by Stacy Eaton
As I headed back to my house, I tried to mentally bring up my schedule for the next few days to see if I had time to pop over to the café and see her. It didn’t look like I would, so it was sadly going to have to wait until later this week.
Chapter 7
Finley
I woke up with a headache, but it wasn’t from the beers that I’d had at the bar last night. My suffering was from the two more that I’d consumed when I’d returned home, and the two shots of tequila that I’d thrown back when the beer just wasn’t cutting it.
After Roan had left me on the side of the road catching flies with my mouth, I had become a little angry. I was pissed at him and frustrated with myself for allowing him to claim any space in my head in the first place. Gah! I wanted brain bleach to clear all the images of him from the tavern and to cleanse away the memory of that kiss.
Oh, god, that kiss. I was probably ruined for any other man. No one would ever be able to compare to that, but then again, maybe it was the alcohol that had amplified the feelings and emotions—especially since I had known that he was off limits and that I shouldn’t be kissing him in the first place. Didn’t they say that forbidden fruit tasted the sweetest? Why did I have to have a sweet tooth?
I sat on the side of my bed and hung my head. I was a terrible person—but what had he said last night? Don’t believe everything you hear, or assume everything that you see? I couldn’t remember, but I sure as hell remembered that he’d said something about me not thinking much of him for marrying Autumn.
Yeah, well, I thought even less of him now that he could so easily cheat on her. Should I say something to her? Would it be wrong for me to let her in on the fact that the man she was about to marry was going around kissing other women? No, I couldn’t do that. I didn’t know her well enough to do something like that, but maybe that was for the best.
What if she fired Heart of the Family Catering because I’d said something? It was one thing to help Robin out with business because she’d been injured—no thanks to me—but it would be totally something else if she lost one of her best clients because I hadn’t been able to keep my mouth shut.
I groaned as I headed to the shower. I totally needed to get a move on because I still had to walk to the tavern and get my car. I hadn’t even thought about that last night when I’d been brought home. It wasn’t until I had lain down last night that I remembered my car wasn’t here and I’d have to retrieve it this morning. Another reason I had a headache was because I’d lost thirty minutes of sleep. It was going to be a long day.
I rushed through getting dressed and putting on the bare minimum of makeup so I wouldn’t waste time. It wasn’t as if people cared what I looked like or that if I put makeup on it would automatically make me prettier. It was purely something I did to make myself feel better, and with this headache, nothing was going to do that except sleep. If I got up the energy later, I could apply more if I had a moment at work.
I grabbed my jacket, purse, and keys after swallowing two pills to help the ache in my head and downed a full glass of water. I’d have my coffee once I reached the café. In fact, it would be my prize for making it that far. I was pulling the door closed behind me when I stopped dead in my tracks.
In the driveway was a black Range Rover, a man behind the wheel. I wasn’t sure if I was scared or excited to see him this morning, and I pondered that as I made sure my door was locked and then slowly began to approach the car. The window lowered as I approached.
“Good morning, Finley.”
“What are you doing here, Mr. Waterman?”
“I’m here to take you to your car so you aren’t late for work.”
“Thank you, but I can walk.”
“I am quite aware that you are capable of that, but I brought you home last night, and I want to make sure you get back to your car safely. It’s still dark outside; it bothers me that you’d walk that far in the dark. Hop in, I have a busy day, and I know you need to get to work.”
“If I don’t, are you going to threaten to throw me over your shoulder again?” The thought irrationally excited me, and I wanted to smack myself.
He laughed, and my toes tingled at the sound. “No, Finley, I’m not going to do that, but I’d like to help you out—and apologize.”
I contemplated the offer, if I hadn’t had a headache, I might have told him to kiss my lily-white ass and stalked off, but as it was, it was going to be hard enough getting to work and getting things started with my brain banging around in my skull like a spoon inside a big metal pot. Besides, he said he wanted to apologize, and that intrigued me. Hearing a man apologize for anything was rare. Hearing a handsome man say he was sorry—well, hello, whipped cream with a cherry on top.
I decided to accept his offer, and as I climbed in, I noticed how both elegant and sporty the interior of his vehicle was. I also realized that it fit him perfectly. “Nice car, have you had it long?”
“No, actually, I just got this one a few weeks ago, latest model. I used to do modeling for them, so I tend to get good deals on their newest models. In fact, last week, they tried to entice me to come out of retirement and do another modeling session for them.”
“I don’t remember seeing you in any automotive pictures at the tavern.”
He laughed again as he pulled out of the driveway. “To be honest, that’s the first time I have been in there in years, so I don’t know what they still have up.”
“Obviously, they are proud of you, so why don’t you go there?”
He inhaled and released it slowly. “My late wife, Sherry,” he glanced my way quickly, “liked to eat there. Since she died, I haven’t been able to step foot in the place.”
“But you did last night.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Okay, so what was the difference?”
“I wasn’t there to eat, I guess. I was only there to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“Because we seem to have a misunderstanding between us.”
