by Mara Jacobs
Damn, the woman had no idea how good she looked. Had some man done a number on her and made her question her desirability? Finn wished he could get his hands on that man - if there was one - and squeeze the life out of him for ever making Liz doubt herself.
A cold sensation passed through him and he prayed that it hadn’t been him.
They weren’t in the door more than a few seconds when Finn heard a female shriek and saw a blur of flowered dress heading toward them. “Lizzie Hampton? Oh my God, is that really you? I haven’t seen you in four or five years. You look unbelievable! My God, I can’t believe it’s really you. I almost didn’t know you.”
Before Finn could discern what was going on, Liz told him to take Annie and find Stevie and Clea. She needed to do a few things, see a few people, then she’d meet up with them. Then she dropped Finn’s hand and made her way to the woman who was bearing down on them and still going on about how great Liz looked.
Strange. He agreed that Liz looked spectacular tonight, but was surprised at the intensity from the woman.
The dance was being held at the rec center on the concrete that normally held the city ice arena. In the summer the ice was melted, the boards taken down and community dances and wedding receptions were held. Faint traces of paint remained on the concrete floor, denoting the blue lines, face off circles and the red centerline. It was an open room with a stage and dance floor at the center, two bars, one on each side of the room, a concession and pop stand and eighty or so circular tables set on every remaining space of floor. It was typically the most attended gathering of the year in the Copper Country, though Liz had boasted that her fundraiser dance and auction would top it.
He had never been to this event. As a berry grower, he should have, but he had never been much of a socializer and Annie had always been adamant that she didn’t want to go to so public an event, so he used her as an excuse not to attend himself. Gran had gone most years, representing the Robbins farm, and Stevie went last year, but this was Finn’s first time.
The same feelings he always got at these kinds of things overcame him. Like any minute someone would come up and ask him to quietly leave, that he did not belong here. It was a community dance, for Christ’s sake, and he was part of the community, but he had deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy that he wasn’t sure he’d ever lose.
He watched as Liz circled the room like the pro she was. Hugs from everyone she knew, even from those who she was obviously being introduced to for the first time. More than one person held her arms out from her, taking her all in, as Finn had done the first night he’d seen her at the Mine Shaft.
My God, did the whole town share his feelings of lust for Liz? He wouldn’t be surprised, but he couldn’t help but feel there was something else happening with all the people gushing over Liz. He’d have to remember to ask her about it later.
Thinking about what he wanted to do with Liz when they were finally alone, he conceded that those questions could wait until much later.
She was checking in with Madge Goodson, the one running the show tonight. She stopped and chatted briefly with each of the queen candidates as they gathered around the stage, the crowning about to begin.
Finn saw her face break into a huge smile and followed her line of vision to Pete Ryan; the hockey star who was a friend and client of Liz’s. He saw the moment Ryan saw Liz and the wolfish smile that crossed the athlete’s face made Finn tense with jealousy.
Whoa, boy. She’s only yours on loan. She doesn’t belong to you, don’t go all caveman on her and scare her away before you get what you want.
Still, his fists were clenched and only eased as he saw Liz, instead of stepping into Ryan’s outstretched arms, punch him - playfully but hard - on the man’s bulging biceps. She grabbed his jersey as he pulled away from her, rubbing his sore arm, and yanked him down to her so she could whisper something into his ear. Ryan’s eyes went to the girl about ten yards away from him, the girl Finn recognized as last year’s queen. He nodded at Liz, then put his hands up in a surrendering motion to her as she laughed.
That was about right, what man didn’t surrender to Liz in some fashion? Lord knows way back when, he would have done anything to please her. Anything but gracefully accept a shirt she had especially picked out for you. Yeah, so he’d been an ass about the shirt, and probably would have been an ass if she’d bought him one today.
It hit home that Liz was all about giving. It was why she was able to pull off this fundraiser so effortlessly, or know exactly what his kids would need to feel special tonight. Or why so many people dropped everything to say hello when she entered a room.
