by Stacy Eaton
“You need some sleep.”
“I need food first, then I’ll pass out.”
Rye told me to sit down and made me a quick omelet. As I sat there, we talked about his work and discussed a few financial matters. After I’d eaten, I carried my bags upstairs and dropped them just inside my bedroom door. My eyes landed on my unmade bed.
I’d run out of here so fast that night, that I hadn’t stopped to do anything, just packed a bag, grabbed a few files, and I was gone. I undressed and showered quickly before climbing into bed. As I laid my head down, I turned it to the pillow, and I could still smell Finley’s shampoo on the pillowcase. She’d been in my bed for only a few hours, but as with my heart, she’d left an impression. I curled into the pillow, holding it close to my face, and smiled for the first time in ten days.
Chapter 27
Finley
“If that woman calls me one more time and asks me to change something, I think I might lose my mind,” I complained to Robin as I plopped on her couch.
“It’s almost over. Only four more days until the wedding, and then you won’t have to talk to her about this again.”
“I hope I never have to talk to her again.”
Robin laughed. “With your luck, you’ll end up being her sister-in-law.”
“Oh, god! No!” I whacked her with a small pillow. “Don’t you dare even suggest such a thing.”
“Why not? If things work out for you and Roan, you never know.”
“Nothing is going to happen with Roan and me, Robin. I explained that to you before.”
“Actually, you didn’t explain anything. You told me that you two had talked but decided it was better not to see each other.”
“Right.”
“I smell bullshit.”
“What?”
She shifted so she could see me a little better. “I personally know that Roan has been out of town for the last ten days, so when did you two talk? If you say over the phone, I’m going to know you’re lying because I also know that Roan never talks about anything serious over the phone.”
“Robin, I really don’t want to talk about this.”
“Why not? What’s going on, Finley?”
I picked at my cuticles. “Let’s just say that he’s not over his wife yet.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry, Finley. Damn, with the way he was looking at you the other night, I thought you two would fall into bed together and the rest would be history, like Chris and me.”
“We did fall in bed together, and it was incredible.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Because I didn’t want to talk about it. I still don’t want to talk about it, so let’s just say we had sex, and then he got all stuck in his head, and I left. Then he went away on business and it was a good thing.”
“So that’s why you’ve been so quiet lately.”
“No, actually that’s not it,” I murmured and then blew out a gust of air. “If you knew something, something big about someone, and it could screw up a lot of things, but you think they’d want to know,” I paused, “or maybe you’re not sure if they’d want to know, but you’d want to know, do you tell them?”
Her eyes were wide as she stared at me, “What the hell did you just say?”
“Follow along here, Robin. If you knew something, a secret that you’re not supposed to know, and you knew that it could hurt someone else, would you tell that person so that they weren’t hurt more later?”
“Is this about me?”
“No, it’s not about you or Chris. This has to do with someone else. I overheard something at the event we catered last week, and it’s been on my mind every minute since. I’m not sure if I should tell this person or not.”
“Is it illegal?”
“No, immoral.”
“What is it?”
“Robin, I’d love to tell you, but I don’t want you to have this on your conscience either. I’m having a hard enough time on my own.”
She contemplated me for a few moments. “Well, if it won’t physically hurt someone else for them not to know, and it’s not illegal, I’d stay out of it. It’s not your place to say something, right? Have they ever asked you for your opinion or if you knew something?”
“No.”
“Then keep your mouth shut. We are in a unique business where we often hear things that we aren’t supposed to hear. We are the proverbial fly on the wall, but we can’t go around talking about other people’s business. It’s bad for ours if we do.”
“Yeah, I know that,” I replied somberly.
“Man, it must be something really incredible for you to be this upset over it.”
Since the event, I’d spent every minute trying not to think about it, and when I did think about it, I battled with myself over saying something to Roan or Rye. A few days ago, Rye came into the café, and I almost blurted it out a half-dozen times. I’d forced myself to avoid him so I wouldn’t. Robin was right; it wasn’t my place to share this information with him, and I knew it, but my better judgement was telling me to spill. I liked Rye, and I didn’t want to see him get hurt.
“Robin, you have to promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“After this wedding, you won’t ask me to work on events with Autumn.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Why? Because you’re worried you’ll run into Roan? You really liked him, didn’t you?”
I battled back a wave of tears. “I’m just not a fan of hers, and if I can avoid her, I’d love to.”
“Wait, does this secret you know have something to do with Autumn?”
I bit my cheek so I wouldn’t say a word and shook my head. She grabbed my arm, “Oh, my god, it does!”
“No, you’re jumping to conclusions. You were right. I don’t want to run into Roan again if I can help it.”
She squeezed my arm, “I’m sorry, Finley. I could totally see you two together. What a putz! I have a good mind to say something to him.”
“Please, don’t,” I said immediately. “I don’t want him to know.”