I cackled loudly. “A misunderstanding? How is it a misunderstanding that you’re getting married to Autumn in less than three weeks?”
His lips curved in a lopsided smile as he pulled into the almost-empty parking lot of the tavern. He didn’t answer until he had parked his car, and then he shifted his shoulder toward the door so he was looking at me better.
“I’m not marrying Autumn.”
“What? Are you planning on leaving her at the altar or something?” Crap, if that was the case, maybe I should say something to her. “Why else would you be planning a wedding with her unless you were marrying her?”
He reached over the console and took my hand. I wanted to pull it back, but at the same time, I wanted that itsy-bitsy amount of contact for just a few more moments. Once I stepped out of this car, I swore I would not have anything else to do with him. Yeah, okay, a little voice in my head said. That was like me saying I’d never put fresh whipped cream on my Belgian waffles—right, that was never gonna happen, a sarcastic voice echoed in my head.
“Autumn is engaged to Rye Waterman, my brother—not me.”
“Brother?”
“I have a brother. His name is Rye, and he’s engaged to Autumn. He’s the one that will be marrying that lunatic of a woman, not me.”
“Then why were you helping her?”
“Because Rye asked me to,” he sighed. “He’s traveling on business. He travels a lot, and when he’s gone, he asks me to watch out for her.”
“But you’re not engaged to her?” Did I dare hope?
“No,” he squeezed my hand, “there is no way in hell I would marry that woman. She’s nuts and way too high-maintenance for me. The woman wears me out in less than an hour.”
“How does your brother deal with it?”
“He ignores it and travels. They have dated on and off for years. She’s the one that finally pushed him into getting married. Said her clock was ticking, and he needed to stop the timer.”
I laughed
, “She really said that?”
“Yeah, could you imagine that woman with children?”
I was already shaking my head. “No way.”
We smiled at each other for a long moment and then I went to remove my hand from his grasp as he spoke again. “So are we good now? You don’t think I’m a cheating bastard anymore?”
I laughed self-consciously and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “No, I don’t. I’m sorry about that.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. It was a miscommunication.”
“Well, thank you for explaining, and for the ride.” I reached for the door, and he tugged on my hand to get me to look at him again.
“Come here,” he said as he leaned toward the console.
“Why?” I squeaked.
“Because I want to kiss you goodbye.”
My brows popped into my bangs. “Why?”
He let go of my hand and curled his fingers around the back of my neck, pulling me toward him as every nerve ending in my body became energized. “Because I really enjoyed it last night, and I want to know if it’s just as wonderful when you’re sober.”
I went to him. He was impossible to resist, and as our lips touched, I wanted to climb over the console and into his lap. I just wanted to sit on his lap and kiss him for hours.
As it was, the kiss lasted far longer than I had anticipated, and when we parted, his eyes were still closed as he sat back in his seat.
I was dying to know. “Well? Was it better or worse?”
He slowly opened his lids, and I saw the answer in the desire simmering in them. “Oh, that was even better, if that’s possible.”
“Okay,” I said, not sure what else to say.
“It’s been a long time since a kiss could turn me on, but, damn, Finley, kissing you has me harder than I’ve been in a very long time.”
My eyes popped from his face to his lap and then back. I didn’t have to stare to see the truth he revealed, it was plain as day. The urge to traverse the car console hit me even stronger.
As if he knew what I was thinking, he said huskily, “You’d better get out of the car while you can. We both have work to do.”
I nodded and clambered quickly out of his car. “Have a good day, Roan, and thank you again for the ride.”
“I’ll talk to you soon, Finley. Have a good day,” he winked as I closed the door and waved.
As I entered my car, I wondered if I was dreaming. Had any of that really happened, or was I still in bed hallucinating about Roan in my alcohol-induced sleep?
I glanced in the rearview mirror and took in my red, puffy lips that still tingled. “Holy hell, that really just happened.”
Somehow, I managed to drive to the café, park, and even unlock the back door and go in. I was standing in the kitchen when I realized that Martin was staring at me strangely, and Lucy was clapping her hands in front of my face.
“What?” I asked quickly as I glanced between the two of them. They exchanged a curious look.
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked as she returned to her pepper-cutting duty. She worked here part-time in the mornings doing prep work for our breakfast crowd.
“Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I have a little bit of a headache.”
Martin looked skeptical. “Looked like you were in a trance.”
I waved it off. “I’m fine, I just have a few things on my mind, so what’s the special this morning?”
“Frittatas. We will have a bacon and sausage frittata and a veggie-southwestern combination to choose from.”
“Okay, sounds good. Are these the same ones we had a few weeks ago?”
“Yeah, I figured if they go over as well as they did that first time, we might want to talk to Robin about adding them to the menu.”
“They were a big hit.”
Lucy set her knife down. “Speaking of Robin, how is she?”
I winced as I grabbed an apron off the shelf and began to tie it around my waist. “She goes to see the orthopedist today about her treatment. There is a chance she might need surgery.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah, if that’s the case, I’m not sure what we’re going to do.”