Did a man who was so reluctant to receive, so distrustful of hidden strings, have any business being with a woman who personified giving?
She was whispering something else to Ryan now, and nodded her head toward Stevie where he stood with a pack of boys. Finn watched as the hockey player listened, nodded, then followed Liz’s head as it swung toward a group of adolescent girls that huddled on the other side of the room. Again, Ryan nodded, accepted a squeeze on the arm from Liz and watched as she walked away. Walked toward Finn. Ryan’s eyes watched her stride to Finn’s table, then he looked up and saw Finn watching him watch Liz. Showing no embarrassment, Ryan nodded to him and Finn gave a short nod in return.
Total guy thing. Without a word, Ryan had said, “You’re damn lucky, she’s a great girl” and Finn had sent the message back, “That’s right, she is, and she’s MINE.” They both knew where they stood.
“Get everything handled?” he asked Liz as she sat at the table with Annie and him. Gran was off getting them all some refreshments and Stevie had left them to be with his friends since their arrival.
“Yep.” She placed her hand on Annie’s knee and gave a light squeeze. “Annie, when they get done announcing the queen, my friend, Petey, is going to call you up and he’ll announce the fundraiser, okay?”
A determined look fought the terror on Annie’s face and she nodded to Liz. “You’ll go with me, won’t you…” before he could assure his daughter of his presence she added, “Lizzie?”
His heart felt like it had been lassoed and rustled to the ground. Stunned that his little girl didn’t feel the need to cling to him, and overjoyed that the person she wanted near her for this momentous occasion was Liz. He looked at Liz to see if she had garnered the importance of this request.
Her eyes glistened. She pretended to fix her mascara as she gave Annie a nonchalant, “Sure, kid, I’ll be with you.” But he knew Annie’s words had affected Liz as much as they had him.
Shit. This was not supposed to happen. A summer fling, that’s what they’d decided, what they’d agreed upon. He didn’t want to feel this deep connection with her. But he couldn’t draw back now, not when they were so close to closing the deal, to sleeping together. Finally.
He’d get through this night, then they’d slow things down. Most of the work for the fundraiser was done, so Liz wouldn’t need to be at the farm as often as she was now. They could spend the next month between now and the fundraiser just getting together for sex. No kids, no friends, no Gran, just the two of them, occasionally getting together to scratch the itch. Not even friends with benefits. Just benefits.
Yeah. Right. Like that was possible.
He sighed, accepting his fate. Who was he kidding? Keeping things to a minimum with Liz would never work, wasn’t really what he even wanted if he was honest with himself. He loved when she was at the farm. The work wasn’t quite as back breaking when he knew there would be a few stolen kisses in the barn at the end of the day. He’d take every minute with her up until the moment she left for Detroit. Even that would be pure torture, to see her drive away from him, back to her life, her business and whatever guys might be waiting for her in the Motor City.
The queen crowning went smoothly, with Ryan playing his role to the hilt. Hugging and chastely kissing each of the contestants until only the winner remained. As he quieted the crowd and told th
em he had an announcement to make, Liz got behind Annie and made her way toward the stage. Finn rose to help, but she waved him off.
The stage had a ramp on either side, and Liz was able to easily wheel Annie to the corner of the stage.
Once the queen and her court had been escorted from the stage, Ryan stepped to the microphone. “I just want to let you all know about an upcoming event. Mark your calendars now. August eighth and ninth are going to be the most exciting two days the Copper Country has ever seen and it’s all to help out my good friend, Annie Robbins.”
Finn snorted from where he sat. Annie had never even met Pete Ryan.
What the hell, it was all about the surgery. He didn’t mind putting up with a little phony emotion if it meant his daughter would someday be able to stand and walk. He watched as Liz wheeled Annie to the front of the stage then went back to the curtains that served as the backdrop during the queen coronation. She nodded to Ryan and yanked on a cord, which opened the curtains.