For a long moment, we regarded one another, and then she nodded slowly. “Sure. I’ll keep my lips sealed.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
The next morning, I was wiping the counter and chatting with one of my customers when the bell tinkled above the door, and I glanced toward it. My heart dropped into my stomach and then began to gallop back in place as my eyes locked with Roan’s. I didn’t even have to think twice and wonder if it was him or his brother. One look at his face and I knew it was Roan.
He made a beeline for me and took a seat at the counter while I twisted the rag in my hands anxiously. I’d played this scenario in my head a hundred times, and each time, I’d flipped my hair and put my nose in the air as I’d walked away. Every single time I’d hissed at myself, too, because that wasn’t who I was. I’d never put my nose in the air toward anyone.
“Hi, Finley.”
“Hello, Mr.—” I paused. Well, crap. I couldn’t call him Mr. Waterman which was my usual way of sticking my nose up at anyone. He’d seen me naked, and quivering. I cleared my throat, “Hello, Roan.”
He was trying not to smile, and then I was trying not to smile.
“Would you like coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
I nodded and quickly spun away.
Get a grip, Finley. He’s here to tell you that he’s sorry, and he should have said something to you, and that he wishes it could be more, but it never will be because he still loves his deceased wife too much.
I turned back with the coffee pot and collected a mug from under the counter. As I let my finger slip off the mug, I wanted to snatch it back. Of all the sayings on the mugs, I had to grab the one that said My Love on it. Gah!
Roan turned the mug as I began to pour the coffee as if he were very interested in what it said. He grinned widely when he saw the words.
“Did you want something to eat?”
&nb
sp; “No, not really.”
“Okay, well, then if you need anything else—”
“You.”
I startled. “Excuse me?”
“You, Finley, I need you.”
I glanced around the café. It was a busy morning, and the man to Roan’s left was grinning into his mug. There was no doubt he’d heard Roan’s confession.
I stared at him, opening and closing my mouth a few times as each time I tried to come up with a response, it quickly evaporated from my tongue.
“Finley, I need to apologize to you. I’m sorry for what happened that night.”
Okay, here it comes, I thought to myself. Here’s the I’m-sorry-it’s-me-not-you.
I braced myself.
He glanced toward the man beside him, pondered for a second, then leaned forward, lowering his voice. “I’m sorry that I shut down after we made love.”
He thought we’d made love?
“I was a little rattled, but that didn’t have anything to do with you, it was me.”
And there we go. My shoulders sagged.
“Once I had come to my senses, I came down and you were gone. I was going to come find you, but I got a phone call and I had to leave immediately. I just got home last night.”
“You couldn’t have called and apologized over the phone?”
“I tried. I got a recording that said that number was no longer in service.”
I winced. I had totally forgotten about that. Chris suggested I get rid of my phone all together, so Howie wouldn’t have my new number. I didn’t even think about no one else having it. Blonde moment for the brunette. Duh!
“You could have asked Chris.”
“I didn’t want Chris or Robin to know what was going on. I had no idea what you had told Robin, if anything, about us.”
I glanced away.
“What? Did you tell her I’d gotten you in bed and then disappeared without a word?”
“No,” I said hastily. “I told her that things didn’t work out with us.”
He reached over the counter and pulled my hand toward him. “I don’t like that concept. I want things to work for us, Finley.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do. I’m sorry about the other night, but I needed to work through some things.”
“And did you?”
His smile was slow, sexy, and made my toes curl in my comfortable, boring shoes. “Yes, ma’am, I did.”
I worried my bottom lip, and the movement drew his gaze right to my lips. He shifted in his seat and quickly looked away. “Can we pick this conversation up later?”
“I have an event that I’m catering tonight, and I have a seminar I need to attend tomorrow, then we are preparing for your brother’s wedding. I seriously don’t think I have time to talk about this before then.”
“Okay,” he nodded slowly. “Then how about after the wedding, you and I sit down and talk.”
Did I really want to get my hopes up? I’d spent the last ten days telling my heart that it was going to heal.
“Please, Finley? Let me explain everything, and then make your decision.”
“Okay,” I replied.
“Finley, you have a phone call in Robin’s office,” Martin said from the kitchen door.
“I need to go take that. I’ll talk to you later, Roan.”
He let go of my hand as I pulled back and he stood. As I walked toward the kitchen door, he did, too. “What are you doing?”
“Go answer your phone call. I’m just coming back for a moment.”
I shook my head, confused, but I didn’t ask anything further. My head and heart were already spinning at a wild pace.
Just as I stepped into Robin’s office, Roan twirled me around and took me in his arms, planting a huge kiss on my lips. It was sweet, and hot, and made my body instantly ache. He let me go just as fast as he’d grabbed me.
“Sorry, I just needed to do that.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t know what to say. My world was turning on its axis at a crazy speed. Instead, I turned my attention to the handset lying on the desk. “Hello, this is Finley Parker.”
There was a dial tone on the line, and I set the phone down.