Martin laughed as he cracked open an egg. “That’s easy. You’re going to have to step up and do her job.”
“Why me?” I squeaked.
Martin frowned my way. “Because, first of all, you’re smart, and you could do it. Second, it was your fault she broke her ankle, so it’s only fair you help her out.”
I pursed my lips. Way to go, Martin! Pump me up and then knock me on my ass. He was right on both points, and I knew it.
Chapter 8
Roan
My fantasy of kissing Finley had nothing on the reality. She not only woke up parts of me that had long been dozing, she shattered the wall around the promise I’d made to myself years ago.
Maybe it was stupid, but when Sherry was sick, I’d sworn that I wouldn’t get involved—emotionally—with anyone else. It had been excruciating to watch her waste away in front of me, and the idea of going through that again had made me physically nauseous.
Yet I’d been alone for almost six years now, and there were things that I missed. Yeah, regular sex was one of them, but I missed the companionship. I hungered for someone to share things with, and with Wade getting ready to head off to college soon, I was wanting that connection more than ever.
Of course, seeing Chris and Robin so happy made me crave it even more. Plus, Rye was finally taking the plunge, so the ability to hang with him was going to be cut considerably—not that we hung out much now, he spent most of his time traveling, but the little we did would be filled with responsibilities to his wife and future kids.
Man, I could not imagine Rye having kids. He’d never mentioned having them. In fact, when Wade had been born, he’d refused to hold him until he was sure the kid wouldn’t break. That ended up being around the age of two when Wade used to body slam himself into everything, walls, furniture, and people. Now Wade and his uncle were close. In fact, they talked more often than we did.
I thumped my thumb on the steering wheel as I sat at a traffic light. Over that last year, I’d gone on a few dates, and the whole experience had been weird. Yeah, it had been nice to be out, but I didn’t feel a connection to any of the women. A couple of them had invited me back to their place, and I could have easily had sex with them, but that wasn’t who I was.
I’d sown my wild oats quite a bit when I’d been a model and Sherry and I had both decided to let things rest between us. We’d gotten back together two years later, and I knew then that she was the one for me.
It was kind of how I was feeling about Finley which was rather strange because I barely knew the woman. Okay, I knew more about her than she knew I did, but I didn’t really know her as a person, and she didn’t know me at all.
As I headed to Philadelphia to deal with business, I decided that was about to change. I wanted to get to know Finley, and I wanted her to know me. I had a feeling that the two of us would hit it off, and I was ready to really start living again. I just hoped that she was interested in taking the leap with me.
* * *
I’d been away from town for three days, and I couldn’t wait to get back. Wade had been staying at Matt’s house while I was gone, and I’d spoken with him a few times. He’d told me that, luckily, Robin wasn’t going to need surgery, but she had to stay off her ankle for two weeks solid. After that, she could get up and move around a little more.
I was glad that she didn’t need to have surgery, and Wade had said that Finley was at the house on and off helping her with business. He said that she’d even asked how I was which had put a huge smile on my face.
The minute I could get out of Philly, I split. I made a beeline for home and kept an eye on the clock. If I didn’t hit any traffic, I could grab a late lunch at the café, and hopefully, Finley would be working so I could ask her out.
I made great time and found myself grinning as I pulled into th
e parking lot. Just around the side of the building, her car was parked, and my excitement grew. It had been a long time since I’d asked a girl out, and I was both nervous and filled with anticipation.
When I stepped into the café, I saw her immediately, and her body language told me that she wasn’t happy. Quite the opposite, she looked a little scared as she stood on the opposite side of the counter from a man who was leaning aggressively toward her.
Those butterflies that I’d had outside flew the coop, and I felt instant anger that someone would upset her. Finley hadn’t even looked my way, and she was backed as far against the far counter as she could be, her face pale, her eyes wide.
As I came up to the counter, I took in the guy’s profile and recognized him as Howard Wallace, the guy she’d been living with before she’d moved here. Obviously, she wasn’t happy to see him, and he was causing trouble.
I went right around the counter to her, keeping my eye on the guy until I could step directly in front of him and block her.
His brown eyes jumped to mine, and he flexed his hands as if to prove he was a big man.
“Is there a problem here?” I asked.
“This is none of your business,” Wallace said. “I was talking to my girlfriend.”
“Ex-girlfriend,” Finley said softly from behind me and put her hand on my back. Just as I’d stepped in between them, I’d wondered if she would get mad at me for doing so. I figured it would be better to apologize later than to have been shut down when she really needed help and was afraid to ask.
“She’s not your girlfriend.”
“Dude, you’re not involved with this. Get the fuck outta here,” he growled.
I realized that his brown eyes were beady as if he were possibly high or drunk.
“Sorry, I’m not going anywhere, but I believe you’re leaving. The café is closing in a few minutes. If you ordered food, we’ll have it packaged to go.”