Ryan put on his best “let’s get ready to rumble” voice and announced, “Ladies and gentleman, it’s my pleasure to announce…Annie Aid!” The crowd, solely feeding off their hometown hero’s enthusiasm, began to applaud.
The curtains parted and a huge banner that read “Annie Aid” shown behind. It listed the dates, and in two neat columns, one for each day of the happening, summarized the events. Finn had seen some of Liz’s notes, but was floored by the sheer volume of things that she’d been able to plan and organize on such short notice.
“As you can see, we’re having a celebrity golf outing on Friday, a barbecue Friday night. A dance on Saturday, and throughout the weekend you can have your picture taken with…” he held the pause as long as he could before shouting, “The Stanley Cup.”
The crowd burst into excitement. There was applause and shouts. Finn realized how right Liz had been about the willingness of the people of the Copper Country to pay to have their picture taken with the Stanley Cup.
Ryan held his hands up to quiet the crowd. “And that’s not all. Each event will be attended by several members of The Detroit Red Wings, the Lions, and the Pistons. There’ll be Chicago Bears, a couple of Patriots and yes, even a few of the NHL champion Colorado Avalanche.” The last was obviously hard for Ryan, and Finn swore he saw the guy turn his head and roll his eyes at Liz.
As if she feared he may tell the crowd how he really felt about the Avs, Liz strode to the microphone. “All proceeds go to the Hannah Robbins Foundation. That’s Annie to you and me. We’ve got flyers with all the information at the doors. It’s got the website address with more information. Ticket sales to all events begin on Monday.”
She stepped away and gave the mic back to Ryan who said, “Where’s my good buddy, Stevie Robbins? Stevie come on up here for a minute.”
Finn sat, stunned, as he watched his son head to the stage. Clearly, Stevie had no more idea of what to expect than Finn did.
When Stevie reached the stage, Pete Ryan put his arm around him and said, “This is Stevie Robbins, a good friend of mine and Annie’s older brother. Stevie was helping me clean out my locker at The Joe the other day...” he paused and let the audience, especially the kids in the crowd, absorb this bit of information. “And we got to talking about all the help we could use during the fundraiser. Stevie said he’d be glad to keep track of anyone who’d like to help out. So, if you’d like to volunteer to do something during Annie Aid, say, I don’t know, caddy for a Red Wing or a Lion, you just let Stevie know and he’ll put your name and phone number on a list and we’ll be calling you in the next week or two.”
The crowd took a visible step forward, as if they couldn’t wait for the event to begin. Finn watched Liz’s satisfied smile as she caught his eye from the stage. She gave a tiny thumbs up to him and he felt like the weight of the world had just been lifted from him.
It was quickly replaced by the weight of his feelings for Liz.
“Whoa there, everybody, plenty of chances. If not tonight, there’s a number on the flyer to call, or a contact us button on the website, so you can find out how you can help. Everybody relax, enjoy the rest of the Strawberry Festival and get ready for Annie Aid.” Ryan wrapped it up, stood between Annie and Stevie, an arm around each of them.
Finn watched his son realize that though he’d just been assigned a chore, he would now be heralded by all his friends as Pete Ryan’s personal buddy. The boy’s smile could have melted the ice off the floor if it still remained.
His gaze then turned to his daughter, expecting to see terror and embarrassment. Instead she seemed to blossom right in front of him. She fed off the good vibes of the crowd and flashed Pete Ryan a dazzling smile that Finn saw as a harbinger of things to come.
Like they said, when you have a boy you worry about one boy, when you have a girl…you worry about all the boys.
Oh God, how would he bear it when men started looking at a teen-age Annie? He’d happily learn to deal with it, though, if the looks his daughter received from boys years from now were filled with teen lust and not pity. Well, maybe not happily deal with it, but he’d learn to deal with it.
Chapter Fourteen
√ Get candles
√ Find out if they still make Love’s Baby Soft
Call Sybil
Annie could barely keep her eyes open and did so from sheer adrenaline alone. Finn had danced with her, holding her hands up and swaying to and fro in front of her chair. After seeing how the feat could be accomplished, other men asked the little girl to dance and she quickly turned into the belle of the ball.