“Who was it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. No one was there, they hung up.”
Roan rubbed his jaw. “Could it have been Wallace?”
“Maybe, but I doubt it. I haven’t heard a peep out of him since he was here.” I walked past Roan and out into the kitchen. “Martin, did the person say who it was?”
“No, just asked for you. Did he hang up?”
“Yeah, he did.”
He stirred something into a pot and glanced back over his shoulder. “It was a man with a deep voice, like, really deep, asked for Ms. Finley Parker.”
Crap, a really deep voice would knock Howie out of the picture. “Well, whoever it is, they’ll call back if it’s important, right?”
Chapter 28
Roan
The first thing on my agenda, after checking my email and going through my ten days of physical mail, was to head to the café and see Finley. It was time to explain to her what was going on and pray that it wasn’t too late.
The minute I entered the café and our eyes locked, I knew I had a chance. I saw that she was hurt and nervous, but I also saw other feelings shining back at me. Maybe she didn’t want me to see them, but I did. I was used to looking at a person, or picture, and understanding the emotions that were behind the scene. Finley liked me. I didn’t think she loved me, but she liked me and that was enough.
I wasn’t happy about having to wait to talk to her, so I followed her into Robin’s office. The kiss I planted on her was to show her my intent, and I hoped she understood. I would wait to talk to her until after my brother’s wedding because I respected her and her job, but I wasn’t going to wait longer than necessary.
Her instant response to my lips put me on a high that quickly crashed when she said no one was on the line when she picked up.
“Are you back at your place?”
“Yeah, I am. My landlord was very understanding. He even got me a new mattress, but he said I needed to pay for the repairs. I’m going to be paying him forever, but at least he didn’t kick me out.”
“Well, we’ll see what we can do about that. There are programs in the state that help victims of crimes.”
“But I wasn’t a victim—”
My brows went high in question. “You weren’t? I beg to differ.”
She winced and shook her head. “I hate thinking of myself as a victim.”
“Finley, you did nothing wrong. There is no reason for you to feel bad about being a victim. That ass invaded your space, destroyed property, and stole personal things from you. You have the right to be angry, afraid, and sad.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She glanced toward the dining area. “I really need to get back out there.”
I cupped her cheek. “Come back to my place where I know you’re safe.”
She backed up. “No, I can’t right now. I need to focus on the next few days. There is a lot going on, and I can’t be derailed by any more drama or emotions.”
I chuckled, “So I’m drama and emotions?”
“No, I’m drama and emotions,” she said emphatically, “and I need a break from it.”
I put my hands on her shoulders. “Okay, but will you be careful, and can you give me your phone number so I can call you?”
She took my phone after I unlocked it and quickly typed in her number. “You can text me, but don’t call. I’m just too busy right now, and I’ll answer you when I can.”
“Fair enough.”
“Okay, I have to get back to work.” She began to turn, and I stopped her.
“Not before I say goodbye properly.” She started to look toward Martin, but I stopped her by kissing her. Once again, she immediately responded, even put her hand on the back of my neck and held me there for a moment. “I’ll text you later.”
�
�Okay,” she said softly.
As I walked past her and out of the kitchen, Martin whistled softly.
“What?” I heard her say indignantly as Martin laughed.
I dropped two dollars next to the coffee mug and then pulled a pen out of my pocket and quickly jotted down two words on a napkin and left it under the corner of the mug. Let her stew on that one for a little while.
I liked coffee, but I liked her a whole lot more. I was almost to my car when my cellphone rang and a local number I didn’t recognize showed up on my screen. “Roan Waterman.”
“Mr. Waterman, this is Trooper Stevens. I was assigned to Ms. Parker’s burglary.”
“Yes,” I paused beside my car, “did you just try to call her at work?”
“Actually, I did, but then my sergeant needed to speak to me, and I had to hang up. The cellphone number I have for her doesn’t work.”
“Yeah, she cancelled that line and got a new phone. Do you want me to give it to you?”
There was a loud voice on the other end. “Hold on a second,” he replied brusquely. For a few moments, there was muffled talking in the background and then he was back on the line. “Mr. Waterman, I’m sorry, I’m going to need to call you back. Can you just let her know that we are making progress on her case and that I’ll be in touch soon?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, great, thank you. I’ll get back in touch soon.”
I barely had time to acknowledge him before the line went dead. I contemplated going back into the café and telling Finley, but then I decided that I would save it and tell her later. It would give me a valid reason to reach out to her.
I spent the rest of the day catching up on other work, emailing clients, and taking calls. Around six that night, I received a reply to my earlier text.
Been a crazy day.
Aren’t you working right now?
Yeah, but I’m on a break and I thought I would respond while I had a moment.
Glad you did. How is work?
It’s work. Easy gig, small party-only thirty people. I’ll be out of here by ten.
I was so tempted to ask her to come by my house, but I knew she had a seminar to go to tomorrow. That’s good. What seminar are you taking tomorrow?