“I see.”
“I don’t understand what the problem is,” Finn said, stepping closer to Emma and lowering his voice. “Do you not like Mandy?”
“No, she’s … she was always really nice to me,” Emma admitted. “It’s just that she knows.”
“She knows what?”
“She knows about my father,” Emma whispered.
“And you think she’s going to announce that to everyone for some reason?” Finn asked. “If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t. That’s not the way Mandy rolls.”
“And how does Mandy roll?” Emma asked, forcing herself to try and relax.
“Usually in a sweaty heap on the floor with my brother,” Finn said, his smile soft and flirty. “Actually, to be fair, I think they do it everywhere – not just the floor.”
Emma laughed despite herself. “You seem comfortable talking about your brother’s sex life.”
“They’re comfortable sharing it for us all to see,” Finn said, holding out his hand again. “Come on. I promise. It’s all going to be okay.”
Emma regarded the outstretched hand. This time, she reached out and took it. She needed the support – and Finn Hardy seemed more than willing to offer it every chance he could.
Finn led Emma up to the table. “Hey. Can we get two hot chocolates here?”
Mandy glanced up, shifting her gaze between Finn and Emma. “Absolutely.”
The plump brunette working behind the table with Mandy filled two cups and handed them over. “Hi, Finn.”
“Hi, Heidi,” Finn said, shooting her a small wink. “How are you today?”
“Well, I wasn’t thrilled about doing this when Mandy talked me into it,” Heidi admitted. “Then, when I found out I was going to get to look at Hardy eye candy all day, it didn’t seem so bad.”
“You always know how to look on the bright side of things,” Finn said.
Emma kept her eyes trained on Mandy. If the woman recognized her, she wasn’t acknowledging it. Emma didn’t know if she was relieved or saddened by the development. She thought about saying something to the clerk, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject.
Finn took the decision out of her hands. “You remember Emma, right?”
“I do,” Mandy said. “It’s really good to see you.”
“You, too,” Emma said, her mind wandering back her father’s trial and the young woman who insisted on sharing her lunch with a destitute teenager every day. “It’s really good to see you.”
“I thought you went with Grady and James,” Mandy said to Finn. “Did something prettier grab your attention?”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a total pain in the ass?”
Emma didn’t like Finn’s tone.
“You tell me every day,” Mandy said, reaching out and chucking Finn under the chin. “Your brothers do, too.”
“Well, as long as you’re happy with your lot in life.”
Emma realized they were teasing each other. They were comfortable together, like family. She and her brother had been that way before … well, before everything in the Pritchard house fell apart.
“Oh, no,” Heidi whined. “Does this mean you’re off the market, too? I’m crushed.”
Emma realized that Finn’s cheeks were bright red – and she didn’t think it was completely due to the cold.
“You’re embarrassing him, Heidi,” Mandy chided. “He’s still trying to put the moves on her. He doesn’t want you to ruin his game.”
“If I didn’t think my brother would beat my ass, I’d be drowning you in a snow bank right about now,” Finn grumbled.
“Well, the easy way out of that is to take Emma and your hot chocolate and go for a nice walk together,” Mandy suggested. “Alone.”
Finn shook his head ruefully. “While I don’t want to give in to your machinations, I do want to get away from you.”
Finn tightened his grip on Emma’s hand and dragged her away, casting a woeful glance over his shoulder one last time. Once they were away from the crowd, Finn shot Emma an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said. “Mandy is a world-class meddler.”
“She’s really nice,” Emma said, her voice low. “She was really nice to me during my dad’s trial. She was the only one nice to me, in fact.”
“How?” Finn asked, feigning ignorance.
“She realized I wasn’t eating lunch every day, so she started sharing her lunch with me,” Emma said. “She started showing up with a breakfast sandwich and a juice for me every morning, too. I tried to tell her no at first but … .”
“Yeah, she’s not very good with the word no,” Finn said. “Just ask my brother.”
“How long have they been together? Your brother and her, I mean.”
“About seven months now,” Finn said.
“But you all knew each other as kids?”
“James was too old for her when we were kids,” Finn said. “He could have been arrested if he was interested in her back then. It’s all good now, though.”
“And you like her, right? Even though you pretend to be angry with her, you still like her,” Emma said.
“Oh, I’m really angry with her,” Finn said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t love her, too.”
Emma nodded knowingly. “It’s nice that you have people like that in your life.”
Finn opened his mouth, unsure how to proceed. “You don’t have to be alone, you know.”
“How so?”
“Well, you could let me take you out to dinner,” Finn suggested. “Then you definitely wouldn’t be alone tonight.”
Part of Emma wanted to say yes. Part of her wanted to bask in his warmth – and that easy smile – and pretend that she was a normal person, even if it was only for one night. That just wasn’t an option for her.
“Thanks for the offer,” she said, finishing off her cup of hot chocolate. “I’m not really dating right now. Thanks for the hot chocolate. It hit the spot. I should really get back and finish up my shift.”
Finn reluctantly let go of her hand, sadly watching her retreating back as she plodded across the snow-covered road. He’d crashed and burned. Again.
