enough.” He leaned his elbows on the table. “Then tell me, what is a man like you doing with someone like my sister?”
Goldie’s jaw dropped and tears sprang to her eyes from the sting of the insult. He doesn’t think I’m good enough for someone like Finley.
Finley narrowed his eyes. “I am fully aware I’m not good enough for your sister, but have you ever considered that that’s why I’m attracted to her? Aren’t we all drawn to things that make us better?”
Goldie’s eyes widened and her head swiveled back and forth between Harlan and Finley. She had taken Harlan’s comment completely different than Finley did.
Harlan sat back and a small smile played on his lips. “Very good. Most men would take that question the other way.”
“Then they wouldn’t be the right man for your sister,” Finley said cooly.
“And you are?”
“Only time will tell, I suppose,” Finley hedged.
Goldie’s mind spun and she rubbed her temples. I can’t keep up with this. I thought we were fake dating just to keep Victoria off his back. Now, he’s saying things like I’m too good for him and that he might be the right man for me. How much of those words are lies? I don’t think I can do this. Goldie put her head up, “I’m sorry, I need to say something,” she began.
Before she could say more, Finley grabbed her hand, causing her little speech to disappear.
“Take a walk with me?” He asked.
“What?”
“It’s a lovely evening, I’m extremely full from your delicious meal and could use a little movement. Walk with me?” He widened his eyes and batted his eyelashes at her.
Goldie bit her lip to stifle a giggle as she watched him make puppy eyes. “If you will stop trying to flirt like that, then yes, I will walk with you. But good heavens, men shouldn’t bat their eyelashes.”
Chuckles resounded around the table, followed by a groan when Goldie announced that her brothers would be expected to do the dishes while she was gone.
Goldie led Finley out the door with a stiff back and chin held high. I’m not sure what he wants. Obviously, he was trying to stop me from telling everyone the truth, but why does it matter?