Lizzie herself felt like she’d danced with every man in attendance. Everyone except Finn. He had been surly every time she accepted a dance invitation, but hadn’t asked her himself.
She could count on two hands the number of people in the Copper Country who’d seen her at her heaviest – unfortunately it seemed like they all were here tonight. Lizzie tried to keep the couple of people who wanted to congratulate her on her stunning weight loss away from Finn and succeeded. But she couldn’t miss the question in his eyes when a woman came up to her and said she hadn’t known who Lizzie was until someone had told her.
Let him think she never came to town. Let him think that woman was senile with her inability to remember Lizzie. Oh, hell, let him think whatever he wants, after tonight it wouldn’t matter.
She just needed to get him in the sack before he knew her tale of obesity. He’d probably figure it out when he saw all the stretch marks, but she was counting on a very dark bedroom and enough distractions to prevent that from happening.
Not that she didn’t think he wouldn’t sleep with her if he knew she’d been fat. She just didn’t want freak curiosity about her body to be a motivating factor. Or worse yet, a pity fuck. She couldn’t bear the thought of that.
It was nearly eleven before Clea decided to take Annie and Stevie home. They had purchased pizza and other junk from the concession stand which Finn and the kids wolfed down, but Lizzie, envisioning being naked later, turned down all food. Her tummy measurement this morning was the best she’d experienced since she’d begun the bizarre ritual. It was almost a pleasure slipping on the black linen dress.
She watched as Stevie said good night to the girl from the parade. She had traded in her purple tank and shorts for a sundress, also purple. Her signature color, apparently.
The girl had made a beeline for Stevie the minute he stepped off the stage with Petey, just as she’d hoped when she’d asked for the favor. She did a quick mental tally, adding up her favors column. She better be careful, too many more times of trying to impress Finn’s kids and she’d end up owing the entire NHL.
The thought made her stop. Was that what she was doing? Trying to impress Finn’s kids? Or worse, trying to impress Finn?
Why?
The reason she picked him for this experiment in the first place was because she didn’t feel the need to impress him, had no stake in his opinion of her whatsoever. Right?
; Before she could analyze it any further, Finn approached her where she stood by their table. He’d taken Annie and Clea to the van and had headed Stevie in that direction as the boy said a reluctant farewell to the purple girl. He had gotten Lizzie and himself both a beer but instead of handing her one, he set them both on the table.
“Finally, I can ask you to dance.” He held his hand out to her and she took it. It was cool from holding the cup of beer, and was an extreme contrast to the heat that seemed to emanate from her.
She felt more anxious to finally be held by Finn than walking into any boardroom with a million dollar proposal.
He led her to the dance floor where a song had just ended and the DJ was saying something about “slowing it down for the old folks”. There were a few boos and catcalls from the remaining couples, none of whom wanted to be placed in the old folks category, but who were happy to have some slow songs played.
“Why couldn’t you ask me to dance before?” she asked.
He brought them to the middle of the dance floor, hiding them amongst the sea of other couples. “I wanted to be able to get to Annie if anything happened. And, honestly, I wasn’t sure what her reaction would be if she saw us dancing together. I just didn’t want to chance a melt-down, not when everything went off so smoothly.”
She placed her right hand in his and her left on his shoulder and followed his lead. “It did go pretty well, didn’t it?”
He gently squeezed her waist. “Because of you.” He pulled back from her so he could look into her eyes. “You know I’ll never be able to thank you enough for all you’ve done. Even if the operation isn’t successful, we’ll know we tried everything we could.”
She watched his blue eyes, met them, and said in a very serious tone, “I don’t want your gratitude. I saw a chance to help and I did something. Something that will be very beneficial to my clients, by the way, so it was a good business decision. But make no mistake, it’s not gratitude that I want from you.”