Nine
Mandy saw Emma walk away from Finn and return to the Aspen display. Finn was watching her leave, his face sad and wistful. She was so busy watching Finn, she didn’t notice that James had returned.
“How’s my little snow bunny?”
Mandy jerked her head up, focusing on her beautiful boyfriend. He had a knit cap pulled over his ears – and the reddish tint to his cheeks made his handsome face so appealing it was almost criminal. “I’m good,” Mandy said. “Your brother just got shot down by Emma, though.”
James glanced over his shoulder. “What do you want me to do about it?”
“Did I say you have to do anything?”
“No,” James said. “Let’s just say I know that look on your face. You’re about to meddle.”
“That’s an ugly thing to say.”
James leaned his head down, brushing his cold nose against Mandy’s. “What’s in it for me?”
“Oh, you two are so cute I could just puke,” Heidi said, nudging Mandy with her hips. “Can you hand me one of those bags?”
Mandy rolled her eyes, grabbing three bags and shoving them in Heidi’s direction. She wanted a few minutes to manipulate James to her way of thinking.
“What do you want?”
“Is this a trick?” James asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Nope. It’s a genuine offer.”
James tilted his head to the side, considering. “Can we play lost woman in the avalanche when we get home? I want to be a Mountie.”
Mandy smirked. “I have no idea what that is, but I’m game.”
“Okay,” James said, brushing a quick kiss against her lips before straightening up. “Now, what do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know, go and cheer him up,” Mandy said.
“How? I can�
�t give him what he really wants.”
“No,” Mandy said. “You can take his mind off of his troubles, though.”
James thought about it a second, his face breaking out into an evil grin. “I have an idea.”
“I figured you would.”
FINN was still standing off to the side, lost in thought, when a snowball plowed into his jaw. Since his mood was already dark, he looked around for someone to beat – expecting to find one of his brothers as he wiped the wet slush from his face.
It wasn’t James or Grady standing there watching him. It was a small boy with bright, green eyes, and an impish grin. All of Finn’s anger dissipated. “Did you throw that snowball?”
The kid’s smile faded. “That guy told me to.”
Finn looked in the direction the boy was pointing, finding James doubled over with laughter. Grady was standing a few feet behind him smiling widely.
“Did he now?”
The boy nodded, his lower lip trembling. Finn knelt down, motioning for the boy to come closer. The boy seemed nervous, but he took a few steps forward.
“What’s your name?” Finn asked.
“Ethan.”
“Well, Ethan, do you want to help me get my brother back?”
“You’re not mad?”
“Nope. I’ll only be mad if you’re not on my team. With an arm like that, we can’t lose.”
The smile was back. “Cool. Can my brother play, too?”
“Get everyone,” Finn said. “Because we’re going to take them down.”
James and Grady must have realized their predicament, because they were running before the mob of kids – all armed with snowballs and squeals of delight – started chasing them.
EMMA watched the snowball fight progress with undisguised glee. When you grow up without money, you have to find cheap ways to amuse yourself when you’re a kid. Snowball fights had been a particular favorite in the Pritchard house.
James and Grady were at a distinct disadvantage. They’d been pelted with so many snowballs, Emma had lost count. Finn seemed to be enjoying serving as general to his little army. And, while most of the parents opted to stay out of the melee, a few of the fathers joined in.
The joy on the street was palpable.
Well, to almost everyone.
“This is so immature,” said Gwen, one of the other Aspen models. “Although, I have to say, those guys who started the fight are pretty hot.”
Emma nodded noncommittally. “I guess.”
Gwen pushed her lips out so she could apply some gloss. “Maybe I should join them.”
“Which one do you like?” Emma asked, making a silent wish that she wouldn’t say Finn.
“I like the one in the hat,” Gwen said. “I think he’s going to be my date for the night. I bet he looks good when you strip all those clothes off him.”
Emma frowned. “I think he has a girlfriend.”
Gwen was haughty. “I don’t think any bargain-basement girlfriend is going to be a match for me.”
“Well then, why don’t you go and get him,” Emma challenged, hoping against hope that James really was as loyal to his girlfriend as Finn suggested.
MANDY had avoided getting hit by a snowball for more than a half hour. She knew her luck wouldn’t hold out forever.
When the assault finally came, it was Finn leading the charge.
Four small children popped up on the other side of the table and pelted her with a barrage of hits. Heidi squealed, ducking. Mandy didn’t bother, wiping her face and pointing at Finn threateningly. “You’re dead.”
“Come and get me, blondie,” Finn sang out.
Mandy jumped over the table, running out into the melee. She scooped up a pile of snow, packing it tight. She launched it at a guffawing Finn, who didn’t have time to duck.
“I forgot how good you were in a snowball fight,” Finn lamented, rubbing the side of his head.
“You guys taught me,” Mandy reminded him. “At your house it was either learn or get learnt.”
“I remember.”
Mandy scooped up some more snow. “Either admit defeat or get it again.”
Finn held up his hands in mock surrender. “Never.” He launched himself at her, tackling her into a nearby snowdrift where he could shovel piles of white fluff on her to his heart’s content.
JAMES saw Finn’s bodily assault on Mandy, but he was too far away to come to her aid.
“He’s got your girl, man,” Grady said, resting against a building so he could catch his breath. “What are you going to do?”
“She can take care of herself,” James said. “He’ll be the one crying when she’s done.”
“You’re not going to save her?” Grady asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Did you forget who taught her how to throw a snowball?”
Grady smiled at the memory. “Yeah, that was fun. She and Ally started it and you and I finished it.”
Grady jerked his head up when he heard a familiar scream. He couldn’t hide his smile when he realized that Sophie – her notebook still clutched in her hand – had also been dragged into the fight.
Finn’s small army was hitting her from every direction.
“Are you going to go and help her?”
Grady shrugged ruefully. “She’s not as tough when it comes to these sort of things as Mandy. She’s softer.”
“You just want to be her hero,” James grunted. “You’re so predictable.”
“You don’t want to be Mandy’s hero?”
“She’s already promised to play a game with me later,” James said. “I’ll be her hero then.”
“You’re sick.”
“You don’t even know what game I’m talking about.”
“Whatever it is, it’s sick and dirty,” Grady said. “Tell me about it later. I might want to try it myself.”
Grady ducked, a snowball barely missing him, and then he tucked his head down as he raced toward Sophie. He pulled up short when he realized that she was the one on the attack now, chasing two small, giggling girls with huge mounds of snow.
“Oh, it’s too late to run and hide now,” she said. “I’m coming to get you.”
James turned back to the task at hand. Mandy had managed to shift her weight and use her booted foot as leverage, tossing Finn to the side like he was a rag doll. See, she was fine.
James stiffened when he felt a body move in next to him. He turned, expecting to see one of Finn’s tiny minions about to douse him with a mountain of white fluff. Instead, he discovered one of the Aspen models.
“Hi.”
“Um, hi,” James said. “Are you joining our team or something?”
“What kind of team are we talking about?” The woman extended her hand. “I’m Gwen by the way.”
James realized what was happening. Who tries picking up a guy in the middle of a snowball fight?
James ignored her proffered greeting. “I’m James.” He purposely focused his attention back on the fight, hoping she would take the hint.
“So, do you want to knock this kid stuff off and buy me a drink? I can think of better ways to spend an afternoon,” Gwen said.
“It’s a nice offer,” James hedged. “I’m spoken for, though.”
“And where is your girlfriend?” Gwen asked pointedly. “I certainly don’t see her.”
James extended his gloved finger. “Over there, rolling around in the snow with my brother.”
“You must be awfully secure,” Gwen said. “Or are you just disinterested?”
James scowled at the pointed jab. He may be the one mired in a snowball fight, but she was the one who needed to realize that this wasn’t high school anymore. “I’m a little busy here. You can either join in or … go away. I don’t care which.”
The look on Gwen’s face was priceless. “Are you playing hard to get?”
“No,” James said, shaking his head. “I’m just impossible for you to get.”
Gwen ran her hand up James’ arm. “I thi
nk you’re just playing a game with me.”
James opened his mouth to argue, but the snowball slamming into Gwen’s head stopped him cold. He looked over to find that Mandy was on her feet – and she was the one who had launched the slush grenade.
He swallowed the mad urge to laugh.
“Who threw that?” Gwen asked, incensed.
“That would be my little snow bunny,” James said, moving away from her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and give her a good roll in the snow.”
Ten
After the snowball fight wound down, James suggested everyone go to a local restaurant for dinner and a few drinks. Finn’s attention was focused on Emma, who was packing up about a hundred yards away, so he didn’t initially hear the question.
James poked him in the ribs. “Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, whatever,” Finn said. “I’m ready to go home.”
James sighed. “Let’s get dinner.”
“Oh, dinner,” Finn said. “That actually sounds good.”
“What are you in the mood for?” James asked.
“I’m easy.”
“That’s what I’ve heard,” James teased.
“Uh-huh,” Finn said, clearly distracted. “Maybe I should go and invite Emma?”
“If you want,” James said.
Mandy was the one who stopped him. “Why don’t you let me invite her?”
Finn narrowed his eyes, regarding Mandy curiously. “Why do you want to invite her?”
“Because if I invite her, it won’t seem like a date,” Mandy said.
“And you think she doesn’t want to date me,” Finn said, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. “That’s what you’re saying.”
“Actually, I think she is interested in you,” Mandy replied. “I just don’t think she wants to be interested in you.”
“How is that different?”
“It’s a woman thing,” Sophie supplied. “It’s how we keep our sanity when hot men are around.”
“Is that what you did with me?” Grady asked.
“No,” Sophie said, rolling her eyes in Mandy’s direction – a silent message passing between them. “Of course not.”
“I knew it!”
James stifled a grin. “Why don’t you go and invite her, baby. We’ll meet you at Charlie’s Tavern. It’s nice and low key, and the food is good.”
Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3) Page 6